HRBP - Engineering

In 2012, Lambda started with a crew of AI engineers publishing research at top machine-learning conferences. We began as an AI company built by AI engineers. That hasn't changed. Today, we're on a mission to be the world's top AI computing platform. We equip engineers with the tools to deploy AI that is fast, secure, affordable, and built to scale. Whether they need powerhouse GPU hardware on-site or the flexibility of cloud-based solutions, we've got the horsepower to make it happen. Lambda’s AI Cloud has been adopted by the world’s leading companies and research institutions including Anyscale, Rakuten, The AI Institute, and multiple enterprises with over a trillion dollars of market capitalization. Our goal is to make computation as effortless and ubiquitous as electricity.

If you'd like to build the world's best deep learning cloud, join us. 

*Note: This position requires presence in our San Francisco office location 4 days per week; Lambda’s designated work from home day is currently Tuesday.

What You’ll Do

• Champion Culture and Values: Act as a key driver in promoting and integrating our culture, mission, values, and purpose across teams. Ensure these are embedded into all HR processes and initiatives, especially when it comes to hiring, performance management, and team dynamics.

• Strategic HR Partnering: Provide HR partnership to high-performing engineering teams, with a strong focus on the team’s goals, business needs, and challenges. Become deeply embedded in team activities and dynamics, not just at the team level but across the organization. Engage in team meetings to stay informed and identify blind spots that impact team cohesion, performance, and morale.

• Support Team Leadership: Act as a trusted advisor to team leaders, offering guidance on executing key initiatives and providing a fresh perspective on team dynamics and individual performance. Help leaders assess how their teams are working together, offering feedback on interpersonal relationships, conflict resolution, and ways to build a stronger team culture.

• Execution of HR Strategy: Develop and execute HR strategies tailored to the unique needs of engineering teams, ensuring alignment with broader business objectives. Serve as a thought partner to leadership on how to optimize team performance through workforce planning, talent development, and succession planning.

• Performance Management: Provide consistent performance management support to leaders, ensuring they are equipped to handle coaching, counseling, and career development. Actively monitor team performance and provide constructive feedback to help leaders make informed decisions on promotions, development, and performance improvement.

• Talent Acquisition and Development: Take an active role in the hiring process, specifically in culture interviews, ensuring that new hires align with team values and bring the necessary talent to drive business success. Work with leaders to refine the interview process and raise the hiring bar across the organization.

• Interpersonal Relationships and Conflict Resolution: Focus on understanding the interpersonal dynamics within teams. Use your high emotional intelligence (EQ) to coach individuals and teams on how to collaborate more effectively and resolve conflicts in a constructive way.

• Organizational Debugging: Work closely with leadership to identify and address any organizational issues or inefficiencies that may hinder team performance. Challenge the status quo and bring common-sense, innovative solutions to improve organizational effectiveness.

• Drive Values Through Leadership: Influence who is hired, promoted, and let go based on our core values. Ensure that HR decisions align with the broader mission and values, and be courageous in driving organizational change and improvements.

• Employee Relations and Legal Compliance: Manage and resolve complex employee relations issues with a focus on fairness and transparency. Ensure compliance with legal requirements, while providing guidance and support in handling sensitive employee matters.

• Metrics and Insights: Partner with the broader HR team to analyze trends and metrics that will drive improvements in team performance, engagement, and retention. Use data to provide actionable insights for continuous improvement.

You

• Proven Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of HR Business Partner experience, with at least 3+ years working directly with high-performing engineering teams.

• Emotional Intelligence: Extremely high EQ and a deep understanding of the dynamics within high-performance teams. Able to coach, influence, and challenge teams and leaders in ways that drive better outcomes.

• Strategic and Tactical Balance: Able to seamlessly transition between strategic initiatives and day-to-day HR operations. Comfortable providing both big-picture guidance and hands-on support for executing key HR functions.

• People-Centric Approach: A true coach at heart, with a mindset of building and maintaining a high-performance "sports team" culture, not just a family-like environment. You value talent, are relentless in your pursuit of excellence, and understand the importance of high standards in hiring and team development.

• Critical Thinker: Strong sense of common sense and the ability to question the status quo when outcomes aren’t meeting expectations. You have the courage to take risks and challenge norms to build an exceptional team.

• Organizational Expertise: You possess the ability to diagnose organizational issues and provide pragmatic solutions that drive both individual and collective performance.

• Inclusive Leadership: Experience in driving diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that support high-performing teams and create an environment where all employees feel valued and heard.

• Strong Communication Skills: Excellent communication, time management, and organizational skills, enabling you to manage multiple priorities effectively and communicate clearly with senior leadership, team members, and stakeholders.

• Confidentiality and Discretion: Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity.

Nice to Have

• Experience managing HR projects within a fast-paced, high-growth environment, such as a startup or remote-first organization.

• A demonstrated passion for driving organizational change and continuous improvement in HR practices.

• A commitment to raising the bar in recruitment processes, ensuring that the best talent is hired and integrated effectively into the team culture.

What Engineering Leaders Value in Their HRBP

• Deeply Informed: The HRBP is expected to sit in on team meetings and stay fully informed about team dynamics and key business priorities. This involvement helps in providing relevant, real-time advice and offering an external perspective that helps leaders address blind spots.

• Performance Partnership: You will be a critical partner in supporting leaders’ performance and team performance. This includes being a sounding board for leaders and helping them evaluate the performance of individuals and teams, as well as assisting in developing strategies to enhance effectiveness.

• Interpersonal Focus: The ability to focus on interpersonal relationships within teams, providing guidance on improving collaboration, resolving conflicts, and improving communication among team members.

• Proactive Talent Strategy: Actively involved in all interview loops, specifically the culture interview, to ensure new hires are aligned with the team's values and bring the right skills to meet the business’s needs.

Non-Negotiable Qualities

• Solid experience in HR roles, particularly in supporting high-performance engineering teams.

• High emotional intelligence, with the ability to effectively navigate complex interpersonal dynamics and coach leaders.

• A coach-like mindset, with a focus on building high-performing teams and achieving business outcomes.

• Courage to challenge the status quo and ask tough questions in the pursuit of excellence.

Salary Range Information 

Based on market data and other factors, the salary range for this position is $145,000 - $209,000. However, a salary higher or lower than this range may be appropriate for a candidate whose qualifications differ meaningfully from those listed in the job description.

About Lambda

• Founded in 2012, ~350 employees (2024) and growing fast

• We offer generous cash & equity compensation

• Our investors include Andra Capital, SGW, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, NVIDIA, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, US Innovative Technology, Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners, SVB, 1517, Crescent Cove.

• We are experiencing extremely high demand for our systems, with quarter over quarter, year over year profitability

• Our research papers have been accepted into top machine learning and graphics conferences, including NeurIPS, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and TOG

• Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents

• Commuter/Work from home stipends for select roles

• 401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)

• Flexible Paid Time Off Plan that we all actually use

A Final Note:

You do not need to match all of the listed expectations to apply for this position. We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lambda is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.