Principal HR Business Partner

Odyssey is an AI lab pioneering general-purpose world models: causal, multimodal systems that learn to predict and interact with the world over long horizons, while generating real-time, interactive simulations from any starting point. This foundational technology promises to revolutionize robotics, science, healthcare, education, gaming, defense, and beyond.

Odyssey is seeking a Senior HRBP to architect and scale our foundational people operations. Currently, infrastructure is in early stages of development - it exists but isn’t optimized - or it doesn’t exist at all.

As a frontier AI laboratory, Odyssey develops general-purpose world models — generative, real-time simulations of physical reality. Our workforce comprises elite talent from DeepMind, Waymo, Tesla, and Meta. We are supported by premier investors including GV, EQT, NVentures, and Samsung Next, with Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull serving on our board. We are currently a high-velocity team of ~35, scaling toward 100+ headcount across Palo Alto (HQ 1), Zurich, and London (HQ 2) as we approach Series B.

Serving as the primary trusted partner to founders and leadership across research, engineering, and business functions, you will navigate organizational design, performance calibration, and employee relations. This is a high-velocity, hands-on mandate — you represent the people function in its entirety, operating without a delegation layer to solve complex challenges spanning compensation, culture, immigration, and PEO management across 3 global hubs.

• Build the entire people tech stack (HRIS/Rippling, ATS/Ashby, people analytics, and automated workflows).

• Design and execute the end-to-end performance review cycle, calibrated for research, engineering, and business tracks.

• Design and implement mature, compliant onboarding and offboarding toolkits that reflect the company's culture for all hires.

• Own all compensation operations (job leveling, pay equity, variable pay, benefits) and develop an equity education program tailored to diverse employee backgrounds.

• Coach leadership on organizational design, team dynamics, and difficult conversations; develop manager enablement frameworks for first-time people managers.

• Partner with Talent peers to optimize recruiting efforts against Hiring Manager org designs and growth plans.

• Manage all employee relations, investigations, and conflict resolution with speed and discretion, ensuring compliance with California, Federal, Swiss, and UK employment law.

• Lead immigration operations and PEO management, including external counsel and visa sponsorship tracking (H-1B, O-1A, TN, UK tracks) across all jurisdictions.

• Steward and scale the Odyssey culture across global hubs, preserving core values (high-velocity execution, intellectual rigor) through rapid expansion.

• Proactively leverage AI tools to enhance people operations and optimize organizational throughput.

• Senior-tier People Partner (10+ years) with a verified track record as a 0-to-1 architect of foundational people functions in high-velocity, venture-backed startups, specifically navigating 30-to-150+ headcount scaling.

• High-velocity, hands-on operator who owns the entire vertical (e.g., Rippling configuration, performance calibration) and operates autonomously with clear communication to all stakeholders.

• Nuanced understanding of environments where elite research talent and business functions converge, able to architect unified programs for diverse tracks (research, engineering, G&A).

• Expertise in employee relations and California employment law. Possess natural coaching instincts for technical and commercial leadership, with the ability to influence senior leaders and articulate operational impact.

• Practical integration of AI tools into daily people operations to optimize throughput and enhance organizational efficiency.

• On-site presence 4–5 days per week in Palo Alto, serving as the cultural steward whose physical visibility and approachability are non-negotiable requirements.

• Prior tenure within a frontier AI laboratory, deep-tech enterprise, or a high-rigor research environment.

• Operational mastery of Rippling, Pulley and Ashby systems.

• Proven success supporting global teams across US, Swiss, and UK jurisdictions, navigating multi-country compliance, international benefits, and cross-hub cultural integration.

• Direct experience managing immigration operations, PEOs, and visa sponsorship (H-1B, O-1A, TN, and UK tracks).

• Architecture of equity programs and total remuneration frameworks within pre-IPO environments.

• History of partnering with leadership through rapid scaling milestones, such as Series B or C funding rounds.