Senior Director, People Partner

Kailera Therapeutics; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 229,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Flexible time off

Paid holidays

Wellness stipend

401(k) match

Tuition reimbursement

Commuter benefits

Equity grants

Annual bonus opportunities

Job summary

Kailera Therapeutics in the United States is seeking a Senior Director, People Partner to align talent strategy with rapid growth. You will partner with executive leaders, drive organizational design, workforce planning, leadership development, and employee experience initiatives to scale the business.

The role focuses on Medical and Commercial functions, shaping people priorities across the organization while building scalable processes and high-performing teams.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive HR experience with leadership roles
• Experience supporting executive leaders in fast-growth settings
• Ability to influence senior leaders and drive outcomes
• Pharma/biotech experience is highly preferred
• Experience with Medical and Commercial leaders in biopharma
• Proven track record in transformation, planning, design, and change
• Coaching senior leaders, talent development, succession planning
• Collaborative across functions and stakeholders
• Strong presentation and data analysis skills

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior leaders to develop and activate people strategies aligned with growth
• Provide guidance on organizational design, workforce planning, and effectiveness
• Identify risks, capability gaps, and talent needs
• Lead talent reviews, succession planning, and performance management
• Coach leaders to strengthen capability and leadership
• Design leadership development programs for future leaders
• Ensure decisions support an inclusive, high-performing culture
• Lead organizational design and workforce planning initiatives
• Guide leaders through growth and business transformation
• Design scalable people practices and leadership frameworks
• Foster engagement, accountability, and collaboration
• Advise on engagement, retention, and employee relations
• Use feedback and analytics to improve the employee experience
• Utilize workforce analytics to inform decisions and compliance

Skills

Executive presence

Strategic HR partner

Change management

Employee relations

Stakeholder mgmt

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced HR cert

Tools

Microsoft Office

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

At Kailera, we are bold, authentic and committed to our mission of developing therapies that give people the power to transform their lives and elevate their overall health. Rooted in an entrepreneurial spirit and a team-oriented culture, we are working together to advance Kailera’s mission to advance novel therapies for obesity and related conditions.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes collaboration, integrity, and excellence. As we expand, we seek the most talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to join our team.

What You’ll Do

The Senior Director, People Partner serves as a strategic advisor to senior leaders, enabling business success through talent, leadership, organizational effectiveness, culture, and employee relations strategies. Reporting to the VP, People & Culture, this role drives workforce planning, organizational design, leadership development, employee experience, and change initiatives that strengthen organizational performance and support long-term growth. This role contributes to enterprise-wide people strategies and organizational decisions that enable business growth and scalability.

Partnering closely with executive leaders, the Senior Director translates business priorities into practical people strategies that develop talent, build high-performing teams, and establish effective ways of working. The role fosters employee engagement through communications, initiatives, and experiences that reinforce Kailera's values and culture.

This role will primarily partner with the Medical and Commercial organizations, while also serving as a versatile People Partner with the capability to support a broad range of functions, initiatives, and cross-functional business needs as the organization continues to grow and evolve. The role is expected to influence leaders across the organization, contribute to enterprise-wide people priorities, and help build the people infrastructure required to scale the business.

Required location: Waltham, MA (hub-based, onsite 3-4 days per week)

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior leaders to develop and activate people strategies aligned with business priorities and growth objectives
• Provide strategic guidance on organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness
• Identify and address organizational risks, capability gaps, and talent needs
• Lead talent reviews, succession planning, performance management, and high-potential development initiatives
• Coach and develop leaders to build organizational capability and strengthen leadership effectiveness
• Design and implement leadership development programs that strengthen management capability and build the future leadership pipeline
• Ensure talent decisions support an inclusive, high-performing culture
• Lead organizational design and workforce planning initiatives that build organizational capability and support business growth
• Guide leaders through growth, organizational change, and business transformation
• Design and implement scalable people practices, leadership frameworks, and organizational structures that support a high-growth organization
• Foster a culture of engagement, accountability, and collaboration by shaping cultural norms and effective ways of working
• Advise leaders on employee engagement, retention, team effectiveness, and employee relations matters
• Leverage employee feedback and organizational insights to continuously improve the employee experience
• Utilize workforce analytics and organizational metrics to inform decisions, measure effectiveness, and ensure compliance with people practices and employment regulations

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, including significant HR Business Partner or People Partner leadership experience
• Experience supporting executive-level leaders in a fast-paced, high-growth, or complex environment
• Demonstrated ability to influence and challenge senior leaders while building trusted partnerships that drive business and organizational outcomes
• Experience in larger-company pharmaceutical organizations, paired with the agility to operate effectively in a growing biotech organization
• Experience partnering with Medical and Commercial leaders in a biopharmaceutical environment, translating business priorities into workforce planning, organizational design, talent strategies, leadership development initiatives, and organizational capabilities
• Demonstrated success leading organizational transformation, workforce planning, organizational design, and change management initiatives
• Proven ability to coach senior leaders, develop talent, build succession pipelines, and design and implement leadership development programs
• Experience navigating ambiguity and driving collaboration across functions and key stakeholders
• Strong employee relations, employee engagement, and communication skills, with the ability to build trusted partnerships and foster high-performing teams
• Strong presentation, facilitation, and Microsoft Office skills, including advanced PowerPoint and Excel capabilities, with the ability to develop executive-level presentations, analyze and synthesize workforce data, communicate complex concepts effectively, and influence decision-making

Education

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or relevant HR or talent certifications preferred

Salary Range

$229,000—$280,000 USD

For Full Time Roles:

This range represents the company’s good-faith estimate of the salary at the time of posting. Actual pay may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, location, and internal equity. We also offer comprehensive health coverage, flexible time off, paid holidays, and a year-end shutdown. Enjoy a monthly wellness stipend, generous 401(k) match, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, disability and life insurance, plus annual bonus opportunities and equity grants—because your well-being and future matter to us.

Equal Employment Opportunity Information

Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, creed, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age (40 and over), sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, reproductive health decisions, domestic victim status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

E-Verify

Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.