Senior Director, People Partner

At Kailera, we are bold, authentic and committed to our mission of developing therapies that give people the power to transform their lives and elevate their overall health. Rooted in an entrepreneurial spirit and a team-oriented culture, we are working together to advance Kailera’s mission to advance novel therapies for obesity and related conditions. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes collaboration, integrity, and excellence. As we expand, we seek the most talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to join our team.

What You’ll Do:

The Senior Director, People Partner serves as a strategic advisor to senior leaders, enabling business success through talent, leadership, organizational effectiveness, culture, and employee relations strategies. Reporting to the VP, People & Culture, this role drives workforce planning, organizational design, leadership development, employee experience, and change initiatives that strengthen organizational performance and support long-term growth. This role contributes to enterprise-wide people strategies and organizational decisions that enable business growth and scalability.

Partnering closely with executive leaders, the Senior Director translates business priorities into practical people strategies that develop talent, build high-performing teams, and establish effective ways of working. The role fosters employee engagement through communications, initiatives, and experiences that reinforce Kailera's values and culture.

This role will primarily partner with the Medical and Commercial organizations, while also serving as a versatile People Partner with the capability to support a broad range of functions, initiatives, and cross-functional business needs as the organization continues to grow and evolve. The role is expected to influence leaders across the organization, contribute to enterprise-wide people priorities, and help build the people infrastructure required to scale the business.

Required location: Waltham, MA (hub-based, onsite 3-4 days per week)

Responsibilities:

Partner with senior leaders to develop and activate people strategies aligned with business priorities and growth objectives

Provide strategic guidance on organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness

Identify and address organizational risks, capability gaps, and talent needs

Lead talent reviews, succession planning, performance management, and high-potential development initiatives

Coach and develop leaders to build organizational capability and strengthen leadership effectiveness

Design and implement leadership development programs that strengthen management capability and build the future leadership pipeline

Ensure talent decisions support an inclusive, high-performing culture

Lead organizational design and workforce planning initiatives that build organizational capability and support business growth

Guide leaders through growth, organizational change, and business transformation

Design and implement scalable people practices, leadership frameworks, and organizational structures that support a high-growth organization

Foster a culture of engagement, accountability, and collaboration by shaping cultural norms and effective ways of working

Advise leaders on employee engagement, retention, team effectiveness, and employee relations matters

Leverage employee feedback and organizational insights to continuously improve the employee experience

Utilize workforce analytics and organizational metrics to inform decisions, measure effectiveness, and ensure compliance with people practices and employment regulations

Required Qualifications:

12+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, including significant HR Business Partner or People Partner leadership experience

Experience supporting executive-level leaders in a fast-paced, high-growth, or complex environment

Demonstrated ability to influence and challenge senior leaders while building trusted partnerships that drive business and organizational outcomes

Experience in larger-company pharmaceutical organizations, paired with the agility to operate effectively in a growing biotech organization

Experience partnering with Medical and Commercial leaders in a biopharmaceutical environment, translating business priorities into workforce planning, organizational design, talent strategies, leadership development initiatives, and organizational capabilities

Demonstrated success leading organizational transformation, workforce planning, organizational design, and change management initiatives

Proven ability to coach senior leaders, develop talent, build succession pipelines, and design and implement leadership development programs

Experience navigating ambiguity and driving collaboration across functions and key stakeholders

Strong employee relations, employee engagement, and communication skills, with the ability to build trusted partnerships and foster high-performing teams

Strong presentation, facilitation, and Microsoft Office skills, including advanced PowerPoint and Excel capabilities, with the ability to develop executive-level presentations, analyze and synthesize workforce data, communicate complex concepts effectively, and influence decision-making

Education:

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or relevant HR or talent certifications preferred

Salary Range$229,000—$280,000 USD

For Full Time Roles: This range represents the company’s good-faith estimate of the salary at the time of posting. Actual pay may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, location, and internal equity. We also offer comprehensive health coverage, flexible time off, paid holidays, and a year-end shutdown. Enjoy a monthly wellness stipend, generous 401(k) match, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, disability and life insurance, plus annual bonus opportunities and equity grants—because your well-being and future matter to us.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION:

Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, creed, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age (40 and over), sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, reproductive health decisions, domestic victim status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

E-Verify:

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