The Role
Serve as the primary onsite People Partner for California engineering and software teams: lead employee relations, coach managers, support international teams remotely, manage People operations projects, ensure compliance with California employment law, and maintain HR documentation and audit readiness.
Summary Generated by Built In
Ready to make connectivity from space universally accessible, secure and actionable? Then you’ve come to the right place!
E-Space is bridging Earth and space to enable hyper-scaled deployments of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services. We are building a highly-advanced low Earth orbit (LEO) space system that will fundamentally change the design, economics, manufacturing and service delivery associated with traditional satellite and terrestrial IoT systems.
We’re intentional, we’re unapologetically curious and we’re 100% committed to innovate space-based communications and deliver actionable intelligence that will expand global economies, protect space and our planet and enhance our overall quality of life.
E-Space is scaling fast. We are building satellite technology that matters, and our California engineering and software organization is at the center of that work. As we grow our presence, we need an HR People Partner who can operate at the pace of a high-growth startup while helping to introduce the depth and rigor the work demands.
This is a standalone, onsite role. You will be the embedded People presence for our largest employee population: a salary-exempt, technically sophisticated engineering and software workforce that expects excellent HR support. You will own employee relations, manager coaching, and day-to-day People support for California, and carry remote People Partner coverage for one or more of our smaller population international locations.
You will report directly to the Head of People and operate with autonomy, within the bounds of team goals and guidelines. You will be expected to exercise sound judgment, be comfortable operating in ambiguous environments, know when to escalate, and bring a calibrated sense of when a situation calls for a structured process versus a practical conversation.
What you will do
- Employee Relations & Casework (30–35%)
- Serve as the primary ER resource for the California employee population, handling performance concerns, conduct issues, disciplinary processes, and interpersonal disputes.
- Advise and coach managers on how to address performance and behavior issues effectively and in compliance with California law.
- Conduct or support investigations, document findings, and recommend appropriate outcomes in partnership with the Head of People.
- Navigate California-specific employment requirements including termination, leave, accommodation, and wage and hour considerations.
- Escalate complex, sensitive, or high-risk matters to the Head of People and Legal team as appropriate.
- Manager & Leadership Support (20–25%)
- Provide hands-on coaching to people managers across the California org, covering feedback delivery, performance management, team dynamics, and leadership development.
- Partner with senior leaders on org health, team structure, and people strategy for their functions.
- Support the rollout of new people processes, tools, and programs as the company scales.
- Serve as a trusted, onsite point of contact for employees at all levels, providing onboarding support and orientation, pastoral care and early identification of issues before they escalate.
- Non-US People Partner Coverage (15–20%)
- Serve as the designated People Partner for 1-2 of E-Space's international teams (either France and Ivory Coast or UK and Germany), operating remotely in this capacity.
- Understand the employment frameworks in relevant jurisdictions at a working level, and know when to escalate.
- Support employee lifecycle events, ER matters, and manager queries for these populations in partnership with the Head of People.
- People Operations & Project Support (10–15%)
- Collaborate with the People Ops team on onboarding, lifecycle changes, and day-to-day employee queries, routing operational requests through the ticketing system and picking up relevant queries from the same system to action as directed.
- Contribute to People team projects including process rollouts, policy updates, job leveling, and systems implementations.
- Maintain familiarity with the San Jose / Santa Clara talent market and California employment law landscape to inform hiring, compensation, and compliance decisions.
- Compliance & Documentation (10%)
- Ensure personnel documentation, ER casework and manager interactions are appropriately documented and stored in accordance with company policy.
- Support audit readiness for the California population, including leave tracking, accommodation records, and required notices.
- Stay current on California-specific employment law changes and proactively flag relevant updates to the Head of People.
What you bring
- 5+ years of progressive HR / People Partner experience, with meaningful standalone ER responsibility (not just escalation to a CoE).
- Significant California employment law knowledge; you have handled terminations, leaves, accommodations, and investigations in California without a legal team doing the driving.
- Background in tech, software, or a high-growth startup environment; you understand how to work with technically sophisticated, high-expectation employees and managers.
- Proven ability to operate independently and make sound judgment calls without a local manager or HR team above you.
- Strong calibration between process and pragmatism: you know when a situation needs a structured approach and when it needs a direct conversation.
- Comfortable with ambiguity and change; E-Space is scaling quickly and the environment reflects that.
- Familiarity with the San Jose / Santa Clara market and the compensation and talent dynamics of the Bay Area engineering workforce.
- Experience with HRIS platforms; Rippling experience a plus.
- Exposure to international HR (France, UK, Germany or other European or African jurisdictions) is advantageous but not required.
This is a full time, exempt position, based out of our Saratoga office. The total compensation packaged will be determined by various factors such as your relevant job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
We are redefining how satellites are designed, manufactured and used—so we’re looking for candidates with passion, deep knowledge and direct experience on LEO satellite component development, design and in-orbit activities. If that’s your experience – then we’ll be immediately wow-ed.
E-Space is not currently able to provide employment sponsorship for candidates who do not hold work authorization for the location of this role.
Why E-Space is right for you:
As a member of our team, you will play a crucial role in driving our success. Our team members have a strong sense of dedication and responsibility; this includes a strong commitment to our mission to create an entirely new suite of global capabilities to improve lives, business efficiencies and build a smarter planet. This means that there will be times when extra hours, including nights and weekends, may be needed to meet critical deadlines and mission goals. In return, we offer a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development and the chance to make a meaningful impact in a high-growth industry.
We want you to make the most of your journey at E-Space. That’s why we support and invest in the physical, emotional and financial well-being of our team members and their families. Some of what you can expect when working at E-Space:
• An opportunity to really make a difference
• Sustainability at our core
• Fair and honest workplace
• Innovative thinking is encouraged
• Competitive salaries
• Continuous learning and development
• Health and wellness care options
• Financial solutions for the future
• Optional legal services (US only)
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off
Skills Required
- 5+ years of progressive HR / People Partner experience with standalone employee relations responsibility
- Significant California employment law knowledge and experience handling terminations, leaves, accommodations, and investigations in California
- Background in tech, software, or high-growth startup environments working with technical employees and managers
- Proven ability to operate independently and make sound judgment without a local HR manager
- Strong calibration between process and pragmatism (knowing when to use structured processes vs direct conversations)
- Familiarity with the San Jose / Santa Clara / Bay Area talent and compensation market
- Experience with HRIS platforms
- Rippling experience
- Exposure to international HR (France, UK, Germany or other European/African jurisdictions)
- Authorization to work in the role location (no employer sponsorship available)
- Ability to be onsite in Saratoga, California
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The Company
What We Do
E-Space is a global space company focused on bridging Earth and space with the most sustainable low earth orbit (LEO) network that is expected to reach over one hundred thousand multi-application communication satellites to help businesses and governments securely and affordably access the power of space to solve problems on Earth. Founded by industry pioneer Greg Wyler, E-Space is focused on democratizing space and transforming industries by bringing down the cost of space-based communications, raising the level of satellite system resiliency and setting a new standard in sustainable space infrastructure that will effectively minimize and reduce space debris and destruction while preserving access to space for future generations.
