Senior HR Business Partner

PLACE; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

PLACE is hiring a Senior HR Business Partner for RE Team Employees. You will partner with the VP of HR, RE Team Owners, and RE Operations to manage complex employee relations for W2 staff embedded in operator partnerships.

You will own a Center of Excellence area (e.g., Engagement or PM & Rewards), coach leaders, and help design holistic people practices across a distributed workforce. The role is fully remote with some travel to RE locations and preference for Austin-area candidates.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive HR experience with a strong concentration in employee relations.
• Experience supporting franchise, agency, independent-contractor, or distributed workforce models.
• Knowledge of employment law and co-employment risk.
• Ability to coach leaders and owners through conflict and complex policies.
• Experience building or governing a CoE-style program (Engagement, PM, onboarding, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary HR point of contact for W2 employees embedded in RE Teams.
• Manage and resolve complex employee relations issues with objective investigations.
• Design and roll out people-management tools and processes for RE Team Owners and RE Operations.
• Coach RE Team Owners on policies and law, distinguishing PLACE-employer decisions.
• Partner with Legal on operator-partnership and co-employment risk issues.
• Establish escalation protocols for HR issues.
• Coordinate onboarding transitions for new team employees onto Powered by PLACE Teams.
• Conduct Operator Orientation on PLACE policies and employer-of-record responsibilities.
• Support onboarding, offboarding, leave administration, and employee changes for RE Team W2 population.
• Coach leaders on performance and disciplinary conversations.

Skills

Employee relations

CoE program governance

Coaching leaders

HR policy interpretation

Employment law knowledge

HRIS familiarity

Data-driven HR

Education

PHR or SPHR certification

Tools

HRIS

ADP

Job description

Your Opportunity

At PLACE, we're building a category-defining company at the intersection of real estate, technology, business services, and the consumer. As a profitable, hypergrowth startup, on the path to an IPO, our standards are high, our team is scrappy, and our commitment is to execute the best work of our lives.

This is YOUR CHANCE to shape the backbone of a company that's scaling rapidly and innovating boldly. As our Senior HR Business Partner for RE Team Employees, you'll partner with the VP of Human Resources, RE Team Owners, and RE Operations Team leaders to navigate a uniquely complex employee relations landscape — supporting W2 employees embedded within our independent operator partnerships — while also owning a functional area within our enterprise People Operations Center of Excellence, such as Engagement or Performance Management & Rewards. If you thrive in complexity, entrepreneurial problem-solving, and believe in scaling through tech and AI, this is your PLACE.

Who Develops You

VP of Human Resources

What You're Great At

You're a seasoned HR professional with 7+ years of progressive experience and a strong concentration in employee relations — ideally with a background supporting franchise, agency, independent-contractor, or other distributed workforce models. You have deep skill managing complex, sensitive employee relations issues with professionalism, objectivity, and sound legal judgment, and a strong grasp of employment law and co-employment risk that lets you protect both the employee and PLACE as employer of record. You know how to influence without authority — coaching and guiding non-employee business owners on people practices even without direct organizational control over them. You're comfortable leading structured onboarding and orientation sessions, and you have a track record of coaching leaders and owners through conflict toward stronger engagement. You've built or governed a CoE-style program before — whether engagement, performance management, onboarding, or compliance — and you bring sharp analytical instincts, turning data into clear action plans. You communicate with excellence across audiences, building trust with both employees and independent operators alike, and you're comfortable exercising sound judgment and discretion in ambiguous situations. A PHR, SPHR, or equivalent certification is a strong plus, and familiarity with HRIS, engagement survey platforms, and reporting systems (ADP experience a bonus) rounds out your toolkit.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the primary HR point of contact for W2 employees embedded in assigned RE Teams, providing guidance on policies, benefits, and workplace concerns
• Manage and resolve complex employee relations issues arising on RE Teams, conducting thorough, objective investigations even when day-to-day supervision comes from a non-PLACE Team Owner
• Design and roll out people-management tools and processes — performance frameworks, compensation models, and similar resources — to help RE Team Owners and RE Operations leaders lead effectively
• Coach and advise RE Team Owners on people practices, PLACE policy, and applicable employment law, clearly distinguishing which decisions must be made or approved by PLACE as the legal employer
• Partner closely with Legal on employee relations matters touching the operator-partnership structure, co-employment risk, and escalations requiring legal review
• Establish and maintain clear escalation protocols so RE Team Owners and employees know when and how to bring HR issues forward
• Coordinate with the Partner Success Onboarding team to support smooth transitions of new team employees onto Powered by PLACE Teams
• Conduct Operator Orientation for new RE Team Owners, introducing PLACE's people policies, employer-of-record responsibilities, and the escalation and support model
• Support onboarding, offboarding, leave administration, and employee changes for the RE Team W2 population alongside the broader People Operations team
• Coach leaders — including RE Team Owners, where appropriate — on impactful, legally sound performance and disciplinary conversations
• Partner with the VP of HR on policy interpretation and updates specific to the operator-partnership model
• Track and analyze employee relations trends across RE Teams to identify systemic issues and proactively address risk
• Own a Center of Excellence functional area (e.g., Engagement or Performance Management & Rewards) — building manager toolkits, driving enterprise-wide programs, and reporting on effectiveness to HR leadership

Salary: $100,000-$120,000/year based on experience

Why PLACE

We believe people do their best work when they're trusted, supported, and surrounded by others who are equally driven. That's why this role includes a "work from the PLACE you work best" approach — and this particular role is fully remote, with availability during core PST business hours and travel to RE Team locations as needed to support employee relations matters. Although this is primarily a remote role, preference is given to candidates in the Austin, Texas area. Our competitive benefits include PTO as needed, comprehensive insurance coverage, a 401(k) match, stock option grants, and a stock purchase plan. Every team member is an owner, building the "PLACE" they are proud to call "my company."