Sr. Director, People and Culture Business Partner - Contract to Hire at Kardigan

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">About Us</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></p> <div data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world.<br><br></div> <div>It is Kardigan’s mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Led by Tassos Gianakakos, Jay Edelberg, <span data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">M.D., Ph.D.,</span> and Bob McDowell, Ph.D., Kardigan’s co-founders have reunited after leading MyoKardia to discover and develop mavacamten, the first cardiac myosin inhibitor, resulting in an acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>We have a cutting-edge discovery and translational research platform, a pipeline of late-stage candidates, and an industry-leading team that is driven to improve the lives of patients.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals. <strong>Driven by patients and their families</strong>, we are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and prioritizing their needs above all else. We believe in <strong>being authentic</strong>—leading with truth to bring out the best in others by creating an environment where every person knows they will be fully accepted. With an <strong>eagerness to learn</strong>, we encourage the highest levels of curiosity and are open to changing our minds. We are committed to <strong>winning as a team</strong> with urgency, excellence, and intention, and support each other no matter what role we play or where we sit. Lastly, we strive to <strong>enable the impossible</strong> because patients are counting on us. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>These values are the foundation of our work, empowering us to make a real difference, every day.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div></div><p><strong>Job Title:</strong>&nbsp;Sr. &nbsp;Director, People &amp; Culture Business Partner&nbsp;<br><strong>Department:</strong>&nbsp;People &amp; Culture&nbsp;<br><strong>Location:</strong>&nbsp;Princeton, NJ (On-site 4 days/week)&nbsp;<br><strong>Reports To:</strong>&nbsp;VP, People &amp; Culture</p> <p><strong>Job Overview</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>Kardigan&nbsp;is&nbsp;seeking&nbsp;an experienced and strategic&nbsp;Sr. Director, People &amp; Culture Business<strong> </strong>Partner&nbsp;to serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across multiple functions and lead People &amp; Culture initiatives at our Princeton,&nbsp;NJ&nbsp;site. This role will be instrumental&nbsp;in shaping and executing workforce strategies that align with&nbsp;Kardigan’s&nbsp;mission and values, fostering a high-performance, inclusive, and purpose-driven culture.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Essential Duties and Responsibilities</strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Serve as the&nbsp;People &amp; Culture Business Partner for&nbsp;Kardigan’s&nbsp;Princeton location, ensuring alignment with company-wide&nbsp;People &amp; Culture&nbsp;strategies&nbsp;and values.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Act as a&nbsp;strategic business partner&nbsp;to senior leaders across Development,&nbsp;Technical&nbsp;Operations, and other functions, providing guidance on organizational design, talent strategy, and change management.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Lead partner with P&amp;C site leader on workforce planning&nbsp;efforts, including headcount forecasting, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Drive initiatives that support&nbsp;employee engagement, performance management, and leadership development.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution of&nbsp;People &amp; Culture&nbsp;programs and policies.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Champion&nbsp;Kardigan’s&nbsp;values and culture, fostering an environment of authenticity, collaboration, and continuous learning.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Provide coaching and counsel to leaders and managers on team dynamics,&nbsp;employee relations,&nbsp;performance, and development.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Partner with&nbsp;People&nbsp;&amp; Culture centers of excellence including&nbsp;Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and Learning &amp; Development to support&nbsp;Kardigan’s&nbsp;growth and employee experience.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Qualifications&nbsp;and Preferred Qualifications</strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Bachelor’s degree&nbsp;required,&nbsp;advanced degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or related field preferred.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Minimum of&nbsp;10+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least&nbsp;5 years in a strategic business partner role&nbsp;supporting senior leadership.&nbsp;Experience in Biotech/Pharma is highly desirable.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Proven experience in&nbsp;workforce planning,&nbsp;employee relations, and&nbsp;organizational development.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Strong interpersonal communication skills with the ability to influence and build trust across all levels of the organization.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Demonstrated ability to thrive in a&nbsp;fast-paced, start-up environment.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Passion for building inclusive, mission-driven cultures that prioritize patients and people.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p>Exact Compensation may vary based on skills, experience and location.</p></div><div class="title">Pay range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$241,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$314,000 USD</span></div></div></div>