Founding People Business Partner

HappyRobot is the infrastructure for enterprises to build and orchestrate AI workforces. Our AI workers don't just communicate through voice and email - they make decisions, take action, and run operations autonomously across entire enterprise systems. Born in Y Combinator (S23) and backed by a16z, Base10, Prysm Capital and Eurazeo with over $200M raised, we power critical operations for global enterprises worldwide.

Our platform is battle-tested in the most demanding environments, where AI has real consequences. We started in logistics, built our own voice stack, models, and orchestration layer from the ground up, and are now bringing that infrastructure to every enterprise that runs the real economy. Learn more about our vision in our manifesto.

About the Role
We are looking for an experienced People Business Partner to build and lead our HRBP function as we scale. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role for someone who will partner closely with leaders across the company to develop strong managers, run fair and effective performance and employee relations processes, and keep our organization healthy as we grow. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building from scratch, coaching leaders with candor, and eventually hiring and leading a team of People Business Partners.

What You’ll Do

• Build the HRBP function. Define how we partner with the business, set priorities as we scale, and grow into hiring and leading a team of People Business Partners.

• Coach and advise managers at every level, and build leadership training that helps new and experienced leaders give feedback, run effective 1:1s, and develop their people.

• Own our Impact Review program end to end, including calibration, and build lightweight goal-setting and continuous-feedback practices so nothing comes as a surprise at review time.

• Lead employee relations, guiding managers through performance issues, PIPs, and exits with good judgment, fairness, and discretion, in partnership with People Ops and Legal.

• Design and launch engagement and development programs that promote inclusivity, grow skills, and support career and leadership development.

• Build our leadership pipeline by assessing readiness for lead roles and supporting new managers through the transition.

• Keep a pulse on org health. Understand team structures, reporting lines, and how teams work together, spot risks early (attrition, burnout, team friction), and recommend changes to org design.

• Use people data to guide recommendations on performance, retention, and team health.

Must Have

• 7-10+ years of HR experience, including 3+ years as an HR Business Partner in high-growth or complex environments, with deep knowledge of performance management, employee relations, and org design.

• Experience building HRBP programs from scratch, not only running existing ones.

• A track record of designing and running performance review cycles and manager development programs.

• Strong employee relations judgment. You’ve handled complex, sensitive situations and know how to balance employee care with business needs and legal risk.

• Credibility and executive presence. You build trust fast, coach with candor, and push back on leaders, founders included, when it matters.

• Experience supporting teams across multiple countries (US and EU strongly preferred).

• Interest in leading a team. People management experience is a plus.

• High ownership, comfort with ambiguity, and a bias toward building and simplifying.

• Comfort using AI tools and modern HR technology to work more efficiently.

Nice to Have

• Experience scaling a company through hypergrowth, for example from about 200 to 500+ employees.

• Background in workforce planning or org design.

• Experience at an AI or fast-moving tech startup.

• Join a world-class team of engineers and builders.

• Backed by top investors including a16z, Y Combinator, Base10, Prysm Capital and Eurazeo.

• Have ownership and autonomy of projects and are encouraged to ship.

• Comprehensive Benefits including healthcare, dental, vision coverage.

• Competitive salary + equity in a high-growth startup.

Our Operating Principles

Extreme Ownership

We take full responsibility for our work, outcomes, and team success. No excuses, no blame-shifting — if something needs fixing, we own it and make it better. This means stepping up, even when it’s not “your job.” If a ball is dropped, we pick it up. If a customer is unhappy, we fix it. If a process is broken, we redesign it. We don’t wait for someone else to solve it — we lead with accountability and expect the same from those around us.

Craftsmanship

Putting care and intention into every task, striving for excellence, and taking deep ownership of the quality and outcome of your work. Craftsmanship means never settling for “just fine.” We sweat the details because details compound. Whether it’s a product feature, an internal doc, or a sales call — we treat it as a reflection of our standards. We aim to deliver jaw-dropping customer experiences by being curious, meticulous, and proud of what we build — even when nobody’s watching.

We are “majos”
Be friendly & have fun with your coworkers. Always be genuine & honest, but kind. “Majo” is our way of saying: be a good human. Be approachable, helpful, and warm. We’re building something ambitious, and it’s easier (and more fun) when we enjoy the ride together. We give feedback with kindness, challenge each other with respect, and celebrate wins together without ego.

Urgency with Focus
Create the highest impact in the shortest amount of time. Move fast, but in the right direction. We operate with speed because time is our most limited resource. But speed without focus is chaos. We prioritize ruthlessly, act decisively, and stay aligned. We aim for high leverage: the biggest results from the simplest, smartest actions. We’re running a high-speed marathon — not a sprint with no strategy.

Talent Density and Meritocracy
Hire only people who can raise the average; ‘exceptional performance is the passing grade.’ Ability trumps seniority. We believe the best teams are built on talent density — every hire should raise the bar. We reward contribution, not titles or tenure. We give ownership to those who earn it, and we all hold each other to a high standard. A-players want to work with other A-players — that’s how we win.

First-Principles Thinking
Strip a problem to physics-level facts, ignore industry dogma, rebuild the solution from scratch. We don’t copy-paste solutions. We go back to basics, ask why things are the way they are, and rebuild from the ground up if needed. This mindset pushes us to innovate, challenge stale assumptions, and move faster than incumbents. It’s how we build what others think is impossible.

The personal data provided in your application and during the selection process will be processed by Happyrobot, Inc., acting as Data Controller.

By sending us your CV, you consent to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of evaluating and selecting you as a candidate for the position. Your personal data will be treated confidentially and will only be used for the recruitment process of the selected job offer.

In relation to the period of conservation of your personal data, these will be eliminated after three months of inactivity in compliance with the GDPR and legislation on the protection of personal data.

If you wish to exercise your rights of access, rectification, deletion, portability or opposition in relation to your personal data, you can do so through [email protected] subject to the GDPR.

For more information, visit https://www.happyrobot.ai/privacy-policy

By submitting your request, you confirm that you have read and understood this clause and that you agree to the processing of your personal data as described.