Principal of Talent Management & Workforce Planning, Aurora
$176-284k
+ Eligible for an annual bonus & equity
More information about location
3+ days a week in office (Mountain View, CA)
Self-driving technology company
Open for applications
Self-driving technology company
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$176-284k
+ Eligible for an annual bonus & equity
More information about location
3+ days a week in office (Mountain View, CA)
1001+ employees
Company mission
To deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.
Role
Who you are
- The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with deep business acumen, data-driven decision-making, and best-practice HR methodologies
- Business Athlete Mindset: You are deeply knowledgeable about the business and industry, comfortable navigating and leading others through ambiguity, pivoting quickly to address new challenges, and solving complex problems without a pre-existing playbook
- Systems Thinker: You recognize the connections across the organization, and take a holistic approach to analyzing situations and developing solutions that are sustainable in the longer term and account for system interdependencies
- Strategic Acumen: You have an ability to translate long-term business strategy into concrete talent and workforce initiatives
- Data-Driven: You use data and insights to proactively diagnose issues, inform your recommendations, influence decisions, and measure the impact of your work
- Execution Excellence: You deliver high quality results through leading projects and initiatives with milestones and delivery schedules in partnership with stakeholders, and develop clear action plans with results-oriented goals for measuring success
- Resilience and a Growth Mindset: You possess the resilience to thrive in a fast-paced environment and the ability to energize those around you
- Consulting & Partnering: You have a strong ability to build trust and credibility with business leaders as a subject matter expert, and to work effectively across multiple business areas and teams in a fast-paced environment
- Innovation: You have a continuous improvement mindset, seeking out and applying best practices and technology solutions in the HR space
- Change Management: You are skilled in leading organizational change and ensuring successful adoption of new HR processes
- 10+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources, with a strong focus on Talent Management, Workforce Planning, and Performance Management
- Proven experience partnering directly with C-suite executives within a rapidly scaling organization
- Technology industry experience is strongly preferred
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources (or related field) required. Advanced degree preferred
- Proven experience designing and implementing Strategic Workforce Planning frameworks and models
- Demonstrated success running large-scale, complex HR programs (e.g., annual performance cycle, talent review)
- Highly proficient in using Workday and other HR systems/tools tools to extract, analyze, and present data-driven insights to senior leaders
- Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization
- Strong communication skills (written and verbal) to effectively address all organizational levels
- Fluent in English
- Ability to travel within the U.S. approximately 10% of the time
- This role requires this person to be in the office at least 3 days per week
What the job involves
- Be a key driver in shaping our organizational capabilities and ensuring long-term success. This role is responsible for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of three critical HR functions: Talent Management, Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP), and Performance Review
- Lead the design and administration of company-wide Talent Review and Succession Planning processes to identify, assess, and develop employees for critical roles
- Develop and manage career pathing frameworks and competency models that support employee growth and organizational agility
- Oversee the deployment of targeted development programs (e.g., leadership training, mentorship programs) to close identified skill gaps
- Integrate diversity and inclusion principles into all talent management and succession processes
- Design and execute a comprehensive SWP framework to analyze current workforce capabilities and forecast future talent needs based on business strategy
- Partner with Executive Leadership, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Compensation to align workforce strategies with business goals, budget, and growth projections
- Identify critical talent gaps, surpluses, and skill adjacencies, developing mitigation strategies (e.g., build, buy, borrow)
- Develop data-driven models and dashboards to track key workforce metrics, trends (internal and external), and the efficacy of SWP initiatives
- Own and refine the end-to-end Performance Review cycle (objective setting, check-ins, year-end reviews, calibration, compensation planning)
- Ensure the performance review system supports a high-performance culture by emphasizing clear expectations, continuous feedback, and fair, objective evaluation
- Educate managers and employees on performance management best practices and |effective coaching
- Analyze performance data to identify trends, ensure consistency, and recommend enhancements to drive higher employee engagement and productivity
- Collaborate with the People Technology team to design and implement system enhancements that streamline the performance review cycle and improve the user experience
Our take
In spite of emerging from stealth mode in 2018, Aurora is making strong waves in the flurry of startups racing to develop fully autonomous vehicles. Aurora’s hardware and software developments have historically focused on self-driving trucks, which it expects to launch commercially in 2024.
