Principal HR Business Partner (R&D)

Toast is a technology company focused on helping restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world. They are seeking a Principal HR Business Partner to serve as a strategic partner for their R&D organization, guiding leaders through organizational design, performance calibration, and people programs.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with R&D SVPs, VPs and senior directors to design and evolve org structures that scale; Serve as a trusted advisor during reorgs and structural changes, helping leaders navigate people impacts with care and clarity
• Lead org design initiatives end-to-end: from diagnosing root causes through to stakeholder alignment, change communication, and implementation
• Drive consistent, high-quality performance calibrations across Engineering, PM, and Design — building leader capability and ensuring fair, differentiated outcomes
• Champion a culture of clear expectations and candid feedback; help leaders understand what 'raising the bar' looks like in practice
• Use engagement data, pulse surveys, and qualitative signals to surface org health risks and partner with leaders on action planning
• Serve as the R&D voice in the design and rollout of company-wide people programs — ensuring compensation cycles, leveling frameworks, and engagement initiatives land effectively
• Bring an analytical lens to your work — using data to shape decisions, measure outcomes, and tell a coherent story to senior stakeholders

Requirements:

• 8+ years of HR Business Partner experience, with at least 5 years supporting engineering, product, or design organizations
• Demonstrated expertise in org design — you've led restructuring initiatives, not just supported them
• Experience as a trusted partner to VP- and SVP-level leaders; you're known for your ability to influence and coach
• Strong analytical skills — comfortable using AI tools and working with employee data, engagement metrics, and headcount models to shape recommendations
• Excellent judgment: you know when to push, when to listen, and when to escalate
• High EQ and the ability to build trust quickly across a diverse, technically-oriented workforce
• Experience at a high-growth SaaS or fintech company
• Experience supporting a globally distributed R&D org