Principal Human Resources Business Partner

About PeopleOps Jobs We started PeopleOps Jobs (https://peopleopsjobs.io) to help companies that care about HR find the right people in the HR and People Operations world. -- About the role The position is at a tech company. We’re seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to support our Go-to-Market organization, with a primary focus on Sales. You’ll work closely with Sales leaders and their leadership teams as a trusted partner across all people-related areas—including organizational design, performance and talent management, capability development, culture, and AI-enabled ways of working—while also supporting broader people programs and initiatives. You’ll comfortably balance strategy and execution: developing the long-term people strategy for GTM and our AI transformation while also stepping in to address immediate challenges with leaders and teams. This role is based in the USA / Canada and will support distributed teams across multiple time zones. Responsibilities Strategic partnership for Sales Partner with senior Sales leaders to understand business and GTM priorities and translate them into a focused people strategy.Assess organizational health across GTM teams, including structure, workforce composition, capabilities, engagement, and ways of working, and recommend data-driven actions, including opportunities where AI, automation, and technology can transform how work is performed.Support organizational design, restructuring, and workforce planning, including team structures, IC/Manager ratios, quota-carrying and non-quota roles, regional coverage, and AI-supported positions, aligned with GTM and portfolio priorities.Serve as a strategic advisor on culture, inclusion, leadership effectiveness, and the development of high-performing, AI-enabled Sales organizations. Talent, performance & growth Lead performance and development cycles for supported client groups, including goal-setting, feedback, calibration, and rewards discussions, aligned with global frameworks and sales performance and incentive structures.Coach Sales leaders and managers to develop high-performing and healthy teams with strong succession plans, particularly for quota-carrying and revenue-critical positions.Partner with Talent Acquisition on senior-level hiring, including regional Sales leadership roles, role design, and assessment strategies that reflect our leadership and functional expectations, including AI fluency and data-driven decision-making.Analyze talent and performance data, including pipeline, quota attainment, and engagement insights, to identify capability gaps across GTM strategy, execution, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration, then recommend targeted development initiatives. Employee relations, sales comp & manager capability Manage the complexities of quota-carrying roles and sales performance matters, including under-performance, plan changes, and territory adjustments, while ensuring processes are fair, consistent, and timely.Work with Sales Compensation / Rewards teams to interpret and implement sales compensation plans, helping leaders and managers understand how plan structures, crediting, and targets influence day-to-day management decisions.Coach managers to address employee concerns proactively and effectively, strengthening their leadership skills and confidence, particularly when managing performance and difficult conversations involving incentives and targets.Promote consistent and equitable application of policies and practices across Sales teams and regions. Rewards, policy & compliance Support annual compensation and benefits activities for client groups, including market assessments, promotions, quota and incentive decisions, and compensation adjustments.Interpret and apply HR policies and US employment legislation, coordinating with local experts in other jurisdictions when necessary; identify risks and provide leaders with appropriate options.Ensure HR data, documentation, and processes remain accurate and compliant with internal standards and legal requirements, including those related to variable compensation and incentive programs. Change, AI transformation, culture & ways of working Lead or jointly manage people-focused transformation initiatives within GTM, including reorganizations, new operating models, changes to coverage or territories, adoption of AI tools and workflows in Sales, and evolving collaboration between GTM, Product, and other teams.Partner with People Centers of Excellence (Talent, Rewards, DEI, Learning, etc.) and GTM Operations to implement global programs and tailor them to the needs of GTM and AI transformation.Use engagement surveys, pulse feedback, and qualitative insights from GTM teams alongside performance and productivity data to develop action plans with leaders and monitor progress over time.Promote an inclusive, psychologically safe, and high-performance culture across GTM, enabling teams to experiment with AI and new ways of working while preserving clarity, fairness, and trust. Qualifications Significant experience as a Principal (Director) HR Business Partner or similar role supporting senior leaders within a complex, large (1000+) matrixed organization.Experience operating at a comparable level, influencing SVP and C-suite stakeholders and navigating ambiguity with minimal oversight.Strong expertise across core HR areas, including organizational design, performance and talent management, employee relations, rewards, and change management.Proven experience supporting or leading organizational design and change within knowledge-work environments, ideally in GTM-focused organizations such as Sales, Marketing, or customer-facing teams.Demonstrated experience working with sales compensation and quota-carrying populations, including plan interpretation, performance management, and alignment with organizational design and transformation.Comfort using data, including people metrics, performance and pipeline information, engagement results, and qualitative insights, to diagnose challenges, connect them to compensation and performance, and influence decisions.Excellent stakeholder management, relationship-building, and communication abilities, with the confidence to challenge constructively and establish trust quickly.Proven ability to coach leaders and managers to strengthen their people leadership capabilities, including within AI-enabled and rapidly changing environments.Experience working with distributed or global teams across multiple time zones. Nice-to-have Experience supporting or leading AI-enabled transformation, such as implementing new tools, developing new skills, and introducing new ways of working across large teams.Familiarity with modern HR and GTM technology platforms, such as Workday or similar HRIS, Greenhouse or similar ATS, engagement platforms, and sales performance or incentive systems.Professional HR certification or qualification, such as SHRM or equivalent. Benefits We offer a wide range of perks and benefits designed to support you, your family and to help you engage with your local community. Our offerings include health and wellbeing resources, paid volunteer days, and so much more. Pay: $183k to $289k annually.