Lead - Employee Relations & Compliance - Banking/Retail/Telecom

Job Requirements

Role/ Job Title: Lead - Employee Relations

Function/ Department: Employee Relations & HR Compliance

Job Purpose:

This role is responsible for driving end-to-end Statutory Compliance, contingent workforce management and Employee Relations across the organization, ensuring adherence to applicable labour laws, regulatory requirements, and internal governance standards.

The incumbent will play a critical role in risk mitigation, compliance assurance, and strengthening ER governance frameworks, while enabling business continuity in a high-volume, geographically dispersed environment. The role requires balancing employee fairness with organizational risk, ensuring zero regulatory exposure and consistent application of policies and disciplinary frameworks.

Roles & Responsibilities:

A. Statutory Compliance (PAN India):

• Ensure adherence to all applicable labour laws including Shops & Establishments Acts, POSH, Social Security regulations, and Labour Codes (Wages, OSH, IR, Social Security)
• Monitor statutory compliance across branches, offices, and vendor locations
• Ensure timely filings, registrations, renewals, and statutory record maintenance
• Drive standardization of compliance processes across locations

B. Labour Inspections & Regulatory Liaison:

• Lead handling of labour inspections, notices, and regulatory audits across jurisdictions
• Interface with labour authorities, inspectors, and government bodies
• Ensure timely, accurate, and defensible responses to notices and compliance queries
• Drive end-to-end closure of inspection observations with zero risk exposure

C. Legal & Litigation Management:

• Manage labour litigation, disputes, and conciliation matters
• Coordinate with internal legal teams and external counsel for case strategy and representation
• Ensure accurate documentation, evidence management, and case tracking
• Drive timely closure and favorable outcomes in employee-related legal matters

D. Contingent Workforce Management:

• Govern lifecycle of contingent workforce (onboarding to exit) across vendors
• Ensure compliance with CLRA and applicable labour laws for outsourced workforce
• Monitor vendor adherence to statutory obligations and payment compliance
• Drive cost governance while mitigating compliance and reputational risks

E. Vendor Management:

• Oversee compliance aspects of vendor contracts and engagement models
• Define and monitor SLAs, compliance scorecards, and audit mechanisms
• Conduct vendor audits and ensure closure of compliance gaps
• Partner with procurement and business teams on risk-proof engagement structures

F. Employee Relations:

• Manage disciplinary processes including show cause, charge sheets, domestic inquiries, and closure actions
• Handle employee grievances, escalations, and sensitive cases with objectivity
• Conduct investigations into misconduct, fraud, and policy violations
• Support performance-related interventions and high-risk employee cases

G. Policy Design & Governance:

• Draft, review, and update HR policies, standing orders, and ER frameworks
• Ensure policies are aligned with evolving labour laws and regulatory expectations
• Drive consistent policy interpretation and implementation across locations
• Build governance structures for ER processes and decision-making

H. Compliance Audits & Risk Management:

• Lead internal and external compliance audits (statutory, regulatory, and internal controls)
• Identify compliance gaps and implement corrective/preventive actions
• Track and ensure timely closure of audit observations
• Build a proactive compliance risk management framework

I. Data & Reporting:

• Develop and manage compliance dashboards, ER MIS, and litigation trackers
• Provide actionable insights on ER trends, compliance risks, and case metrics
• Track key indicators such as disciplinary TAT, audit closures, and compliance scores
• Support leadership reporting with data-backed insights

J. Stakeholder Management:

• Partner with HRBPs, Business Heads, Legal, Compliance, Audit, and external regulators
• Act as a trusted advisor on ER and compliance-related matters
• Ensure alignment between business priorities and compliance requirements
• Drive cross-functional collaboration for risk mitigation

K. Capability Building:

• Design and conduct training for managers on disciplinary processes, labour laws, and POSH compliance
• Build awareness on employee conduct, ethics, and compliance responsibilities
• Strengthen ER capabilities across HR and business teams

Secondary Responsibilities:

• Support organizational initiatives related to culture, compliance, and leadership development from an ER perspective.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects and committees as the ER representative.

Education Qualification:

• Graduation: Bachelor's degree any relevant stream
• Post-graduation: Master's degree in Human Resources or Law (preferred).
• LL.B. preferred (strong advantage for litigation and compliance roles)

Experience:

• 10 - 15 years in HR with strong focus on Employee Relations and Compliance.
• Proven experience in handling high employee volumes and multi-location operations.
• Demonstrated exposure to labour laws, regulatory interactions, and ER case management.
• Industry Preference: Banking, Retail, Telecom, or other regulated sectors.