Senior Director, HR Business Partner

Flagship Pioneering is a scientific innovation engine that invents and builds companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble the capital to allow them to take courageous leaps in human health, sustainability, and beyond. 

What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance biotechnology by uniting life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our team of scientists, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and create breakthroughs for the benefit of people and planet.

Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been named four times to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.

Position Overview 

Reporting into the Vice President, HR, the Senior Director, Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) for the Lab Companies will be a key driver of the people strategy for the lab companies within Flagship. In this role, the Sr. Director, HRBP will build and sustain relationships with their client group and the broader enterprise.  

The Senior Director, HR Business Partner will collaborate with HR leaders across the organization to diagnose needs, develop thoughtful solutions, and drive meaningful impact across our LabCo portfolio. This person brings strong business acumen and a proven ability to connect people strategy to business outcomes, navigating complexity and change with confidence and clarity. 

The ideal candidate is an experienced coach and trusted advisor who can influence decision-making, foster accountability, and guide leaders and employees through the full range of people challenges that come with building companies at speed. They are equally skilled at stepping back to see the big picture and rolling up their sleeves to get things done, understanding that at Flagship, both are required in equal measure. 

This role demands a demonstrated track record of building credible partnerships with senior leaders and their teams, as well as the interpersonal range to connect authentically with employees at every level of the organization. The Senior Director will bring proven leadership experience, a sharp eye for organizational design, and the ability to build and develop high performing HR teams. Above all, this is someone who earns trust quickly, communicates with candor, and knows how to meet people where they are to move the business forward.  

Responsibilities:  

• Serve as the senior HR leader across Flagship's LabCo portfolio, partnering with companies from ProtoCo through NewCo (up to Series B) while directly managing a hands-on business partner remit of 2–3 companies 
• Lead and develop a team of HR Managers/Junior HR Business Partners, providing day-to-day guidance, coaching, and serving as the escalation point across their respective early-stage company remits 
• Drive operational and strategic HR delivery across core business partner disciplines including performance management, employee relations, manager effectiveness, and engagement and culture initiatives 
• Partner closely with Talent Acquisition to support workforce planning and hiring, ensuring org builds are thoughtfully designed and aligned to each company's stage, strategy, and growth trajectory 
• Own organizational design and business alignment work, advising leadership teams on structure, role clarity, and people decisions as companies evolve from early formation through scaling 
• Build trusted relationships quickly across a diverse and fast-changing portfolio, demonstrating the ability to context-switch across companies at different stages of maturity and need 
• Champion a unified Flagship approach to people practices across the LabCo portfolio, driving consistency and standardization in how companies at every stage experience HR 
• Partner closely with the Origination HR leader to support the intersection of company creation and early talent needs, ensuring seamless transitions as new LabCo entities are established 
• Collaborate with Centers of Excellence to shape and execute programmatic HR initiatives, translating enterprise-wide programs into practical, stage-appropriate solutions for high-growth, early-stage environments 
• Leverage people analytics to inform decisions, identify trends, and bring data-driven insights to leadership conversations across performance, retention, engagement, and health of the organizations 
• Embrace AI as an integral part of day-to-day working habits, applying emerging tools to increase efficiency, enhance HR delivery, and drive smarter, faster outcomes across the portfolio 
• Thrive in an environment of ambiguity and constant change, bringing both structure and agility to a role where priorities shift. 

Qualifications:  

• Bachelor's degree with 10+ years experience in the HR field or 

• Master's Degree and 8+ years of progressive HR experience 

Preferred Qualifications:  

• Prior Pharma/Biopharma experience, start-up experience  

• Proven experience coaching and counseling all levels of staff on a wide variety of issues, and a thorough understanding of performance management systems and State and Federal employment law. 

• Exceptional networking, relationship building, judgement and passion with a drive for compromise across different perspectives. 

• Ability to translate business vision and strategy into an executable people agenda. 

• Knowledge of and ability to apply OD concepts and models, such as team effectiveness, change management, communication styles, facilitation, and leadership development. 

• Strengths in working and communicating in a highly matrixed environment, strong collaboration and influencing skills. 

• Employee relations experience managing complex workplace matters. 

• Demonstrated business acumen and a working knowledge of multiple HR disciplines. 

Additional Qualifications: 

• Analytical, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills including the ability to diagnose root causes.
• Ability to work in a time sensitive and confidential environment, balancing multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Computer skills in MS office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), SharePoint, and HRIS (UKG is a plus) 

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

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The salary range for this role is $220,000 - $269,500. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Flagship Pioneering currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Flagship Pioneering's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.