Principal HR Business Partner (R&D)

Boston · Remote · USD 138,000-221,000 · 10+ years experience · Posted Oct 7, 2026

At a glance

The Principal People Success Partner (HRBP) serves as the strategic HR partner for Toast's 2,000+ person R&D organization, which includes Engineering, Product, and Design. This high-impact individual contributor role involves navigating organizational complexity, influencing senior leadership, and translating people strategy into practical outcomes.

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.
Lead org design initiatives end-to-end from diagnosis through implementation.
Drive consistent, high-quality performance calibrations across Engineering, PM, and Design.
Champion a culture of clear expectations and candid feedback.
Cultivate an AI 'Builder' approach by adopting and testing AI solutions to address challenges at scale.
Use engagement data, pulse surveys, and qualitative signals to surface org health risks and partner on action planning.
Serve as the R&D voice in the design and rollout of company-wide people programs.
Bring an analytical lens to work using data to shape decisions and measure outcomes.

10+ years of HR Business Partner experience.
Demonstrated expertise in org design, including leading restructuring initiatives.
Experience as a trusted partner to VP- and SVP-level leaders.
Strong analytical skills, including experience using AI tools and working with employee data, engagement metrics, and headcount models.
Excellent judgment regarding when to push, listen, or escalate.
High EQ and ability to build trust across a diverse, technically-oriented workforce.
Experience at a high-growth SaaS or fintech company.
Experience supporting a globally distributed R&D organization.