HR People Partner

About the role

E-Space is bridging Earth and space to enable hyper-scaled deployments of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services. We are building a highly-advanced low Earth orbit (LEO) space system that will fundamentally change the design, economics, manufacturing, and service delivery associated with traditional satellite and terrestrial IoT systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Employee Relations (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.
• 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.
• 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: 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 escalate.
• Support employee lifecycle events, ER matters, and manager queries for these populations in partnership with the Head of People.
• 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.
• 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.

Requirements

• 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 doing the driving.
• 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.

Qualifications

• $120,000 - $160,000 a year
• The estimated range is meant to reflect an anticipated salary range for the position in question, which is based on market data and other factors, all of which are subject to change.
• Individual pay is based on location, skills and expertise, depth of relevant experience, and other relevant factors.

Skills

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.
• Effective problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
• Knowledge of California employment laws and regulations.
• Experience with HRIS platforms.

Benefits

We offer a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth and development and the chance to make a meaningful impact in a high-growth industry. We want you to make the most of your journey at E-Space. That’s why we support and invest in the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of our team members and their families.

Pay

$120,000 - $160,000 a year

Schedule

Full-time, exempt position, based out of our Saratoga office.