Principal HR Business Partner (R&D)

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy. We're looking for a Principal People Success Partner (more commonly referred to as "HRBP") to serve as the strategic HR partner for Toast's R&D organization — a 2,000+ person community spanning Engineering, Product, and Design. You'll report directly to the Senior Director, PSP and operate as a true thought partner to senior leaders, helping shape how we build, develop, and sustain a world-class product and technology organization. This is a high-impact individual contributor role for someone who excels at navigating organizational complexity, influencing without authority, and translating people strategy into practical outcomes. The right person is equally comfortable in a room with a SVP discussing org design as they are rolling up their sleeves on a calibration cycle or a difficult performance conversation. Note to applicants: We are prioritizing candidates located near our hubs in Boston, New York City, Toronto, San Francisco, and Omaha. A day in the life (Responsibilities) Partner with R&D SVPs, VPs and senior directors to design and evolve org structures that scale; Serve as a trusted advisor during reorgs and structural changes, helping leaders navigate people impacts with care and clarity. Lead org design initiatives end-to-end: from diagnosing root causes through to stakeholder alignment, change communication, and implementation. Drive consistent, high-quality performance calibrations across Engineering, PM, and Design — building leader capability and ensuring fair, differentiated outcomes. Champion a culture of clear expectations and candid feedback; help leaders understand what "raising the bar" looks like in practice. Cultivate an AI "Builder" approach by adopting and testing AI solutions to address challenges at scale. Use engagement data, pulse surveys, and qualitative signals to surface org health risks and partner with leaders on action planning. Serve as the R&D voice in the design and rollout of company-wide people programs — ensuring compensation cycles, leveling frameworks, and engagement initiatives land effectively. Bring an analytical lens to your work — using data to shape decisions, measure outcomes, and tell a coherent story to senior stakeholders. What you'll need to thrive (Requirements) 10+ years of HR Business Partner experience, with at least 5 years supporting engineering, product, or design organizations. Demonstrated expertise in org design — you've led restructuring initiatives, not just supported them. Experience as a trusted partner to VP- and SVP-level leaders; you're known for your ability to influence and coach. Strong analytical skills — comfortable using AI tools and working with employee data, engagement metrics, and headcount models to shape recommendations. Excellent judgment: you know when to push, when to listen, and when to escalate. High EQ and the ability to build trust quickly across a diverse, technically-oriented workforce. Experience at a high-growth SaaS or fintech company. Experience supporting a globally distributed R&D org. AI at Toast At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture. Our Total Rewards Philosophy We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and…