Manager, HR Business Partner

About 9amHealth

9amHealth is an AI-driven virtual specialty care platform that addresses high-cost chronic health conditions on a large scale. It collaborates with employers, health plans, and pharmacy benefit managers to provide all-encompassing, cost-effective medical care for people suffering from obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Members have access to expert clinicians including endocrinologists, obesity medicine specialists, and clinical pharmacists, along with at-home lab testing, prescriptions, and lifestyle support.

Founded in 2021, 9amHealth is backed by leading healthcare investors such as Define Ventures, SemperVirens, 7Wire Ventures, and The Cigna Group Ventures.

Role Overview

Reporting to the VP of People, this position supports leadership and employees across various departments such as GTM, Product, Engineering, Clinical Care Operations, and G&A during a critical phase of company growth. The role involves balancing strategic business partnership with hands-on execution in areas like employee relations, leave management, compliance, policies, benefits, and managerial support.

Working closely with the Senior People Operations Manager, you will co-develop and execute scalable and practical people strategies and programs. Your focus will be on establishing frameworks that foster a strong management culture, enhancing manager capabilities, handling employee relations consistently, and adapting people programs as the business evolves.

Key Responsibilities

• Define exemplary management standards at 9amHealth by setting clear expectations, coaching leaders through complex decisions, and fostering a culture of accountability and high performance.
• Support senior managers and directors proactively on team dynamics, organizational changes, performance discussions, and other complicated people issues to prevent escalation.
• Design, implement, and refine fundamental people programs like performance management, manager training, organizational planning, and leadership development aligned with current and future business needs.
• Collaborate with the VP of People and business stakeholders to craft people strategies that enhance organizational effectiveness and leadership skills.
• Handle all aspects of employee relations including investigations, advising management, documentation, and resolution with sound judgment and impartiality.
• Partner with the Senior People Operations Manager to translate strategies into effective processes, systems, and employee experiences throughout the employment lifecycle.
• Manage leave cases such as FMLA, state leaves, and personal and medical absences, ensuring compliance while maintaining clear communication and a supportive employee experience.
• Maintain and update the employee handbook and HR policies to ensure legality, practicality, and alignment with the company’s development stage.
• Oversee benefits management comprehensively, including vendor relationships, open enrollment, employee support, and continuous evaluation of benefits effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and proactively identify risks with practical remediation and coordination with Legal when needed.
• Develop resources, training, and support to enhance managerial capabilities until a dedicated Learning & Development team is established.

Required Qualifications

• Over 7 years of experience in HR or as an HR Business Partner, including significant exposure to senior leadership partnership within fast-growing environments.
• Proven expertise in guiding organizations through different development phases, balancing immediate needs with future preparedness.
• Ability to design, develop, and evolve HR programs rather than just maintaining existing ones.
• Experience managing full-cycle employee relations cases with strong judgment and documentation skills.
• Strong coaching skills to influence and develop leaders, and to provide candid and constructive feedback.
• Excellent business acumen balancing employee engagement, organizational health, and business priorities.
• Comfort operating amidst ambiguity, making prudent decisions quickly while avoiding excessive complexity or over-engineering.
• Experience supporting core talent functions like performance reviews, compensation, leveling, and promotions consistently and judiciously.
• Capability to work effectively across a distributed workforce, including teams spread in the US and Austria.
• Solid understanding of US employment laws, risk recognition, and ability to collaborate with Legal.
• Hands-on management of leave programs including knowledge of FMLA and various state leave laws.
• Experience managing benefit programs including open enrollment and relationship management with brokers and vendors.
• Skill in creating and updating HR policies and employee handbooks to balance legal compliance with practical usability.
• Competent use of modern AI tools to enhance drafting, analysis, and operational efficiency while applying sound human judgment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in healthcare, digital health, or other regulated clinical environments.
• Familiarity with HRIS platforms like Rippling.
• Experience supporting US headquarters and international offices, with awareness of cross-border HR complexities.
• Informal experience in manager coaching or facilitating learning programs.
• Proficiency with AI-assisted workflows enhancing administrative processes, with clear discernment of situations requiring personal judgment.
• Experience serving both US and European contexts is a plus.

Work Environment and Benefits

At 9amHealth, you will find a startup environment combined with the stability of experienced founders who have scaled successful businesses previously. The company embraces a culture grounded in collaboration and continuous growth. Team members work with innovative products within small, agile groups distributed globally, including San Diego, California, and Vienna, Austria.

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible paid time off, work-from-home options, a professional development budget, and support for continuing education. Employees contribute meaningfully to improving chronic disease management and patient outcomes while participating in a mission-driven, inclusive culture focused on healthcare accessibility and affordability.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

9amHealth is dedicated to building a workforce that reflects its patient population, particularly BIPOC communities disproportionately affected by diabetes. The company encourages applications from underrepresented groups including people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and foreign-born residents.