Vice President, People Business Partner & Employee Relations

Affirm; Boston (MA); Remote; USD 340,000 - 380,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care coverage for you & depend­

Flexible Spending Wallets

Time off & leave benfits

Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)

Job summary

Affirm is seeking a VP, People Business Partners & Employee Relations to lead the global PBP and ER functions, partnering with the CPO and the People Leadership Team to shape enterprise-wide people strategy and organizational performance.

This remote-first role requires 15+ years of progressive People leadership in global technology, proven experience building high-performing teams, guiding complex investigations, and scaling programs that drive business impact across regions.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive People leadership experience in global technology environments.
• Experience leading a global PBP organization and Employee Relations.
• Proven ability to partner with C-suite executives and drive enterprise-wide programs.

Responsibilities

• Define strategy, structure, and operating model for global PBP and ER functions.
• Build high-performing PBP and ER teams with coaching and external hiring as needed.
• Develop trusted relationships with XLT members and serve as strategic advisor.
• Understand affirm’s business to anticipate organizational and workforce implications.
• Partner with XLT on workforce strategy, including deployment of talent and tech leverage.
• Help leaders design organizations with clear accountability and speed.
• Raise leadership quality through talent planning and assessments.
• Guide leaders through major organizational changes.
• Set strategy and operating model for Employee Relations globally.
• Provide executive oversight on complex ER matters and investigations.
• Use ER data to identify risks and drive proactive actions.
• Collaborate with Legal on employment practices and risk management.

Skills

15+ years leadership

Global tech experience

Executive partnering

People strategy

Talent development

Investigations leadership

Organizational design

Change management

Stakeholder management

Job description

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Affirm is reinventing credit to make it more honest and friendly, giving consumers the flexibility to buy now and pay later without any hidden fees or compounding interest.

About The People Team

The People team helps affirmers cultivate a high-performing, inclusive organization. We focus on three core areas: attracting talent aligned to our mission, enabling growth through people and team development, and retaining employees through thoughtful experiences and rewards. We develop affirm's people programs and systems to create a workplace where all employees can thrive and contribute meaningfully. By investing in our people, we create a long-term advantage for the business.

About The Role

The VP, People Business Partners & Employee Relations leads affirm's global PBP and ER functions, anticipating what the business needs and evolving our operating model to help affirm perform at its best. As a member of the People Leadership Team (PLT), this leader is a strategic thought partner to the CPO, PLT, and our Executive Leadership Team (XLT), bringing an enterprise-wide perspective to affirm's most consequential people and organizational decisions.

What You'll Do

• Define the strategy, structure, and operating model for the global PBP and ER functions, challenging legacy assumptions and redesigning roles, capabilities, and ways of working where needed


• Build high-performing PBP and ER teams through talent decisions, development, coaching, and selective external hiring; set clear standards and accountability for how the teams operate and the impact they deliver


• Build independent, trusted relationships with each XLT member, serving as a strategic advisor on enterprise-wise and complex functional leadership, talent, and organizational decisions


• Develop a deep understanding of affirm's business, strategy, and operating model, and use it to anticipate enterprise-wide organizational, workforce, and talent implications ahead of need


• Partner with XLT on workforce strategy, including the size, composition, capabilities, and deployment of talent, and identify how technology, AI, and new operating models can increase leverage and effectiveness


• Help leaders design organizations and operating models that clarify accountability, increase speed, and align resources to affirm’s top priorities


• Raise the quality of leadership and talent decisions company-wide through talent planning, succession, executive assessment, and performance management


• Guide leaders through significant organizational change, building the alignment and execution discipline needed to sustain business outcomes


• Set the strategy and operating model for Employee Relations globally, ensuring a consistent, fair, and scalable approach


• Provide executive oversight on affirm's most complex and sensitive ER matters, including executive-level issues, investigations, and conduct matters


• Use ER data and case trends to identify emerging organizational risks and translate them into proactive action that strengthen leadership and management effectiveness, organizational health, and business performance


• Partner closely with Legal on employment practices, policy, and risk management

What We Look For

• 15+ years of progressive People leadership experience, including in complex, global technology organizations at scale


• Significant experience leading a global PBP organization and building high-performing PBP teams


• Experience leading Employee Relations, including sensitive investigations, executive-level matters, and complex employment decisions in partnership with Legal


• Demonstrated experience partnering directly with C-suite executives, building trust while maintaining independent judgment


• Deep expertise in organizational consulting, organizational effectiveness, executive coaching, and strategic workforce planning


• Strong business acumen and learning agility, with the ability to quickly understand complex businesses and form an independent point of view on organizational needs


• Sharp talent judgment, with the ability to assess executive capability and advise on consequential talent decisions


• A demonstrated ability to anticipate organizational and workforce risks and opportunities before they become obvious, connecting patterns across the business


• Outstanding executive presence and emotional intelligence, with the ability to challenge constructively and navigate difficult conversations


• Sound judgment and integrity in navigating sensitive people decisions, balancing business needs, employee impact, and legal/reputational risk

Base Pay Grade - W

Equity Grade - USA 23

Employees new to affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.

Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)

USA base pay range per year: $340,000 - $380,000

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company! The majority of our roles are remote and you can work almost anywhere within the country of employment. Affirmer in proximal roles have the flexibility to work remotely, but will occasionally be required to work out of their assigned affirm office. A limited number of roles remain office-based due to the nature of their job responsibilities.

Benefits

We’re extremely proud to offer competitive benefits that are anchored to our core value of people come first. Some key highlights of our benefits package include:

• Health care coverage - affirm covers all premiums for all levels of coverage for you and your dependents


• Flexible Spending Wallets - generous stipends for spending on Technology, Food, various Lifestyle needs, and family forming expenses


• Time off - competitive vacation and holiday schedules allowing you to take time off to rest and recharge


• ESPP - An employee stock purchase plan enabling you to buy shares of affirm at a discount

We believe It’s On Us to provide an inclusive interview experience for all, including people with disabilities. We are happy to provide reasonable accommodations to candidates in need of individualized support during the hiring process.

[For U.S. positions that could be performed in Los Angeles or San Francisco] Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, affirm will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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