People Business Partner

More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a late-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks. With our purified, high-precision investigational cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives.
We have built our own centralized 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Sacramento, CA (7910 Metro Air Pkwy) to ensure consistent and reliable delivery of our high-precision cell therapies. Our state-of-the-art facility represents critical infrastructure to enable the clinical advancement of our pipeline and the future commercial availability of our potentially life-saving products. 
Reporting into our Head of People, The People Business Partner serves as a trusted advisor to site leadership at Orca Bio’s Sacramento operations—translating business strategies into effective people initiatives. You will work closely with the People Team to ensure that Orca Bio’s principles and policies are consistently upheld across the sites. This role is a blend of strategic vision and hands-on execution, driving a high-performance culture, enhancing employee engagement, and optimizing People processes in alignment with our long-term business goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Partnership & Business Alignment:
• Collaborate with senior leaders and business groups to understand site-specific strategies, organizational plans, and performance targets. Diagnose organizational needs and recommend tailored People solutions and resources that support business objectives. Serve as a strategic consultant, ensuring that People initiatives are integrated into the company’s decision-making and long-term planning.
• Culture, Engagement & Change Management:
• Continually assess the site’s culture and employee engagement levels; proactively identify issues and implement solutions to boost engagement and retention. Act as a change agent by challenging the status quo and introducing best practices to mitigate talent challenges before they impact business performance. Develop and deploy comprehensive employee engagement programs—from onboarding new team members to ongoing initiatives that foster an inclusive, high-performance.
• Talent & Performance Management:
• Develop, manage, and execute integrated People solutions around compensation planning, talent management, performance reviews, and talent acquisition. Oversee the coordination of key People processes, such as annual performance reviews and salary planning—including scheduling, conducting training sessions, and reporting outcomes. Identify, nurture, and develop high-potential employees to build a robust pipeline of future leaders who will drive business growth and success.
• Operational Excellence & Process Improvement:
• Ensure all site People processes are consistent with company policies, industry best practices, and legal requirements. Utilize People metrics and data analysis to identify trends, uncover areas for improvement, and implement data-driven solutions that enhance organizational effectiveness. Collaborate on the development and execution of workforce plans, career path strategies, and employee retention initiatives to elevate overall talent strength.
• Communication, Guidance & Education:
• Serve as the primary resource for managers and employees by providing timely, tailored People guidance, coaching, and education across all levels of the organization. Partner with business leaders to support effective team building and organizational development through coaching on performance management and employee development. Act as the voice of the customer for the People & Culture team, ensuring that frontline feedback is integrated into the continuous improvement of People processes.

Key Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of progressive People experience, with a strong background in recruitment, talent management, compensation planning, performance management, and employee engagement within a manufacturing and operational environment at a biotech/pharmaceutical company. 
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic People partnership and change management, with a proven ability to analyze People metrics and drive improvements through data-driven decision-making.
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