Senior People Business Partner
LiveKit · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $200,000 / year
- United States
Tailored resume — keyword-matched to this role.
Hiring manager — we find who's hiring.
Intro email — drafted to reach them directly.
Job highlights
- Partner with Head of People on HR programs.
- Advise leaders and navigate complex situations.
- Collaborate with People Ops and Employee Experience.
- Audit and improve HR infrastructure.
- Build scalable People operations.
About the role
About LiveKit
LiveKit is building the infrastructure layer for the agentic era of computing. Our platform gives developers everything they need to build, test, deploy, scale, and observe AI agents in production. Founded in 2021, LiveKit powers voice and agentic AI applications for OpenAI, Salesforce, Spotify, Meta, and tens of thousands of other developers, collectively facilitating billions of calls each year.About This Role
This role works directly with the Head of People on everything people-related. Not the deep expert in every corner, but dangerous enough across all of it to move quickly, assess what's actually at risk, and know when something deserves more attention than you can give it right now.This role requires knowing when to move fast, when to slow down, and when to surface the harder question before it becomes a harder problem.You'll Thrive Here If You:
- Have worked in enough different environments to have a real sense of what good looks like — and hold yourself to it
- Don't need the full picture to respond well; you know when to move and when to ask a harder question first
- Are direct with people, including when it's uncomfortable — feedback doesn't get softened into confusion, and people still trust you after
- Assess risk quickly — not just what could go wrong, but what's actually likely to and how much it matters
- Know when to escalate and when to just decide — and aren't afraid to decide
What You'll Do
- Partner directly with the Head of People to design, build, and operationalize People programs across all COEs: comp, L&D, compliance, benefits, performance, and more
- Serve as a trusted advisor to people leaders — coaching managers, navigating complex situations, and helping the org grow without breaking
- Be a real collaborator to People Ops and Employee Experience, someone they think with, not just coordinate with
- Audit existing People infrastructure and identify gaps before they become problems
- Own end-to-end delivery of programs and projects, from strategy to rollout to iteration
- Help us figure out what scalable looks like at LiveKit, and then build it
- Bring a thoughtful, tool-forward lens to how we work, finding smarter ways to operate a lean, high-impact People team
Who You Are
- A first-principles thinker who can build People programs from scratch, not just operate inside an existing playbook
- A direct, clear, and personable communicator both written and verbally
- Confident in what you know and what you don't — able to respond decisively even without full information
- Comfortable in ambiguity, with strong relationship-building instincts and data-informed decision-making
Nice to Have
- Background at early-stage companies where People and Ops significantly overlapped — you've likely done this job without the exact title
- Direct experience building or significantly iterating programs across multiple People COEs
- Specific examples of navigating ambiguous situations with real stakes, and clarity on how you decided what to do
- Experience in benefits and leaves administration
Our Commitment to You
- An opportunity to build something truly impactful to the world
- Contribute to open source alongside world-class engineers
- Competitive salary and equity package
- Health, dental, and vision benefits
- Flexible vacation policy
Key skills/competency
- Senior People Business Partner
- HR Programs
- Talent Management
- Compensation and Benefits
- Learning and Development
- Performance Management
- Employee Relations
- HR Compliance
- Strategic HR
- HR Operations
Skills & topics
- Senior People Business Partner
- HR Programs
- Talent Management
- Compensation
- Benefits
- Performance Management
- HR Compliance
- Employee Experience
- People Operations
- Startup HR
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight experience in early-stage companies, first-principles thinking, and program building.
- Showcase direct communication: Provide examples of clear, candid feedback and risk assessment in your application.
- Demonstrate ambiguity comfort: Use STAR method examples for navigating unclear situations and decisive action.
- Research LiveKit's culture: Understand their mission in AI agents and their commitment to open source.
- Prepare for strategic questions: Be ready to discuss how you'd build scalable HR programs from scratch.
Technical preparation
Familiarize with HR Information Systems (HRIS).,Review HR compliance regulations.,Understand compensation and benefits structures.,Study performance management frameworks.
Behavioral questions
Describe a time you built an HR program from scratch.,How do you assess and mitigate HR risks?,Share an example of direct feedback you gave.,How do you handle ambiguity in HR projects?
Frequently asked questions
- What is LiveKit's mission and what kind of company is it?
- LiveKit is building the infrastructure for the agentic era of computing, empowering developers to build, test, deploy, and scale AI agents. Founded in 2021, it's an early-stage company already powering significant AI applications for major players like OpenAI and Salesforce.
- What is the primary focus of the Senior People Business Partner role at LiveKit?
- The Senior People Business Partner will work directly with the Head of People to design, build, and operationalize various HR programs. This includes compensation, learning & development, compliance, benefits, and performance management, with a strong emphasis on strategic thinking and operational execution in a fast-paced environment.
- What kind of candidate thrives at LiveKit, especially in this Senior People Business Partner role?
- Candidates who thrive at LiveKit are first-principles thinkers, direct communicators, comfortable with ambiguity, and can assess risk quickly. They should have a strong sense of what 'good' looks like in HR and be comfortable building programs from scratch rather than just operating existing playbooks.
- What are the key responsibilities for a Senior People Business Partner at LiveKit?
- Key responsibilities include partnering with leadership to operationalize HR programs, acting as a trusted advisor to managers, collaborating with People Ops, auditing HR infrastructure, owning program delivery, and defining scalable People operations for the company.
- What experience is considered 'nice to have' for this Senior People Business Partner position?
- Nice-to-have experience includes working in early-stage companies where People and Ops functions overlap, direct experience building HR programs across multiple COEs, navigating ambiguous situations with high stakes, and specific experience in benefits and leaves administration.
- What kind of support can I expect from LiveKit as an employee?
- LiveKit offers an opportunity to build impactful work, contribute to open source with engineers, a competitive salary and equity package, comprehensive health benefits (dental, vision), and a flexible vacation policy.
- How does LiveKit approach communication and feedback for the Senior People Business Partner role?
- LiveKit values direct, clear, and personable communication. Feedback is not softened into confusion, and individuals are expected to be comfortable giving and receiving direct feedback, even when it's uncomfortable, while maintaining trust.
- What is the compensation range for the Senior People Business Partner role at LiveKit?
- The compensation range for this position is between $150,000 and $200,000 annually.