Senior People Partner, Tech

Lightning AI; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Significant equity (RSUs)

401(k) matching and pension

Unlimited PTO

Winter break

Parental & family leave

Professional development allowance

Wellness stipends

Sabbatical after four years

Hybrid work optional

In-office meals

Job summary

Lightning AI seeks a Senior People Partner to embed with our engineering and technical leadership, shaping org design, talent decisions, and complex people moments with clarity rather than chaos. You’ll own high-stakes situations end-to-end, from leveling calls to sensitive exits, while building systems that let technical leaders make great people decisions independently.

Join a small, high-leverage People team where your judgment will influence how a fast-scaling, distributed engineering and

Qualifications

• 8+ years in People Partnering or HRBP roles, with real depth partnering directly with engineering or technical orgs.
• Track record influencing senior technical leaders on org design, performance, and talent decisions.
• Experience driving comp, promotion, and leveling decisions in technical environments.
• Experience supporting globally distributed technical teams and navigating multi-country complexity.

Responsibilities

• Partner directly with technical leaders to drive clear, consistent calls on org design, team structure, leveling, promotions, and comp.
• Own complex employee relations and performance situations end-to-end: coaching leaders through performance management, role transitions, and exits with care and rigor.
• Level up manager capability across the technical org: sharper feedback, better performance conversations, stronger talent decisions.
• Partner with Talent to raise the bar on hiring quality: role design, leveling frameworks, and evaluation practices for technical roles.
• Spot friction and risk in people processes before they become problems, and build pragmatic, scalable fixes alongside Legal, Total Rewards, and Finance.

Skills

People partnerships

Engineering collaboration

Employee relations

Compensation & leveling

Global / multi-country work

Ambiguity to structure

Executive communication

Job description

We Are

Lightning AI is the company behind PyTorch Lightning. Founded in 2019, we build an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems—designed to take ideas from research to production with less friction.

Who We Are

Lightning AI is the company behind PyTorch Lightning. Founded in 2019, we build an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems—designed to take ideas from research to production with less friction.

Through our merger with Voltage Park, a neocloud and AI Factory, Lightning AI combines developer-first software with cost-efficient, large-scale compute. Teams get the tools they need for experimentation, training, and production inference, with security, observability, and control built in.

We serve solo researchers, startups, and large enterprises. Lightning AI operates globally with offices in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and London, and is backed by Coatue, Index Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Firstminute.

The Way We Work

The People Who Thrive Here Are Builders Who Move Fast, Communicate Openly, Take Ownership, And Continuously Improve Themselves, Their Teams, And Our Company. Here's What That Looks Like In Practice

• Move with Urgency: We move quickly, make thoughtful decisions, and keep momentum. We value action over perfection and learn by shipping.
• Take Ownership: We own outcomes, not just our individual work. We make decisions that move the company forward and follow through.
• Communicate Openly: We communicate directly, seek to understand, and create clarity for others. Honest conversations help us move faster together.
• Build Great Teams: We lead by example, empower others, and create healthy teams where people can do their best work.
• Raise the Bar: We're always improving ourselves. We learn from feedback, consistently challenge ourselves to grow, and focus on the work that matters most.
• Think Long-Term: We design for what's next. We create scalable systems, simplify complexity, and use AI and automation to amplify our impact.

What We're Looking For

We're building an AI-native company, which means the way we hire, grow, and support our people has to move as fast as our product. We're looking for a Senior People Partner to embed with our engineering and technical leadership, a strategic thinker who makes org design, talent decisions, and complex people moments feel clear instead of chaotic.

This isn't a purely advisory seat. You'll own high-stakes situations end-to-end, from a tricky leveling call to a sensitive exit, while also building the muscle and systems that let our technical leaders make great people decisions on their own.

You'll join a small, high-leverage People team where your judgment shapes how a fast-scaling, distributed engineering and Neocloud org actually works. If you love being close to the technical org, translating ambiguity into structure, and being trusted with the hard stuff, this is your seat.

What You'll Do

• Partner directly with technical leaders to drive clear, consistent calls on org design, team structure, leveling, promotions, and comp
• Own complex employee relations and performance situations end-to-end: coaching leaders through performance management, role transitions, and exits with care and rigor
• Level up manager capability across the technical org: sharper feedback, better performance conversations, stronger talent decisions
• Partner with Talent to raise the bar on hiring quality: role design, leveling frameworks, and evaluation practices for technical roles
• Spot friction and risk in people processes before they become problems, and build pragmatic, scalable fixes alongside Legal, Total Rewards, and Finance

What You'll Need

• 8+ years in People Partnering or HRBP roles, with real depth partnering directly with engineering or technical orgs
• A track record of influencing senior technical leaders on org design, performance, and talent decisions
• Sharp employee relations judgment and a demonstrated ability to own and resolve high-stakes, complex situations
• Experience driving comp, promotion, and leveling decisions in technical environments
• Experience supporting globally distributed technical teams and navigating multi-country complexity
• A builder's instinct for ambiguity, comfortable moving fast while creating practical structure and clarity
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with senior, highly technical audiences
• Exposure to international employment models or global expansion work

Nice to Have

• Deep familiarity with career frameworks and compensation models for engineering orgs
• Experience building or evolving people systems inside a scaling, AI-native or deep-tech company
• Experience supporting globally distributed engineering organizations specifically
• SPHR or comparable certification
• A track record of designing or improving compliance-focused programs that measurably reduce organizational risk

Benefits And Perks

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support our employees’ health, well-being, and long-term success:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
• Meaningful Equity: RSUs that give employees a stake in the company's long-term success.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) matching (U.S.) and pension contributions (U.K.).
• Flexible Time Off: Unlimited PTO, company holidays, and floating holidays to support work-life balance.
• Company-Wide Winter Break: Two weeks of company closure each winter to disconnect and recharge.
• Paid Parental & Family Leave: Paid leave to support you and your family through life's important moments.
• Professional Development: Annual learning and development allowance to support your professional growth.
• Wellness Benefits: Wellness and work-from-home stipends to support your physical and mental well-being.
• Sabbatical Program: Four weeks of paid sabbatical leave after four years of service.
• Flexible Work: Flexible schedules and a hybrid work model for our office-based teams.
• In-Office Meals: Complimentary meals at our office hubs.

Benefits may vary by location, team, and role.

We are committed to offering competitive compensation that reflects the value each team member brings to our mission. Final offers are based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, and role expectations. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package for eligible roles includes a discretionary bonus, a meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits.

The anticipated annual base salary range for this role is:

$160,000 - $180,000 USD

At Lightning AI, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and create better products. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We are dedicated to building a culture where everyone can thrive and contribute to their fullest potential.