HR Business Partner – Engineering

The role

This HR Business Partner will serve as a strategic partner to the Sales organization. You will work with senior sales leaders to build revenue teams, shape organizational design, and drive talent and culture initiatives.

What you will do

• Serve as a strategic advisor to Sales senior leadership on organizational design and workforce planning.
• Translate revenue targets and go-to-market strategy into people strategies.
• Lead full-cycle talent management including performance management, succession planning, and career pathing.
• Use data and analytics to diagnose organizational health.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on sales-specific hiring strategy and headcount planning.
• Lead or co-lead org design and change management efforts.
• Coach sales managers and directors on leadership skills and performance conversations.
• Partner with Compensation on commission plan design and annual compensation planning.
• Own employee relations matters including performance improvement plans and terminations.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Required qualifications

• 7–10+ years of progressive HR Business Partner experience
• Significant portion of experience supporting Sales, Revenue, or other quota-carrying/commission-based client groups
• Proven experience operating at a senior level partnering with CRO, VP, and Director-level sales leaders
• Deep understanding of sales organizational structures, compensation plan design, and quota methodology
• Track record leading org design, workforce planning, and change management in high-growth environments
• Excellent coaching skills to influence senior commercial leaders
• Data-driven approach to HR and ability to interpret people analytics dashboards
• Experience navigating complex employee relations issues and working knowledge of employment law
• Experience partnering on incentive compensation design and annual compensation planning cycles
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills
• Bachelor's degree required

Nice to have

• Advanced degree (MBA, HR, Organizational Psychology)
• SHRM-SCP/SPHR certification

About the company

Forward was founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D.s and builds a network digital twin for autonomous networking. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara.