HR Business Partner - Sales

About the Role

Forward is looking for a HR Business Partner (HRBP) to serve as a strategic partner to our Sales organization. This role sits at the intersection of business strategy and people strategy, working directly with senior sales leaders (CRO, VPs of Sales, and Regional/Sales Directors) to build high-performing revenue teams, shape organizational design, and drive talent, culture, and change initiatives that scale with an evolving go-to-market motion. This role requires deep credibility with commercial leaders and fluency in the unique dynamics of a quota-carrying, commission-driven workforce.

What You'll Do

• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to Sales senior leadership, providing coaching and counsel on organizational design, territory/quota structure, workforce planning, and leadership effectiveness.
• Partner with sales leaders to translate revenue targets and go-to-market strategy into people strategies, including org design, span of control, and role architecture as the sales org scales or restructures.
• Lead full-cycle talent management for the client group: performance management, calibration, succession planning, promotion processes, and career pathing tailored to sales career ladders (RSD/AE, SDR/BDR, sales management, and sales enablement tracks).
• Use data and analytics (attrition, ramp time, quota attainment, rep productivity, pipeline health as it relates to headcount, promotion equity) to diagnose organizational health and recommend proactive interventions.
• Partner closely with Talent Acquisition on sales-specific hiring strategy, headcount planning, and workforce composition, including seasonal/quarterly hiring cycles tied to sales capacity planning.
• Lead or co-lead org design and change management efforts tied to territory realignments, reorganizations, M&A integration, or new market/segment launches.
• Coach sales managers and directors on leadership skills, performance conversations, managing underperformance in a quota-driven environment, and team motivation.
• Partner with Compensation on commission plan design, quota setting implications, and annual compensation planning cycles (merit, equity, promotions) to ensure competitiveness and pay-for-performance alignment.
• Own employee relations matters within the client group, including performance improvement plans and terminations tied to quota non-attainment, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally sound resolution.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives specific to the challenges of building diverse sales teams.
• Partner cross-functionally (Talent Acquisition, Legal, Sales Enablement) to design and deliver programs that meet the unique needs of a revenue organization.
• Act as a culture carrier, helping sales leaders build and reinforce an environment of high performance, accountability, and inclusion.

What We're Looking For

• 7-10+ years of progressive HR Business Partner experience, with a significant portion spent directly supporting Sales, Revenue, or other quota-carrying/commission-based client groups.
• Proven experience operating at a senior level, partnering directly with CRO, VP, and Director-level sales leaders.
• Deep understanding of sales organizational structures, compensation plan design (base/commission/OTE), quota methodology, and the specific talent dynamics of hiring and retaining sales talent.
• Strong track record leading org design, workforce planning, and change management in a fast-paced, target-driven, high-growth environment.
• Excellent coaching skills with the credibility and presence to influence senior commercial leaders.
• Data-driven approach to HR - comfortable building and interpreting people analytics dashboards (attrition, ramp, productivity) to inform decisions.
• Sound judgment and experience navigating complex employee relations issues, including performance-based terminations; working knowledge of employment law.
• Experience partnering on incentive compensation design and annual compensation planning cycles.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills across all levels of the organization.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, HR, Organizational Psychology) or SHRM-SCP/SPHR certification a plus.

Pay and benefits

The base pay range for this role is between $210,000 and $265,000. Base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location