Principal People Business Partner, Software

Industrial Innovation Fund; Salem, Pittsburgh, Fremont (OR, Allegheny County, CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Agility is seeking a Principal People Business Partner to join a small, agile team and partner with senior leaders across Software, AI/ML, Innovation, and Product Management. You will shape people strategies, coach leaders, and drive organizational design and change in a high-growth tech environment.

The role emphasizes autonomy, business partnership, and translating business priorities into scalable people solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Industrial & Labor Relations, Human Resources Management, Psychology, Business).
• 8+ years of progressive HR/People experience, including HRBP support to technical orgs in high-growth tech.
• Experience partnering with senior/executive leaders in complex, scaling organizations.
• Proven ability to translate business strategy into people strategy and influence decisions.
• Strong organizational design, workforce planning, talent management, and change management experience.
• Ability to coach senior leaders through complex performance, talent, and employee relations matters.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic thought partner and trusted advisor to senior leaders across Software, AI/ML, Innovation, and Product Management teams.
• Translate business strategy into comprehensive people and organizational strategies.
• Provide insights on organizational health, talent trends, workforce capabilities, and business impact.
• Anticipate challenges and propose opportunities to improve effectiveness, leadership capability, and employee experience.
• Advise on organizational design, workforce planning, team structure, spans and layers, and succession planning.
• Lead or contribute to performance management, talent reviews, and development initiatives.
• Develop change strategies and navigate reorganizations, restructures, and workforce planning decisions.

Skills

Executive coaching

Strategic planning

Organizational design

People analytics

Stakeholder management

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR/IR/Psychology/Business

Job description

Agility’s commercially deployed humanoids operate alongside teams in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers—tackling physically demanding and repetitive tasks while enabling workers to focus on higher-value work. With industry-leading safety standards and years of proven deployment data, we're pioneering a new era of automation that enhances human potential.

About The Role

Our People Operations team is growing, and we are looking for a talented Principal People Business Partner to join our small, agile, world-class team. This person will serve as a strategic people partner to our technical organizations, including Software, AI/ML, Innovation, and Product Management.

The Principal People Business Partner will partner closely with senior leaders to shape and execute people strategies that enable organizational growth, technical excellence, and business performance. This role operates as a trusted advisor, executive coach, organizational strategist, change agent, and thought partner on complex people and talent matters.

At the Principal level, this role is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy and influence, anticipating organizational needs before they emerge, connecting people strategy to business strategy, and driving solutions across organizational boundaries. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in ambiguity, influencing senior leaders, navigating complex organizational dynamics, and translating business priorities into scalable people strategies.

About The Work

Strategic People Partnership

• Serve as a strategic thought partner and trusted advisor to senior leaders across Software, AI/ML, Innovation, and Product Management teams.
• Partner with senior leadership to understand business strategy, organizational priorities, and future capability needs, translating them into comprehensive people and organizational strategies.
• Influence and contribute to business strategy by providing insights on organizational health, talent trends, workforce capabilities, and their potential impact on business performance.
• Anticipate organizational challenges and proactively identify opportunities to improve organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, talent outcomes, and employee experience.
• Advise leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, team structure, spans and layers, succession planning, and the capabilities required to scale the organization.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders and influence decisions through sound judgment, data, business acumen, and a deep understanding of organizational dynamics.

Talent, Performance & Organizational Effectiveness

• Partner with leaders and managers to establish clear performance expectations aligned with organizational objectives and business outcomes.
• Coach leaders through complex performance, talent, and employee relations matters, balancing employee experience with business needs and sound judgment.
• Lead talent planning, succession planning, talent reviews, and other efforts to strengthen organizational capability.
• Assess employee and organizational development needs based on current and future business strategy and help close critical capability gaps.
• Use people data and organizational insights to identify trends, diagnose challenges, and recommend interventions.
• Help leaders build high-performing, inclusive, and accountable teams through leadership development, team effectiveness, and organizational design.

Organizational Change & Transformation

• Partner with leaders to develop and execute change strategies that support organizational transformation and business growth.
• Advise leaders through reorganizations, team restructuring, leadership changes, workforce planning decisions, and other significant organizational changes.
• Assess organizational readiness, stakeholder impact, communication needs, and risks associated with significant change initiatives.
• Help leaders navigate ambiguity and change while maintaining employee engagement, productivity, and organizational effectiveness.
• Identify organizational friction and develop practical solutions that improve how teams collaborate, communicate, and execute.

HR Strategy, Programs & Initiatives

• Lead or contribute to the development and implementation of People strategies, policies, programs, and processes that support a rapidly scaling organization.
• Identify opportunities for People process, system, and program enhancements; develop recommendations and drive execution.
• Partner cross-functionally across the People organization to ensure initiatives are connected, scalable, and aligned to business needs.
• Evaluate and enhance remote and hybrid work environments and resources to support employee well-being, work-life balance, productivity, and collaboration.
• Monitor employee feedback, engagement, and culture-related metrics to continuously improve and adapt organizational initiatives based on the needs and experiences of the workforce needs.
• Leverage data and insights to evaluate the effectiveness of People programs and make recommendations for continuous improvement.

People Team Leadership & Influence

• Serve as a senior subject‑matter expert and thought leader within the People organization.
• Share expertise, best practices, and organizational insights with other People Business Partners and People team members.
• Mentor and develop People Business Partners and other members of the People organization as appropriate.
• Help establish and evolve People Business Partner practices, frameworks, and approaches as the company scales.
• Influence cross‑functional stakeholders and drive alignment on complex, high‑impact people initiatives.
• Represent the People organization as a strategic partner in cross‑functional and executive‑level discussions.

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Industrial & Labor Relations, Human Resources Management, Human Resources Development, Psychology, Business, etc.) preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive HR/People experience, including significant experience operating as an HRBP supporting technical organizations in a high‑growth technology environment.
• Experience partnering with senior and executive leaders in complex, rapidly scaling organizations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting technical organizations such as Software, AI/ML, Engineering, Product, Innovation, or other highly specialized technology functions.
• Proven ability to translate business strategy into people strategy and influence organizational decisions at a senior level.
• Strong organizational design, workforce planning, talent management, and change management experience.
• Proven ability to coach senior leaders through complex performance, talent, organizational, and employee relations matters.
• Master conflict resolver: proven expertise in resolving complex interpersonal and team conflicts, using empathy and assertiveness to address issues quickly and effectively.
• Exceptional judgment and discretion when handling sensitive, confidential, and high‑impact organizational matters.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and adapting to frequent change with strong problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, highly evolving environment.
• Proven ability to build credibility with senior leaders and influence key stakeholders to drive alignment across cross‑functional teams.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to understand organizational priorities, identify people implications, and translate those insights into actionable recommendations.
• Builds trust, helping to create a positive, collaborative work environment that fosters open communication and mutual respect.
• Operates at the highest level of professionalism, confidentiality, and personal integrity.
• Detailed, organized, and communicative, while maintaining the ability to operate strategically and effectively across multiple priorities.
• Ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgment, and drive complex work from strategy through execution.
• Great sense of humor.
• Ability to travel 10‑20%.
• Authorization to work in the USA.

Bonus Points

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Experience working in both large technology companies and startups.
• Experience building or scaling People programs, processes, or infrastructure in a high‑growth environment.

Location

• This is a fully remote role with the option to work hybrid if a commutable distance from our