Cognite

Industrial data platform with AI

Senior HR Advisor

HR Generalist & Employee RelationsUpdated on Nov 14

Full-timeTempe, AZ, USA

About the Job

Requirements

At least 8 years of progressive HR advisory, employee relations, generalist, or HR business partner experience, including hands-on United States case and leave experience across multiple states.
Command of FMLA, ADA, Title VII, state paid leave, and wage-and-hour rules, with judgment about when to involve Legal or outside counsel.
A track record of independently leading sensitive investigations and reaching clear, defensible outcomes.
Demonstrated success reviewing, drafting, and implementing handbooks and policies, with emphasis on clarity, accessibility, and multi-state compliance.
Experience in a scaling technology, SaaS, or software company, ideally through an acquisition or integration involving policy and benefits harmonization.
Ability to work as a senior individual contributor, drive initiatives from strategy through delivery, own outcomes, and influence managers and People Business Partners.
Experience collaborating across a global matrix and with local People Operations teams, including working across time zones with colleagues in Norway and India.
Curiosity and a point of view on AI, including use of tools such as Claude and automation, understanding where human judgment must remain involved, and interest in setting standards.

Responsibilities

Own, review, assess, and modernize the United States employee handbook and regional policies, prioritizing simplicity, clarity, and practical usability.
Use real cases to identify where policies need improvement, recommend tested changes, and drive their implementation.
Maintain policies across states where the company employs people, ensuring audit readiness for internal and external reviews, including SOX-style controls.
Monitor laws and regulations affecting the company and translate them into accessible guidance for managers and employees across the multi-state workforce.
Partner with the VP of People and Organization Operations and Rewards and the mergers-and-acquisitions working group to evaluate, align, and draft harmonized policy frameworks during integration with Schneider Electric.
Partner on complex employee-relations matters, including conflicts, complaints, conduct, and performance issues.
Work with internal and external counsel on specialized employment matters, litigation prevention, and regulatory updates.
Serve as the Tier 3 compliance and escalation partner for complex or disputed leaves, including FMLA, medical, and parental leave matters.
Lead high-risk ADA interactive accommodation processes in partnership with People Operations, which handles daily leave administration and vendor routing.
Serve as the regional compliance bridge with Global Mobility and external immigration counsel on specialized United States immigration cases and Department of Homeland Security compliance requirements.
Coach people managers, in collaboration with People Business Partners, on objective disciplinary documentation, fair employment practices, workplace conduct standards, and difficult policy conversations.
Identify regional workplace themes and systemic trends, and provide data to People Business Partners and People and Organization leadership to address root causes before escalation.
Use AI tools in everyday work while remaining accountable for decisions.
Use HiBob and automation to simplify policy lookup, speed up delivery, and improve HR insights.
Partner with colleagues across Norway, India, and the United States, participate in weekly case reviews with People Operations and People Business Partners, and adapt global frameworks to United States standards.
Navigate fast-moving and ambiguous situations with agility, resilience, and a hands-on builder mindset.

Desired Qualifications

SHRM-SCP, SPHR, an equivalent certification, or a law degree.
Experience with HiBob or a comparable HR information system, and a ticketing tool such as Jira Service Management.
Experience building or running AI-assisted HR workflows, such as knowledge bases, case summaries, or first-line answers.
Experience with an ethics hotline or speak-up program and with audit readiness, such as SOX or similar controls.
Experience with benefits vendors, brokers, or a professional employer organization, and with immigration vendors.
Direct experience supporting HR due diligence, integration, or post-merger organizational transitions.
Experience with multi-state employment.

What Cognite is Relentless to Achieve

Cognite operates at the forefront of industrial digitalization, building AI and data solutions that solve the world’s hardest, highest-impact problems. Our Moonshot is bold: unlock $100B in customer value by 2035, and redefine how global industry works.

How you’ll demonstrate Ownership

As Senior HR Advisor, Americas, you serve as the regional center of excellence for employment compliance, independent investigations, and policy architecture. While People Business Partners (PBPs) partner with business units on talent strategy and team design, you act as the senior technical authority across our Americas footprint. Reporting to the VP, P&O Operations & Rewards, you partner with local People Operations (who manage day-to-day HR workflows) and collaborate closely with PBPs and global colleagues. The timing is exceptional. Cognite is being acquired by Schneider Electric, our Americas region is growing, and the policies and benefits are being aligned. At the same time, we are building an AI-first P&O with HiBob as our system of record and AI tools, such as Claude. This position is based out of our HQ in Tempe, AZ; hybrid work model with 3 days a week in office.

