10+ years of HR or people experience, with at least 3 years as an HRBP in an engineering or technical organization
Experience in physical products, semiconductors, manufacturing, or hardware-forward startups
Ability to navigate both research and engineering cultures
Strong knowledge of performance management, compensation calibration, and employee relations
High emotional intelligence and excellent communication skills
Proficiency in data analytics to inform HR decisions
Experience advising at strategic levels while managing practical HR functions
Responsibilities
Serve as the embedded HRBP for engineering and lab teams, building trusted cross-discipline relationships
Collaborate with people managers on performance management and organizational design
Lead employee relations efforts with professionalism and discretion
Support execution of performance reviews and promotion frameworks for a technical workforce
Partner with recruiting for workforce planning and headcount prioritization
Identify retention risks and develop engagement frameworks
Design and implement onboarding programs for new engineers and scientists
Benefits
Visa sponsorship available
Flexible work location options based on role
Opportunity to build and operationalize HR programs from scratch
Work closely with technical teams in a fast-paced environment
Full Job Description
About the Role
Periodic Labs is growing fast - and we're building the people infrastructure to match. As our first HR Business Partner, you'll be embedded across our engineering and research organization, partnering directly with technical leaders to build high-performing teams, navigate complex people challenges, and design the talent systems that will define how we grow.
This isn't a generalist HR role. We need someone who has worked inside engineering organizations - ideally in frontier AI, physical products, semiconductors, manufacturing, or a hardware-forward startup - and who deeply understands how technical teams operate under pressure. You'll be a trusted advisor to managers and ICs alike, bringing both strategic judgment and operational rigor to everything from performance cycles to org design.
What You'll Do
Serve as the embedded HRBP for business, engineering and lab teams, building trusted relationships across disciplines
Partner with people managers on performance management, compensation calibration, career development, and organizational design as the company scales
Lead employee relations work with professionalism and sound judgment - handling sensitive situations, investigations, and manager coaching with discretion
Support the design and execution of performance review cycles, promotion frameworks, and leveling guides suited to a technical and scientific workforce
Work closely with recruiting to shape workforce planning, headcount prioritization, and organizational design
Identify and address retention risks proactively, partnering with leadership to build engagement and career pathing frameworks that match the ambition of our team
Design and iterate on onboarding programs that integrate new engineers and scientists quickly into the Periodic Labs culture and way of working
Help build and operationalize people programs from scratch - from manager training and feedback culture to compensation bands and career ladders
Advise on org design and team structure as we grow, including when and how to add management layers, form new functions, and scale specialized teams
Use people data and analytics to surface insights and drive evidence-based decisions on headcount, attrition, and team health
You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have
10+ years of HR or people experience, with at least 3 years in an HRBP role embedded in an engineering or technical organization
A background supporting teams in physical products, semiconductors, manufacturing, or a hardware-forward startup - you understand the operational rhythms and talent profiles of these environments
Experience navigating the intersection of research and engineering cultures - where intellectual rigor, speed, and hands-on problem-solving all coexist
Strong command of performance management, comp calibration, employee relations, and organizational design
A builder's mindset - you're comfortable in ambiguous environments where people programs are still being defined and you'll often have to create the playbook from scratch
High EQ and communication skills - you build trust quickly with engineers and scientists, and you know how to navigate difficult conversations with directness and care
Sound judgment on sensitive matters - you handle employee relations and investigations with appropriate seriousness and discretion
Data fluency - you use people analytics to diagnose issues, identify trends, and support decisions with evidence
Ability to operate at multiple altitudes: you can advise a VP on org design in the morning and help a first-time manager handle a difficult conversation in the afternoon
Especially Strong Candidates May Also Have
Experience at an AI lab, deep tech company, or research institution where the talent profile is unusually specialized
Familiarity with compensation design for rare technical roles - physicists, materials scientists, ML researchers - where standard comp benchmarks don't apply
Experience partnering with recruiting on technical hiring strategy, including sourcing for niche disciplines
A background in operations, finance, or program management that brings additional analytical depth to the people function
Experience scaling an HR function in a startup environment from early stage through a growth financing event
Mechanics
Minimum education: bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and training or experience
Location: Our lab is located in Menlo Park and we prefer folks to be located in Menlo Park or San Francisco but can be flexible based on role
Compensation: The annual compensation range for this role is $200,000-$300,000
Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas and will do everything we can to assist in this process with our legal support.
