HR People Partner

Responsibilities 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 escalation. 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. Qualifications 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 driving the process. 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. Contract Type This is a full‑time, exempt position, based out of our Saratoga office. Compensation The total compensation package will be determined by various factors such as your relevant job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. Benefits 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 Other E‑Space is not currently able to provide employment sponsorship for candidates who do not hold work authorization for the location of this role. #J-18808-Ljbffr jobr.pro