Job at a glance
Company Overview: We are building Protege to solve the biggest unmet need in AI — getting access to the right training data. The process today is time intensive, incredibly expensive, and often ends in failure. The Protege platform facilitates the secure, efficient, and privacy-centric exchange of AI training data. Solving AI’s data problem is a generational opportunity. We’re backed by world-class investors and already powering partnerships with some of the most ambitious teams in AI.
The company that succeeds will be one of the largest in AI — and in tech. We’re a lean, fast-moving, high-trust team of builders who are obsessed with velocity and impact. Our culture is built for people who thrive on ambiguity, own outcomes, and want to shape the future of data and AI. The Role We are hiring a Senior HR Business Partner to help build the people foundation for Protege’s next phase of growth.
This is a strategic, hands-on role for a builder who can partner closely with leaders while owning the programs and operating rhythms that shape how Protege performs. You will strengthen our culture, help managers build exceptional teams, and create people systems that enable high standards without slowing the company down. You will move comfortably between advising leaders on organization and talent decisions, coaching managers through complex conversations, and personally driving the programs that improve the employee experience.
You will bring judgment, urgency, and a practical bias toward action. What You’ll Do Partner with leaders across Engineering, GTM, and Operations to translate business priorities into people plans, organization design, workforce planning, and team-health actions. Coach managers to set clear expectations, deliver candid feedback, recognize exceptional performance, address underperformance, and build high-performing teams.
Own and continuously improve the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, performance management, promotions, development, and offboarding. Lead core People programs, including performance reviews, calibration, engagement and feedback mechanisms, manager enablement, and employee communications. Help define and reinforce the culture Protege needs to win: high ownership, urgency, rigorous execution, kindness, and candor.
Partner with the executive team and hiring managers on compensation, leveling, and promotion decisions, helping ensure frameworks are competitive, clear, and consistently applied. Serve as a trusted, confidential resource for employees and managers; navigate employee relations, conflict, and sensitive situations with discretion and sound judgment. Build scalable People Operations infrastructure, including policies, HRIS practices, compliance documentation, and manager resources.
Partner with Talent to strengthen hiring, interviewing, and candidate experience while ensuring each hire raises the bar for Protege. Ensure the company’s people practices remain compliant as we grow across jurisdictions, engaging outside counsel when appropriate. What Success Looks Like Day 1: Start Building the Culture and Performance Agenda Begin a focused project to understand and strengthen the cultural behaviors, manager practices, and performance expectations that will enable Protege to scale.
Meet with leaders and employees to learn what is working, where execution or communication breaks down, and what teams need to perform at their best. Establish early credibility as a thoughtful, direct, and highly responsive partner to managers and employees. By Day 30: Own the Core People Programs Take ownership of the company’s core People programs and rhythms, including onboarding, employee lifecycle processes, manager support, performance management, employee relations, and People Operations administration.
Deliver a clear, practical plan for improving culture, performance, manager effectiveness, and employee experience over the next two quarters. Identify immediate improvements to onboarding, feedback, ma