Head - Human Resources - Retail

Position: Head - Human Resources

• Industry : Ethnic Apparel / Fashion Retail
• Location : Mumbai
• Experience : 10-15 years (at least 3-5 years in a leadership HR role in fashion retail or lifestyle brands)
• Reporting To : CEO / Founder

About the Company

A premium ethnic fashion brand with a strong presence in bridal, festive, and ready-to-wear collections. The brand is known for blending traditional Indian aesthetics with contemporary design, catering to modern Indian consumers across offline and online channels.

Role Summary

As Head of HR, you will be responsible for building and driving the overall people strategy aligned with the company's vision. This includes talent acquisition, employee engagement, L&D, organizational development, performance management, and fostering a strong company culture suited to a fast-paced fashion retail environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Talent Strategy & Acquisition

• Develop and execute hiring plans for retail, design, merchandising, and corporate roles.
• Build talent pipelines aligned with business growth across stores and ecommerce.
• Collaborate with department heads to understand manpower needs and timelines.

2. Culture & Employee Engagement

• Champion a people-first culture that reflects the brand's identity.
• Design initiatives to improve employee satisfaction, diversity, and inclusion.
• Foster high-performance and accountability at all levels.

3. Performance & Learning

• Implement a structured performance appraisal system.
• Create learning paths for retail staff, designers, merchandisers, and managers.
• Identify leadership development needs and succession planning.

4. HR Operations & Compliance

• Manage HR policies, processes, and HRMS systems effectively.
• Ensure legal and statutory compliance including labor laws and wage regulations.
• Oversee payroll, benefits, and employee grievance management.

5. Organization Development

• Support org structure design to enable scale and agility.
• Drive change management in line with retail expansion and digital initiatives.
• Advise leadership on workforce trends, compensation, and retention.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

• MBA/PGDM in HR from a reputed institute.
• Prior experience in fashion/lifestyle retail is highly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of retail workforce dynamics (store staff, tailors, designers, ecommerce teams).
• Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach.