HR Business Partner

Location: San Francisco, CA (On-site / Hybrid)

Company: Anode Technology Company

About Us

Anode exists to accelerate the monumental shift away from the supersystem of extraction, processing, and burning of fossil fuels—toward lightweight capture and consumption from entirely renewable sources. We’re building scalable, silent, flexible, and efficient mobile energy infrastructure to power the zero-emission future. Our mobile battery energy storage systems (mBESS) represent a new category of clean, deployable power.

Position Overview

Anode is seeking its first HR Business Partner to build the foundation of our people operations, talent acquisition, and organizational development disciplines. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role that blends tactical HR execution with strategic workforce planning. You will be the sole people-focused team member at a company of ~15 today, with plans to more than double headcount by end of year and continue aggressive growth beyond that.

In the near term, you will stand up core HR infrastructure—policies, performance frameworks, compensation strategy—while simultaneously supporting a hiring surge across engineering, manufacturing, and operations. As our organization scales, you will shape how we attract, develop, and retain the talent that powers our mission, evolving this function from a team of one into a People organization that can grow with the company.

Key Responsibilities

• HR Infrastructure & Policy: Draft and implement foundational people policies, employee handbook, and compliance frameworks appropriate for our stage and size. Evolve these systems as the company grows, ensuring they remain practical, compliant, and aligned with our culture.
• Performance Management: Design and implement performance review processes that support employee growth and accountability. Coach managers on feedback practices and help establish a culture of continuous development.
• Compensation & Benefits Strategy: Develop competitive, market-informed compensation frameworks that enable Anode to attract and retain top talent. Benchmark roles, establish pay bands, and advise leadership on total rewards strategy.
• Talent Acquisition & Sourcing: Own the top of the recruiting funnel—sourcing candidates, managing inbound applications, and conducting initial screens and introductory interviews. Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements and maintain a strong, diverse candidate pipeline.
• Hiring Operations: Manage end-to-end hiring logistics including job postings, ATS management, interview scheduling, offer letter generation, and onboarding workflows. Ensure a professional, efficient candidate experience from first touch to Day 1.
• Organizational Planning: Partner with leadership on headcount planning, org design, and team-building strategies that align with business milestones and funding timelines. Provide data-driven recommendations on where and when to invest in talent.
• Culture & Engagement: Help define and protect the company culture during a period of rapid growth. Identify early signals of disengagement or misalignment and work proactively to address them.

Qualifications

Must Have:

• 5–7 years of experience in People/HR roles, with meaningful exposure to both HR operations and talent acquisition
• Hands-on experience building HR infrastructure from scratch: policies, performance systems, onboarding programs
• Strong recruiting fundamentals—sourcing, screening, and managing hiring pipelines across technical and non-technical roles
• Proven ability to handle sensitive employee relations situations with discretion, empathy, and sound judgment
• Comfort operating as an individual contributor with high autonomy in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred:

• Experience as an early or sole People hire at an early-stage startup or growth-stage company
• Experience supporting hardware, manufacturing, or deep-tech companies
• Familiarity with California employment law and multi-state compliance considerations
• Experience with compensation benchmarking and building pay band frameworks for early-stage companies
• Background in organizational design or headcount planning tied to funding milestones
• Proficiency with modern HRIS, ATS, and equity management platforms (e.g., Rippling, Gusto, Carta)
• SHRM-CP, PHR, or equivalent certification

Why This Role Matters

As Anode’s first dedicated people hire, you will define how we attract, support, and develop the team building our mobile energy systems. Your work will ensure that as we scale from ~15 to 30+ and beyond, we do so with the right people, the right structures, and a culture that makes exceptional talent want to stay and grow with us. This is a foundational role that will directly shape who we are as a company.