People Partner in Columbia, Missouri at Sonatype

The People Partner supports business-specific execution of culture, engagement, and people practices. It coordinates with regional HR roles in support of the business unit/functions it supports. Within the US, this role is responsible for end-to-end management of employee relations, risk, and workplace issues (within the US), while also bridging: Upstream (strategy, risk identification, pattern recognition) and Downstream (case execution, manager support, local implementation).

The People Partner operates as:A trusted advisor to managers; A hands-on executor of employee relations (ER) processes; A translator of company-wide programs into local business reality.

1. Employee Relations Case Management & Risk Mitigation (U.S.)

• Own and manage end-to-end ER cases, (US) including:

  • performance issues

  • workplace conflicts

  • investigations

  • terminations

• Partner with Legal and HR leadership on complex or high-risk cases

• Ensure consistent, compliant, and timely resolution

• Identify patterns and emerging risks

2. Manager Advisory & Decision Support

• Provide real-time guidance to managers on: performance management and employee issues

• Coach managers: handle situations consistently and build confidence in people management. Increase manager capabilities over time.

3. Business-Aligned Culture & Engagement Execution

• Translate company-wide engagement and culture initiatives into business-level execution

• Partner with business leaders to:identify engagement gaps and implement targeted actions

• Support:team-level engagement efforts; local culture initiatives; follow-up on survey insights (eNPS, etc.)

4. Program Execution & Local Implementation

• Support execution of core HR programs, including: performance management cycles; compensation processes; and engagement initiatives

• Ensure programs are: implemented consistently and adapted appropriately for business needs

5. Workforce Insights & Organizational Awareness

• Maintain awareness of: attrition trends; team structure and dynamics; capacity and workload signals

• Provide input to: Site Leads; HR leadership; & Transformation teams

• 5+ years of progressive HR, People Partner, HR Business Partner, or Employee Relations experience, with demonstrated ownership of complex employee relations matters.

• Strong experience managing U.S.-based ER cases, including performance concerns, workplace conflicts, investigations, accommodations, and terminations.

• Working knowledge of U.S. employment laws, compliance practices, risk mitigation, and employee relations best practices.

• Proven ability to coach and advise managers through sensitive employee situations with sound judgment, consistency, and discretion.

• Experience partnering with Legal, HR leadership, business leaders, and regional HR teams on complex or high-risk people matters.

• Demonstrated ability to identify trends, surface organizational risks, and translate insights into practical manager guidance or business action.

• Experience supporting execution of core people programs such as performance management, compensation cycles, engagement initiatives, and culture-building efforts.

• Ability to balance strategic awareness with hands-on execution in a fast-paced, evolving business environment.

• Strong communication, documentation, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.

• Experience working in a distributed, multi-site, or global organization preferred.

• Experience working in a technology company or supporting technology client groups strongly preferred.

• 2025 Best DevSecOps Solution by DevOps Dozen
• Visionary in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Security Testing
• 2025 DEVIES Award to our SBOM Manager new product for its innovation and impact in developer technology
• 2024 Industry Leader in Forrester-Wave for Software Composition Analysis (2024 Q4 report)
• 2023 Fast Company Best Places for Innovators
• 2023 Gartner's Magic Quadrant
• 2023 Software Report's Top 100 Software Companies
• 2023 BuiltIn Best Places to Work
• 2022 Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Leader Award
• 2022 PeerSpot Silver Peer Award in Software Composition Analysis
• 2022 Tech Ascension Best DevOps Security Solution Award
• 2022 NVCT Cyber Company of the Year
• Company Wellness days - We shut down company operations during some days of the year (5 in total) to enable all employees to pursue personal growth and enjoy much-needed and deserved additional rest.
• Paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO)