Principal People Team Business Partner - M&A / Strategy

About The Role We are seeking a high‑velocity, strategic People M&A Leader to own the human side of our mergers and acquisitions end‑to‑end. In this role, you will be the single designated point person (DRI) and strategic counterpart to our Corporate Development team. You will own the People lifecycle for all deals—from early‑stage confirmatory due diligence through post‑close integration. Acting as the ultimate “Hub to the Spokes,” you translate deal rationale into practical execution strategies, coordinating fluidly across Recruiting, Total Rewards, People Operations, Workplace Immigration, and Employment Legal. This is a builder role for someone who thrives under compressed timelines, loves creating order out of ambiguity, and is obsessed with delivering a world‑class onboarding experience for newly acquired teams. Responsibilities Corporate Development Partnership & Diligence: serve as the primary People team representative alongside Corporate Development and Legal from deal kickoff through close; lead rapid‑fire HR due diligence to assess target company culture, compensation structures, and compliance risks; evaluate technical talent density and provide critical input into deal structures, focus areas for retention pools, and offer letters. Partner with finance and legal to analyze equity structures, ensuring seamless alignment on equity rollover mechanics and cash/stock retention incentives. Cross‑Functional Orchestration (The Hub to the Spokes): mobilize and quarterback cross‑functional People teams (Recruiting, Compensation, People Ops, Immigration, Payroll) to ensure workstreams are perfectly sequenced; build infrastructure, checklists, and automated workflows that don't exist yet to scale our M&A engine; identify recurring failure modes across deals and implement upstream fixes to continuously optimize our playbooks. Integration & Elite Talent Retention: provide a “white‑glove” experience to incoming talent, serve as their primary advocate, guide, and escalation point; partner with leadership and Internal Communications to execute empathetic change management, addressing workforce anxiety through transparent communications, FAQs, and town halls; design and execute organizational mapping and day‑1 onboarding schedules to ensure acquired technical teams maintain momentum and feel integrated from day one. Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Experience 6–10+ years of experience in People Operations, HRBP roles, or Program Management, with at least 3+ years owning People/HR workstreams for M&A transactions in high‑growth tech environments. Startup agility: proven track record of building 0‑to‑1 processes; excel in fast‑moving, unstructured environments where templates are built on the fly. Execution under pressure: outstanding project management skills, calm under pressure, capable of handling highly confidential data and compressed, unpredictable deal timelines. Technical & core HR fluency: solid foundational understanding of employment legal basics, high‑growth compensation structures, and visa/immigration complexities. Influence without authority: exceptional communication and relationship‑building skills; ability to earn the trust of elite technical founders and seamlessly align cross‑functional internal executives. Compensation Compensation may be adjusted depending on work location. SanFrancisco BayArea: estimated annual salary of $187,000 - $257,000. NewYorkCity and Washington: estimated annual salary of $178,000 - $245,000. Colorado: estimated annual salary of $162,000 - $223,000. This role is eligible to earn incentive compensation under Cloudflare’s Sales Compensation Plan. The estimated annual salary range includes the on‑target incentive compensation that may be earned under the plan. Equity: this role is eligible to participate in Cloudflare’s equity plan. Benefits Health & Welfare Benefits: Medical/Rx Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Commuter Spending Accounts, Fertility & Family Forming Benefits, On‑demand mental health support, Employee Assistance Program, Global Travel Medical Insurance. Financial Benefits: Short and Long Term Disability Insurance, Life & Accident Insurance, 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, Employee Stock Participation Plan. Time Off: Flexible paid time off covering vacation and sick leave; leave programs including parental, pregnancy health, medical and bereavement leave. Locations Atlanta, US Austin, US Denver, US NewYork, US SanFrancisco, US Seattle, US Eligibility and Legal This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. Any offer of employment may be conditioned on your authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export laws without sponsorship for an export license. Equal Employment Opportunity Cloudflare is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and place great value in both diversity and inclusiveness. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to their, or any other person's, perceived or actual race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. We are an AA/Veterans/Disabled Employer. Cloudflare provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If required, please contact us via e‑mail at View email address on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr Cloudflare Inc