Principal HR Business Partner

WP Engine; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health benefits

Fertility benefits

401(k) with 4% match

Disability insurance

Paid family leave

Employee assistance program

Generous vacation time

Home office stipend $500

Wellness days

Floating holiday

Pet insurance

Learning & career growth

Job summary

WP Engine is seeking a Principal Employee Experience (HR) Business Partner to be a strategic talent partner for our Marketing organization and Global Corporate Functions. You will advise senior leaders on strategy and structure, champion culture, and lead organizational design and change across global functions.

The role demands 8+ years of HRBP experience, fluency in business growth, and a practical, independent advisory style with strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive HR Business Partner experience, including direct partnership with VP+ and C-suite leaders.
• Commercially fluent with growth drivers and the value of talent strategy for leadership.
• Ambitious problem-solver who balances risk and outcomes.
• Clear, independent communicator trusted under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Advise the business. Partner with executive leadership on strategy, structure, and talent.
• Champion people and culture; elevate team experiences and align decisions with impact on people.
• Lead org design and change across global functions with structured change plans.
• Coach leaders with candid, practical guidance on leadership effectiveness and inclusion.
• Own the talent strategy for client groups; drive performance, development, and workforce planning.
• Strengthen Employee Experience functions by collaborating with ER, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and People Operations.

Skills

HRBP experience

Executive stakeholder management

Talent strategy

Change management

Employee advocacy

Job description

We engage the most inspired minds to do their best work wherever they work best—powering the freedom to create worldwide.WP Engine empowers companies and agencies of all sizes to build, power, manage, and optimize their WordPress websites and applications with confidence. Serving 1.5 million customers across 150+ countries, the global technology company provides premium, enterprise-grade solutions, tools, and services, including specialized platforms for WordPress, industry-tailored eCommerce and agency solution suites, and developer-centric tools like Local, Advanced Custom Fields, and more. WP Engine’s innovative technology and industry-leading expertise are why 8% of the web visits a WP Engine-powered site daily. Learn more at wpengine.com.WP Engine is looking for a Principal Employee Experience (HR) Business Partner to be the strategic talent partner for our Marketing organization and Global Corporate Functions (Finance, Enterprise Systems/Corporate IT, and Revenue Operations).This role sits at the intersection of business strategy and people. You'll be a trusted advisor to senior executives, helping them see the talent and organizational implications of their decisions before they make them, and you'll be an advocate for the people in these teams, someone who knows what it actually feels like to work here and feels personally responsible for protecting and strengthening our culture. The best Business Partners hold both of these at once: deep commercial acumen and a genuine connection to the employee experience. That's who we're looking for.What You'll DoAdvise the business. Partner with executive leadership on strategy, structure, and talent. You assess the people and business impact of proposed changes, bring an independent and evidence-backed point of view, and help leaders find the path that holds up over time. You escalate when warranted and move fast once the call is made.Champion our people and culture. Stay close to the teams you support. Understand their experience firsthand, elevate what you hear, and ensure decisions about pace, structure, and priorities account for their impact on people. Be a visible steward of WP Engine's values.Lead org design and change. Guide organizational design, operating model shifts, and change initiatives across multiple global functions, with a plan for how people move through the change and not just the end state.Coach leaders. Provide candid, practical coaching to senior executives and their teams on leadership effectiveness, team dynamics, inclusion, and nuanced people matters.Own the talent strategy for your client groups. Drive performance and development cycles, compensation planning, employee relations and workforce planning in partnership with our Centers of Excellence.Strengthen the EE function. You collaborate closely with Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, People Operations, Systems, etc, bringing them in early and sharing context generously. You surface what you're seeing across your client groups, give and take feedback well, and elevate others.Who You AreAn experienced HRBP. 8+ years of progressive HR Business Partner experience, including direct partnership with VP+ and C-suite leaders, ideally in tech or a high-growth environment.Commercially fluent. You understand growth drivers, P&L dynamics, and how marketing and corporate functions create value, and you translate that into talent strategy leaders actually use.A pragmatic problem solver. You find the path that balances risk and outcome, and you have a track record of judgment leaders trust.A confident, independent voice. You form your own view, share it clearly, and hold it under pressure.A genuine employee advocate. You care about how it feels to work here. You build trust across levels, and people bring you things because they know you'll handle it fairly.A skilled communicator. You distill complex information into clear, executive-ready recommendations, and you deliver hard truths in a way that people trust you more, not less, for having heard them.Candidates must be in a commutable distance from downtown Austin and comfortable being in the office an average of 2 days per week.The Perks & BenefitsCompany Stock Options (Every employee is an owner in the company)Great Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance)Fertility Benefits (IVF/Fertility drug coverage)HSA Company contribution401(k) with a 4% matchDisability InsurancePaid Family and Caregiver’s LeaveEmployee Assistance ProgramGenerous Vacation Time (Who doesn’t like time off)One-time $500 payment to set up your home office4 Company Wellness Days a year1 floating holidayPet InsuranceOn-going education through LinkedIn Learning, Workday Learning and our Career Growth PortalAt WP Engine, we strive to have the broadest possible view of diversity, going beyond visible differences to include the background, experiences, skills, and perspectives that make each person unique. WP Engine is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, Veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.Base Salary Range$140,000.00 - $192,500.00We believe that compensation should be reflective of the impact you have within the organization relative to the market value of your role. The estimated base salary range for this position is as listed above. Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay. Our salary ranges are determined by job role and responsibilities and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for salaries for the position nationwide. The actual base pay will vary based on various factors including job-related skills and individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process. Your talent acquisition partner can share more about the total rewards package at WP Engine including any additional total rewards components such as equity, variable pay plans (if applicable), and benefits during the hiring process.