Director, HRBP - Engineering

About the role

The Director, HR Business Partner will serve as the strategic people partner to the R&D organization, supporting the Head of R&D and senior leadership in transforming Chainalysis into an AI-native intelligence company.

Responsibilities

• Lead organizational design and change management across R&D as teams evolve to support new operating models.
• Understand the distinct workflows and operating rhythms of platform engineering, data science, research, product, design, and support.
• Partner with leadership to design structures that optimize for velocity, ownership, autonomy, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Drive the people side of AI transformation; help leaders understand how AI-augmented productivity is reshaping engineering roles, team sizes, and career trajectories.
• Evolve technical career frameworks and leveling to reflect the shift toward AI-native development and increased individual ownership.
• Own workforce planning and talent strategy for R&D, including succession planning, critical-role identification, and retention strategies for deeply specialized technical talent in a competitive market (blockchain, cryptography, data science, security), across our core technology hubs (NYC, Aarhus, and Tel Aviv).
• Partner with R&D leadership and Finance to ensure organizational design and headcount decisions balance growth investment with operational efficiency and cost discipline.
• Coach and challenge senior technical leaders on organizational health, performance management, team effectiveness, and employee relations, bringing both data and empathy to difficult conversations.
• Hold leaders accountable to Chainalysis's cultural standards as the organization scales.
• Support the people dimensions of OKR-driven planning, quarterly business reviews, and structured accountability across a global, hybrid organization.
• Use data to see around corners; leverage people analytics to diagnose organizational health, identify attrition risks, and surface trends before they become systemic.
• Bring the same analytical rigor to people decisions that R&D brings to technical ones.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive HR/People experience, with at least 5 years as a strategic HRBP supporting engineering, R&D, or other deeply technical global organizations at high-growth technology companies.
• Experience scaling an R&D organization through a period of rapid growth; you've been part of the journey as a technical organization of 200+ grew meaningfully in size and complexity, supporting ambitious revenue targets.
• A builder's mindset - you can collaborate and create frameworks, programs, and approaches from scratch rather than waiting for a playbook.
• A deep understanding of how technical organizations operate and how AI is reshaping work; you can speak credibly about engineering workflows, product development lifecycles, platform vs. product team structures, and the distinct cultures of engineering, data science, and research.
• You have a point of view on how AI is changing the tech landscape, how it changes the nature of engineering work and team composition, to how it can be leveraged to reduce friction in people operations.
• Executive Presence, Analytics, and Influence; you demonstrate high-trust coaching and executive presence, holding the line on what’s right for the organization while challenging leaders constructively.
• Strong analytical capabilities, using people data and organizational diagnostics to drive action.

Qualifications

• Experience in blockchain, cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, or fintech, particularly understanding the competitive dynamics for technical talent in these spaces.
• Experience in regulated environments where security, compliance, and insider-risk considerations intersect with people strategy.
• AI fluency is tied directly to how we measure performance and how we plan to win.

Skills

• Strategic HRBP experience in a high-growth, technical organization.
• Ability to lead organizational design and change management.
• Understanding of technical workflows and operating models.
• Experience with workforce planning and talent strategy.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills.
• Executive presence and influence.

Benefits

Chainalysis offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability coverage, and a 401(k) retirement plan. We also offer generous paid time off, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities for professional development and growth.

Pay

$149K - $283K

Schedule

Full-time, remote position