Alation - Senior HR Business Partner

Description:

Alation is looking to add a Senior Human Resources Business Partner to our growing People team in Chennai reporting to the Director, Human Resources (HR).
The ideal candidate is strategic and scrappy, with the ability to embody and scale our culture as we grow.
This role partners with and supports a variety of teams across the region, with the largest groups being R&D and Customer Solutions.
What You'll Be Doing:

- Partner with the Director, HR to support Chennai site initiatives like performance cycles, manager development, employee engagement efforts, and more.
- Collaborate with leaders and cross-functional partners to guide people programs including performance management, talent development and feedback, total rewards, internal communications, and team health.
- Use data and feedback to help identify trends, solve problems, and inform programs that improve employee experience and business outcomes.
- Support employees and managers with coaching on career growth, feedback, collaboration, and change management.
- Seek opportunities to simplify, automate, or improve our people practices, especially through better use of tools and systems like Workday.
- Flex between the strategic and the operational, supporting daily people needs while contributing to big-picture initiatives.
Who You Are:

- 10+ years of progressive HR experience, ideally in tech, data, AI or fast-growing matrixed environments.
- Experience working with technical teams and engineering leaders is a plus.
- Deep understanding of core HR programs, including coaching, performance, engagement, and talent development.
- Strong relationship builder with the ability to work across functions, time zones, and personalities.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities, with the ability to adjust quickly while staying aligned with regional and global goals.
- Able to move fluidly from administrative work to strategic partnership, showing sound judgment and strong follow-through at every level.
- Proactive, organized, and curious, with a strong sense of accountability and a drive to make things better without waiting to be asked.
- Experience supporting India-specific compliance needs such as POSH, labor law documentation, and payroll practices is preferred.
- While this role partners closely with our global and local HR ops teams, awareness of statutory frameworks and employee life cycle processes will help ensure regional alignment.
- Familiarity with Workday or a similar HRIS is strongly preferred.
- Postgraduate degree or certification in HR, such as PGDHRM or equivalent preferred.
- Active engagement in HR networks like NIPM or NHRDN is a plus.
- Leverage AIdriven analytics and predictive modeling to anticipate people risks (turnover, performance, skills gaps) and recommend interventions.
- Drive the adoption of AI / intelligent HR tools / dashboards to enable faster, dataled decisions across the business.
- Ensure ethical use of AI in people processes: fairness, transparency, and human judgment remain front and center.