Senior HR Business Partner (Fixed-term Contract)

COMPANY OVERVIEW Deepgram is the leading platform underpinning the emerging trillion-dollar Voice AI economy, providing real-time APIs for speech-to-text (STT), text-to-speech (TTS), and building production-grade voice agents at scale. More than 200,000 developers and 1,300+ organizations build voice offerings that are ‘Powered by Deepgram’, including Twilio, Cloudflare, Sierra, Decagon, Vapi, Daily, Cresta, Granola, and Jack in the Box. Deepgram’s voice-native foundation models are accessed through cloud APIs or as self-hosted and on-premises software, with unmatched accuracy, low latency, and cost efficiency. Backed by a recent Series C led by leading global investors and strategic partners, Deepgram has processed over 50,000 years of audio and transcribed more than 1 trillion words. There is no organization in the world that understands voice better than Deepgram. COMPANY OPERATING RHYTHM At Deepgram, we expect an AI-first mindset—AI use and comfort aren’t optional, they’re core to how we operate, innovate, and measure performance. Every team member who works at Deepgram is expected to actively use and experiment with advanced AI tools, and even build your own into your everyday work. We measure how effectively AI is applied to deliver results, and consistent, creative use of the latest AI capabilities is key to success here. Candidates should be comfortable adopting new models and modes quickly, integrating AI into their workflows, and continuously pushing the boundaries of what these technologies can do. Additionally, we move at the pace of AI. Change is rapid, and you can expect your day-to-day work to evolve just as quickly. This may not be the right role if you’re not excited to experiment, adapt, think on your feet, and learn constantly, or if you’re seeking something highly prescriptive with a traditional 9-to-5. THE OPPORTUNITY Deepgram is seeking a Senior HR Business Partner for a fixed-term contract to provide maternity leave coverage for approximately 4 months. Stepping into this established HRBP role, you will partner closely with leaders at all levels and employees across the company to maintain continuity in employee relations, performance management, manager effectiveness, and people practices during this period. Reporting to the Head of People, the HRBP works cross-functionally with leaders, People Ops, Legal, Finance, and Recruiting to ensure people programs, policies, and processes remain effective, compliant, and aligned with business needs. This role requires someone who can onboard quickly, hit the ground running, and provide stable, high-quality HR partnership with minimal ramp-up time. Occasional travel may be required to attend company offsite or team meetings as needed during the contract period. Contract Details Duration: Approximately 5 months Type: Fixed-term contract (maternity leave backfill) Location: Remote-first (US-based required) Start: Immediate / As soon as available WHAT YOU’LL DO: EMPLOYEE RELATIONS & MANAGER SUPPORT - Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations matters, including performance concerns, interpersonal issues, investigations, and complex workplace scenarios. - Coach managers through difficult conversations, feedback delivery, performance management, and documentation. - Provide consistent, fair, and legally sound guidance across key employee lifecycle moments. BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP PARTNERSHIP - Act as a trusted advisor to leaders on people-related risks, decisions, and trade-offs. - Partner with the Head of People to maintain alignment between company strategy and people practices. - Identify patterns and systemic issues early and recommend practical, upstream interventions. - Serve as a change partner to leaders, helping operationalize organizational changes to drive understanding, adoption, and trust. PERFORMANCE & MANAGER EFFECTIVENESS - Support ongoing performance management processes, goal-setting, feedback cycles, and manager capability building. - Partner with leaders on team structure, talent planning, and ways of working that enable strong performance. - Help managers navigate underperformance, role clarity challenges, and organizational change. - Reinforce a culture of high performance without unnecessary bureaucracy. PROCESS, SYSTEMS & SCALE - Maintain and apply existing People processes, templates, documentation, and manager resources. - Partner on tools and workflows that improve consistency, efficiency, and employee experience. - Balance compliance, speed, and sound judgment as the company continues to grow. - Support change initiatives (e.g., policy updates, process shifts), including re-education, leader enablement, and reinforcement. COMPLIANCE & ADMINISTRATION - Partner with People Ops, Legal, and Finance to ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and international employment laws. - Support leave administration, policy application, and complex employee situations. - Help ensure People practices remain defensible, consistent, and aligned with company values. IMMIGRATION & MOBILITY SUPPORT - Serve as the primary HR point of contact for immigration matters, partnering with recruiters to assess visa needs and timelines during the hiring process - Manage the day-to-day relationship with the external immigration law firm. - Support employees through immigration processes (H-1B, transfers, green card sponsorship, etc.), providing guidance on timelines and next steps - Partner with Legal, Finance, and People Ops to ensure immigration sponsorship decisions are consistent, compliant, and aligned with company policy YOU’LL LOVE THIS ROLE IF YOU - Can step into an established role quickly and maintain continuity with minimal handoff time. - Enjoy partnering closely with managers and leaders to sustain a healthy, high-performing culture. - Are energized by navigating ambiguity and making sound, independent decisions. - Thrive in environments where trust, judgment, and accountability matter. - Are comfortable operating in a fast-paced, remote-first environment with shifting priorities. IT’S IMPORTANT TO US THAT YOU HAVE - 7–10+ years of HR experience, including at least 5 years in an HR Business Partner role within high-growth or complex environments. - Strong business judgment and the ability to understand context quickly, challenge assumptions when needed, and guide leaders through tough trade-offs. - Deep experience in employee relations, performance management, and manager coaching. - Demonstrated ability to ramp up quickly in a new environment and deliver results with limited onboarding time. - Comfort operating synchronously and asynchronously in a remote-first, fast-paced, evolving environment. - Strong written and verbal communication skills and a high degree of discretion. NICE TO HAVE - Experience supporting distributed, remote-first teams. - Prior work in a fast-growing startup or tech environment. - Prior experience in contract or interim HR roles. BENEFITS & PERKS* HOLISTIC HEALTH - Medical, dental, vision benefits - Annual wellness stipend - Mental health support - Life, STD, LTD Income Insurance Plans WORK/LIFE BLEND - Unlimited PTO - Parental leave - Flexible schedule - 12 Paid US company holidays - Quarterly personal productivity stipend - One-time stipend for home office upgrades - 401(k) plan with company match - Tax Savings Programs CONTINUOUS LEARNING - Learning / Education stipend - Participation in talks and conferences - Employee Resource Groups - AI enablement workshops / sessions *For candidates outside of the US, we use an Employer of Record model in many countries, which means benefits are administered locally and governed by country-specific regulations. Because of this, benefits will differ by region — in some cases international employees receive benefits US employees do not, and vice versa. As we scale, we will continue to evaluate where we can create more alignment, but a 1:1 global benefits structure is not always legally or operationally possible. Backed by prominent investors including Y Combinator, Madrona, Tiger Global, Wing VC and NVIDIA, Deepgram has raised over $215M in total funding. If you're looking to work on cutting-edge technology and make a significant impact in the AI industry, we'd love to hear from you! Deepgram is an equal opportunity employer. We want all voices and perspectives represented in our workforce. We are a curious bunch focused on collaboration and doing the right thing. We put our customers first, grow together and move quickly. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We are happy to provide accommodations for applicants who need them.