Principal HR Business Partner (R&D)
Toast
$138,000 - $221,000 / year
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Description
Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy. We're looking for a Principal People Success Partner (more commonly referred to as "HRBP") to serve as the strategic HR partner for Toast's R&D organization — a 2,000+ person community spanning Engineering, Product, and Design. You'll report directly to the Senior Director, PSP and operate as a true thought partner to senior leaders, helping shape how we build, develop, and sustain a world-class product and technology organization.
This is a high-impact individual contributor role for someone who excels at navigating organizational complexity, influencing without authority, and translating people strategy into practical outcomes. The right person is equally comfortable in a room with a SVP discussing org design as they are rolling up their sleeves on a calibration cycle or a difficult performance conversation.
Note to applicants: We are prioritizing candidates located near our hubs in Boston, New York City, Toronto, San Francisco, and Omaha.
A day in the life (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.
- 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 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.
What you'll need to thrive (Requirements)
- 10+ years of HR Business Partner experience.
- 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.
AI at Toast
At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.
Our Total Rewards Philosophy
We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.
The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits. You can learn more about how we align pay with local labor markets in our Geographic Pay Zone Philosophy.
How Toast Uses AI in its Hiring Process
Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people. We ask that you complete interviews and assessments on your own, without real-time AI tools, recording, or transcription bots, unless we tell you otherwise in advance. To learn more: https://careers.toasttab.com/ai-in-hiring
Our Approach to Hybrid Working
We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location. Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in-office expectations by region: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast
People Are the Secret Ingredient in Our Recipe for Success
At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we value that same breadth at Toast. We strive to build a culture grounded in authenticity, respect, and humility, where every Toaster has a real opportunity to grow, contribute, and do their best work—raising the bar in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and each other.
Apply today!
Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact candidateaccommodations@toasttab.com.
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Benefits
- stock options
About this role
Toast is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to serve as the strategic people leader for its 2,000+ person R&D organization, spanning Engineering, Product, and Design. You'll work directly with SVPs and senior directors on high-stakes initiatives—from designing scalable organizational structures and leading restructurings to driving performance calibrations and shaping how the company builds its technical talent. This is fundamentally a strategic advisory role where you'll need to influence senior leaders, translate people strategy into concrete outcomes, and navigate complex organizational challenges with equal parts analytical rigor and emotional intelligence.
The position demands 10+ years of HR Business Partner experience with demonstrated expertise in organizational design and a track record of partnering with VP- and SVP-level leaders. You should be comfortable working with data—employee engagement metrics, headcount models, and analytical tools—and equally at ease in a calibration meeting or a difficult performance conversation. Experience at a high-growth SaaS or fintech company and exposure to globally distributed R&D organizations would be particularly valuable. The role is based in Boston (or one of Toast's other hubs) and requires in-office presence.
This is an individual contributor role suited to someone who thrives in ambiguity, builds trust quickly with technically-oriented teams, and sees organizational complexity as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. The salary range is $138,000 to $221,000, with additional compensation through equity and benefits.
How this employer is doing
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Pay for this role
$138,000 to $221,000 per year
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