The Impact you bring to Cognite

What You'll Own and Shape

Policy ownership, redesign and implementation
- Own the US policy set: Review, assess and modernize the US Employee Handbook and regional policies, with a firm bias toward simplicity, clarity and practical usability over complexity.
- Turn cases into better policy: When real cases show a policy no longer holds up, bring tested recommendations and drive their implementation.
- Keep policy current and audit-ready: Maintain policies across every state where we employ people, ready for internal and external audit and governance reviews, including SOX-style controls.
- Translate the law into guidance: Keep us up to date on laws and regulations that affect us and turn it into clear, accessible guidance for managers and employees across our multi-state footprint (AZ, TX, and growing remote workforce).
- Harmonize through the acquisition: Partner with the VP, P&O Operations & Rewards and the M&A working group to evaluate, align, and draft harmonized policy frameworks as Cognite integrates with Schneider Electric.
Complex cases, compliance and employee relations
- Resolve the hard cases, end to end: Partner on challenging employee relations matters, from conflict and complaints to conduct and performance.
- Bring in Legal at the right moment: Work with internal and external counsel on specialized employment matters, litigation prevention and regulatory updates.
- Experience implementing or administering an ethics hotline, speak-up program, or formal reporting channel, and familiarity with audit readiness (SOX or similar)
Leaves, accommodations and immigration
- Complex leaves and accommodations: Serve as the Tier-3 compliance and escalation partner for complex or disputed leaves (FMLA, Medical, Parental) and lead high-risk ADA interactive accommodation processes, partnering with People Operations who handle daily leave administration and vendor routing.
- Immigration compliance oversight: Act as the regional compliance bridge alongside Global Mobility and external immigration counsel on specialized US immigration cases and Department of Homeland Security compliance requirements
Manager coaching and early signals
- Upskill and advise managers: In collaboration with PBPs, coach people managers on objective disciplinary documentation, fair employment practices, workplace conduct standards, and navigating difficult policy conversations.
- Turn cases into early signals: Identify regional workplace themes and systemic trends, proactively equipping PBPs and P&O leadership with data to address root causes before they escalate.
AI-first ways of working and global collaboration
- Lead the AI shift in advisory: With accountability and responsibility for decisions, use AI tools in your everyday work.
- Build on HiBob and automation: Use HiBob and automation to simplify policy lookup, speed up delivery and improve HR insights.
- Work as one global team: Partner with colleagues across Norway, India and the US, and join the weekly case review with People Operations and PBPs. Act as a bridge between global subject matter experts and local execution, adapting global frameworks to US standards.
- Thrive in ambiguity: Navigate fast-moving, ambiguous situations with agility, resilience and a hands-on builder mindset.

What You Bring

8+ years of progressive HR advisory, employee relations, generalist or HRBP experience, with hands-on US case and leave experience across multiple states
Command of FMLA, ADA, Title VII, state paid leave and wage-and-hour rules, and the judgment to know when to bring in Legal or outside counsel
A track record of leading sensitive investigations independently and landing clear, defensible outcomes
Demonstrated success reviewing, drafting and implementing handbooks and policies, with an emphasis on clarity, accessibility and multi-state compliance
Experience in a scaling technology, SaaS or software company, ideally through an acquisition or integration, including policy and benefits harmonization
The confidence to work as a senior individual contributor: you drive initiatives from strategy through delivery, own outcomes, and influence managers and PBPs
A confident, articulate and proactive communicator with executive presence and excellent written communication
Calm, discreet and fair under pressure
Experience collaborating across a global matrix and with local People Operations teams, with ease working across time zones with colleagues in Norway and India
Curiosity and a point of view on AI: you already use, or are eager to use, tools like Claude and automation to scale advisory work, you know where human judgment must stay in the loop, and you want to help set the standard.

Preferred Experience

SHRM-SCP, SPHR or an equivalent certification, or a law degree
Experience with HiBob or a comparable HRIS, and a ticketing tool such as Jira Service Management
Experience building or running AI-assisted HR workflows, such as knowledge bases, case summaries or first-line answers
Experience with an ethics hotline or speak-up program and with audit readiness (SOX or similar)
Experience with benefits vendors, brokers or a PEO, and with immigration vendors
Direct experience supporting HR due diligence, integration or post-merger organizational transitions
Experience with multi-state employment

A snapshot of our many perks and benefits as a Cogniter

* Competitive compensation

* 401(k) with employer matching

* Competitive health, dental, vision & disability coverages for employees and all dependents

* Unlimited PTO

* Paid Parental Leave Program

* Employee Referral Program

Why Cognite

You will work at the forefront of Industrial AI, partnering with some of the world's leading industrial organisations to solve problems that actually matter at scale — not hypothetical ones. You'll join a collaborative, fast-moving environment where curiosity and ownership are the norm, not the exception. If you want delivery work you can point to and be proud of, we'd love to hear from you.

Equal Opportunity

Cognite is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment at work and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive the same level of consideration for employment.

About the Company

Cognite

Industrial data platform with AI

Cognite provides cloud-based data and AI platforms for industrial companies to digitize and optimize operations. Its flagship Cognite Data Fusion connects OT, IT, and engineering data, unifying sensor data, maintenance logs, and 3D models into a real-time view of assets to improve performance and safety. Cognite Atlas AI is a low-code platform that lets engineers build AI agents for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and production optimization without deep coding. The company differentiates itself through deep cross-domain data integration for asset-heavy industries and a scalable cloud environment to accelerate industrial digitalization and deliver measurable value.

Company size: 501-1,000
Company stage: Acquired
Total funding: $225.3M
Headquarters: Tempe, AZ
Founded: 2016

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