Senior People Partner

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team advancing the state of the art in AI, robotics, driving, and material sciences.

The People team at TRI plays a critical role in supporting this mission. We partner across the organization to ensure that our people programs enable innovation, inclusion, and impact. We're a collaborative, curious, and values-driven group that’s passionate about making TRI an exceptional place to work.

As a Senior People Partner, you will support our mission-driven, research-oriented organization. This role serves as a strategic and hands-on People leader, partnering closely with senior leaders, people managers, and the broader People team to enable strong leadership, healthy teams, and organizational effectiveness. This role reports to the Manager, People Partner.

Responsibilities:
• Partner with all leaders as a trusted advisor to understand business priorities and develop people strategies that drive organizational goals.
• Guide organizational design decisions, including team structures, spans and layers, and headcount planning.
• Coach managers and leaders on team dynamics, communication, employee development, and retention strategies.
• Lead or support the execution of performance management, employee engagement, and succession planning initiatives.
• Identify and assess workforce risks or gaps and develop proactive solutions in collaboration with the wider People organization.
• Assess external trends (e.g., macroeconomic shifts, DEI benchmarks, regulatory changes) and advise on implications for talent strategy.
• Help drive and support change management efforts that ensure smooth transitions and consistent adoption of new programs or structures.
• Partner cross-functionally with other People team members (e.g., People Operations, Compensation, Talent Acquisition) to ensure aligned and scalable solutions.

Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Industrial & Labor Relations, Human Resources Management, Human Resources Development, Psychology, Business, etc.) preferred.
• 6+ years of progressive HR experience, ideally with a mix of both big tech and startup, including business partnering responsibilities.
• Proven expertise in resolving complex interpersonal and team misalignments, using empathy and assertiveness to address issues quickly and effectively.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and adapting to frequent change with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Proven ability to build credibility among senior executives and influence key collaborators to drive alignment across cross-functional teams.
• Builds trust, helping to create a positive, collaborative work environment that fosters open communication and mutual respect.
• Operates at the highest level of professionalism, confidentiality, and personal integrity.
• Detailed, organized, and communicative, and thrives in a multi-tasking, hands-on, collaborative environment.
• Willingness to work in the office 2 days a week on a hybrid model.
• Authorization to work in the USA.

Bonus Qualifications:
• Familiarity with organizational effectiveness tools and frameworks (e.g., engagement surveys, span/layer analysis).
• Knowledge of California employment laws.
• HR certifications (e.g., SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR) are a plus.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $148,000 and $222,000/year for California-based roles. Base pay offered will depend on multiple individualized factors, including, but not limited to, business or organizational needs, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time). Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

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TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people with unique backgrounds, education and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living the values that are an essential part of our culture. We believe diversity makes us stronger and are proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all, without regard to an applicant’s race, color, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local laws.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.