It recently named Ossa Fisher as its new President, who will focus on scaling operations ahead of this commercial launch. Passenger cars and associated services are expected to roll out following this launch. However, the self-driving industry is riddled with unmet deadlines, cash shortfalls, and tough technological challenges.
To remain competitive with deep-pocket industry giants like Tesla and Google’s Waymo, the company continues to land substantial backing from the likes of Sequoia Capital, accelerating its post-IPO growth. The pedigree of its founders may well continue to win over investor confidence. It boasts leading prior positions in the self-driving divisions of Tesla, Uber, and Google.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
8% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Dec 2020
$400m
GROWTH EQUITY VC
Feb 2019
$600m
SERIES B
Total funding: $1.1bn
Company benefits
- Choice of regional HMO options, PPO options, and high deductible plans, with the option to contribute to a health savings account (HSA). If you choose a high deductible health plan, Aurora will make employer contributions to your HSA
- Comprehensive dental coverage and access to a nationwide provider network
- Coverage for vision exams, glasses, contacts, discounts for LASIK, and other vision services through a nationwide provider network
- In-office lunches, snacks, and drinks available
- GymPass offers on-demand virtual classes (fitness, yoga, strength, and more), well-being coaching, and budget management. Discount on nationwide gym memberships
- Headspace offers access to guided sessions that focus on everything from stress to relationships, anxiety, and sleep
- SoFi. Refinance your home, student and personal loans
- Fetch offers discounts on pet insurance
- PerkSpot offers discounts on vacations, car rentals, and entertainment
- Access support services to help with your family planning journey including fertility care, adoption, and surrogacy. Reimbursement of $20,000 lifetime benefit
- Save for your future with Aurora’s 401(k) Plan. Pre-tax and Roth contribution options are available
- 24/7 access to online resources and unlimited phone consultations for stress, grief counseling, depression, and relationship conflicts (personal and professional), and limited in-person sessions
- Set aside pre-tax money to pay for qualified transit and commuter benefits
- Cigna travel accident insurance provided for business travel
- LinkedIn Learning is an e-learning resource to support professional development. Aurora Academy is an internal learning and development program designed to up-level our team by teaching skills that are essential to Aurora’s mission
- Modern Health is a mental wellness benefit that includes 14 sessions with a certified coach and 12 sessions with a therapist, if needed. Unlimited access to live provider- lead community circles, digital mediation, and more
- Flexible/reasonable vacation for salaried employees; accrual of 20 vacation days per year for non-exempt employees, 11 paid company holidays per year, and reasonable sick time to stay home, rest, and get better
- Network of employee-led groups that represent Aurorans, organized by cultural identity or collaborative purpose
- Aurora provides all new parents and caregivers 18 weeks of coordinated pay and time off for the birth or placement of a child. Up to 4 weeks of paid medical leave for your own personal illness or injury, or to care for a sick family member
- Set aside pre-tax money to pay for healthcare and dependent daycare expenses using FSA plans
- Company-paid premiums for life insurance (2x salary up to $500,000). Voluntary life & AD&D coverage for you and your dependents is available. Short-term disability benefits are 60% weekly benefit up to a max of $2,500 after a short waiting period. Long-term disability benefits are 60% of monthly salary to $10,000 after a waiting period. Option to enroll in voluntary life/AD&D insurance
- 24/7 access to Unum’s worldwide emergency travel assistance services for personal travel
Company HQ
Strip District, Pittsburgh, PA
Leadership
Chris Urmson
(Co-Founder & CEO)They have a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon, and worked as a robotics research scientist at SAIC. They were CTO of Self-Driving Cars at Google.
Drew Bagnell
(Chief Scientist)They hold a Robotics PhD from Carnegie Mellon, where they are also an Associate Professor. They were Autonomy Architect and Perception Lead at Uber Advanced Technology Center. Held the position of CTO at Aurora for over 3 years.
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