Senior Manager/Director, People Business Partner

Who You Are

Sila is seeking a Senior Manager / Director, People Business Partners in the People & Culture team who will lead our People Business Partner team and personally partner with leaders of our Operations & Manufacturing, Engineering, and Finance organizations. Based onsite at our Alameda headquarters, you will spend your days close to the work: coaching leaders and front-line managers through hiring, feedback, performance, and promotion decisions; handling sensitive employee relations matters with sound judgment; and helping leaders shape their teams as we scale anode production in Moses Lake and build toward our own cell manufacturing. You will lead a small team of business partners across Alameda and Moses Lake, set a consistent way of working so employees at both sites get the same fair, high-quality support, and build practical tools and programs that make our managers stronger. You build on what already works, bring data to every conversation, and earn trust by solving real problems quickly.

Why This Role

• Partner with the VP People & Culture: Work in close partnership with the VP to design and prioritize the People function’s work, share what you’re seeing across client groups, and act as a trusted thought partner on strategy and decisions.

• Lead our business partners across two sites and set one consistent way of supporting leaders and employees, with a keen eye to supporting both a culture of innovation via RD&E, and an effective operating model for our plant and operations.

• Start with momentum. Our Operations and R&D leaders have already built their own leadership training and feedback practices. You’ll connect what works and help scale it.

• Shape a company at an inflection point. As we expand Moses Lake and build toward our own cell manufacturing, how we organize, develop and lead people will define what Sila becomes.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Partner directly with the COO, VP Engineering, and CFO and their leadership teams on hiring needs, performance, promotions, and day-to-day talent decisions

• Build front-line manager capability through practical training, coaching, and tools, focused on giving direct feedback, running performance and promotion conversations, and leading shift-based teams

• Set one consistent business partner operating model and employee relations playbook across Alameda and Moses Lake, including investigations, documentation, and company policies with aligned site procedures

• Lead org design and workforce planning for growth, including Moses Lake expansion and new battery manufacturing capacity, in partnership with Finance and Talent Acquisition

• Use people data from ChartHop, ADP, and Lattice to spot trends in engagement, attrition, and performance and turn them into clear recommendations for leaders

• Partner with Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, Legal, and EHS on compensation decisions, offers, compliance, and a strong safety culture

• Hire, coach, and support talent through consistent feedback, navigation of challenges, and celebration of wins

Knowledge and Skill Requirements (vs Preferred)

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in HR Business Partner or generalist roles, including partnering with senior technical leaders at a high-growth engineering, R&D, or hardware company

• Experience supporting manufacturing or hourly, shift-based operations, including non-exempt wage-and-hour practices (strongly preferred)

• Experience managing or mentoring HR Business Partners (strongly preferred)

• Strong working knowledge of employee relations, investigations, and California employment law; Washington experience a plus

• Track record of building practical, scalable people practices (manager training, performance processes, policies) in a growing company, with the judgment to keep them simple

• Comfortable working with data and HR systems such as ADP, ChartHop, and Lattice, and using AI tools to work faster

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related field, or equivalent experience. SHRM-SCP or SPHR (or similar) a plus.

Location: Alameda, CA, 5 days/week in-office required. Occasional travel to Moses Lake, WA (monthly). Typical business hours are 9am–6pm PST.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

The work environment and physical demands are representative of those the employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Requirements

Rarely: Climbing (stairs), Crouching, Kneeling, Stooping, Lifting up to 15 lbs

Occasionally: Standing, Walking, Carrying

Frequently: Grasping, Handling, Reaching, Hearing

Constantly: Sitting, Reading, Vision, Repetitive Motion (keyboard)

Work Environment

Rarely: Noise, Hazards (during lab and manufacturing site visits)

Other Physical Requirements may include the following:

• When visiting lab and manufacturing areas, wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes

Work Schedule

Regular Shift: Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm

The starting base pay for this role is between $161,000 and $239,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, and equity. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

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