HR Business Partner at Cape

THE COMPANY Cape was founded in early 2022 by Palantir and Anduril alums with deep expertise in privacy and national security. While running Palantir’s US national security business, our CEO became passionate about privacy and security on mobile devices. Our mission is to be a force for good in global wireless. At Cape, we are not just another cellular service provider; we are the architects of a privacy-centric movement that starts with the devices in your pocket. We are building a cellular network that helps citizens, including those responsible for our nation’s security, regain control of their own data. We believe that where we are, where we go, and whom we are with are among our most personal information and should be kept private. Privacy is not something you achieve by limiting yourself or by doing less, it is a set of features to be built so you can do more. We have raised money from Andreessen Horowitz and other top-tier VCs, and are excited to grow the team. THE TEAM We are relentless builders, constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of what a telco can do. At Cape we trust our teammates to be great, and expect them to make profound impact. As a member of our team, you will collaborate with some of the smartest engineers, architects, and builders anywhere, working across organizational lines to deliver for our customers, every time. THE ROLE We are looking for our first HRBP to support our technical teams and leaders. You will be a true strategic partner and make immediate impact through your expertise in leadership coaching, change management, organizational design, and talent management strategy. As a steward of Cape culture, you will coach leaders on various people matters, navigate and resolve employee relations issues, help bring our people programs to life, and more. You put people first and always use data to drive decisions. This is a hands-on role for someone who can operate at both the strategic and tactical level in a fast-moving start up. This HRBP operates with high ownership and low bureaucracy: building the plane while flying it, with enough structure to scale without slowing teams down. This role is hybrid 3 days a week in office and reports to the Head of People. HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOU'LL MAKE AN IMPACT - Partner with Engineering leadership on org design, team health, and talent planning - Coach Engineering managers on performance, feedback, team dynamics, and leadership development - Lead the Engineering side of performance cycles, promotions, and calibration - Support employee relations needs with strong judgment, discretion, and documentation - Use data and patterns (attrition, engagement signals, performance themes) to drive action - Improve clarity and scalability: role expectations, leveling alignment, manager tools, onboarding feedback loops - Flex to support other orgs and cross-company People initiatives as business needs evolve ARE YOU THE CANDIDATE WE ARE LOOKING FOR? (REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ROLE) YOU HAVE: - 6–10+ years as an HRBP/People Partner in high-growth environments (startup experience strongly preferred) - Experience partnering directly with Engineering leaders and managers - Strong coaching skills and comfort with hard conversations (performance, conflict, exits) - Solid foundation in performance management, promotions, and employee relations - Pragmatic, low-ego operator who builds lightweight systems that scale - Clear communicator who can earn trust with technical teams Nice to have - Experience with Engineering leveling/career frameworks - Familiarity with compensation and calibration processes - Has supported org change (reorgs, rapid growth, leadership transitions) COMPETENCIES - HR Expertise: demonstrable experience and knowledge of principles, practices, and functions of effective and strategic HR (performance management, employee relations, career pathing, organizational design, talent planning, change management, total rewards, etc.). - Ability to respond quickly to manager and EE questions and needs, complaints. Ability to proactively manage a variety of ER issues. In depth knowledge of legal requirements related to day to day management of EEs, reducing legal risks and ensuring regulatory compliance. Ability to deftly manage conflict and diffuse tensions among EEs. Ability to manage interactions to provide service and support the org. - Consultative Skills: ability to provide people guidance to organizational stakeholders (especially leaders); ability to consult with, persuade, and influence key stakeholders and contribute to initiatives and processes in their org; cultivates, builds and maintains good relationships with peers and leaders. The ability to value and consider the perspectives and backgrounds of all parties. - Leadership and Navigation: ability to consult with, persuade, and influence key stakeholders and contribute to initiatives and processes in their org; cultivates, builds and maintains good relationships with peers and leaders. - Communication: actively listens; clearly and effectively shares information; demonstrates effective oral and written communication skills; seeks input from others; adapts communication to diverse audiences. - Relationship Building: builds relationships with employees across all levels of the organization; demonstrable ability to manage interactions to provide service and support the organization [this shows up in advocacy, conflict resolution, engagement, responsiveness, influence, etc.]. - Data Driven/Analytic Reasoning: The ability to interpret information to make business decisions and recommendations. Analyzes people data with a keen sense for what’s useful. Analyzes specific business challenges involving the workforce and offers solutions based upon best practices or research. - Customer Centric: Values the importance of delivering high quality, innovative service to employees; understands the needs of the client; responds promptly and is accessible to them; follows through on commitments in a timely manner; maintains positive, long-term working relationships; assumes ownership of process issues and takes appropriate steps to mitigate problems. Gets consistently high feedback from stakeholders. Raises hand to help. - Flexibility / adaptability: adjusts quickly to changing priorities, conditions, and challenges. Copes effectively with complexity and change. Is comfortable navigating ambiguity. Can handle business changes with ease and with a lack of frustration or feeling of defeat. Feels comfortable dealing with limited unknowns in an area they are well versed in. Compensation: We offer competitive compensation that is geo-adjusted based on your location, along with meaningful equity so you share in the value you help create. Our benefits include: - 401(k) match - 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and your dependents - 12 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents, no waiting period) - Stipends for - Family-forming needs - Gender-affirming care OUR CULTURE  - We are builders, and we choose to spend our time building things that matter. Many of our people have backgrounds in Defense Tech as well as the defense and intelligence community. We build to win. - We hire excellent people, give them outsized responsibility, and trust them to execute at a high level. Everyone here has a track record of solving hard problems throughout their careers. - We believe that personal privacy and national security interests are not inherently at odds, and can be reconciled via strong technology. - We believe that companies exist to build awesome things and take care of their people. Our benefits reflect that– top-tier health care, 401(k) matching, and a generous vacation policy (that we actually use). - We hire candidates of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, Veteran status, and any other status. Achieving diversity across these categories will serve to make our company stronger and our product better. HOW TO APPLY Click the link below to apply. We reserve the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received from outside recruiting agencies and / or individual recruiters without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.