HR Business Partner (HRBP)

Bonfire is seeking an HR Business Partner (HRBP) who’s ready to immerse themselves in the world of game development!

In this role, you’ll collaborate with visionary leaders, passionate managers, and talented creators to build impactful people programs that drive engagement, elevate performance, and fuel our studio’s growth.

You’ll take the lead on strategic initiatives, shaping leadership and development opportunities that empower our team to do their best work.

If you thrive in creative environments, love building people programs from the ground up, and are passionate about helping both leaders and employees grow, we’d love to hear from you!

We believe gathering meaningfully is an important part of our collaboration and creative process, which means this role will require in-office presence in our Irvine office 2-3 times per week (Wednesday/Thursday and any other days as needed). Don't worry, we've got you covered with in-office lunches, lots of snacks and your favorite beverages too!

What You'll Do

• Act as a trusted advisor to studio leads and campers providing guidance on navigating team dynamics, career growth, and performance management
• Champion and amplify our company culture, ensuring all people initiatives are aligned with our culture, sensibilities and evolving team dynamics
• Design and implement custom studio-wide learning and development programs for both managers and individual contributors
• Work on key people initiatives, such as talent and performance management and employee engagement
• Help scale HR processes and programs that create efficiency without bureaucracy, allowing the company to grow while staying agile
• Identify trends and use data to make strategic recommendations that will enhance the employee experience.
• Address employee concerns with a thoughtful, balanced approach, ensuring fair and consistent outcomes that support both individuals and the business

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years HR experience in companies that value both high performance and a team-first approach. 
• Prior gaming/entertainment experience is a must
• Experience building and implementing leadership training, career development frameworks, or coaching programs
• Strong ability to partner with leads and managers to support their teams
• Ability to quickly build trust across all levels of an organization and serve as a strategic thought partner
• Hands-on experience with performance management, employee relations, and organizational development
• Comfort in fast-moving, high-growth environments, where adaptability and critical thinking are key
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with an ability to motivate and educate employees

This role will be most fulfilling for someone who

• Is enthusiastic about creating and guiding programs that reflect the input and feedback received from team members. You don't like to just copy/paste from previous employers or what other companies do – you want to work on programs that are tailored for Bonfire
• Is ok with scrapping their own work. We iterate to excellence so you have to be okay that sometimes your work product might not move forward (but you’ve learned something along that way that has informed that decision – that you’ll be part of making) 
• Hears the words self-directed and ambiguous and you’re excited to hear more 
• Is resilient. You're not hesitant to explore the unknown and find solutions
• Really wants to deeply understand our teams, their challenges and passions and how you can best support them 
• Is passionate about the strategic side of HR. Our goal is to execute the admin / compliance side of HR flawlessly so we can focus on the work that matters most to supporting the team in thriving at Bonfire
• Has a high excellence bar – for the quality of their work and talent assessment

The base salary for this position is $195,000 annually. If your experience is more (principal level) or less (mid-level), your salary will be more/less than that rate (based on market data). We consider candidates' potential impact holistically, not just their years of experience or skill level. There is also more to our total comp package than salary, we offer equity to every new hire as well as a comprehensive benefits package and more. We will be happy to share more about our compensation opportunities when we chat with you! You can learn more about Bonfire's studio culture, team, benefits, and perks on our website: www.bonfirestudios.com. Any information you submit is used for recruiting purposes only, and is never shared. You can learn more in our privacy policy.