Manager/Senior Manager - Strategic Human Resource - Manufacturing - IIM/MDI/TISS/XLRI

JOB DESCRIPTION

Strategic HR - Office of the Managing Director

Client: A leading, diversified Indian conglomerate (name disclosed at shortlisting stage)

Designation: Manager / Senior Manager - Strategic HR

Department: Office of the Managing Director

Reporting To: CHRO

Skip-Level: Managing Director

Experience: 5 - 10 years in HR

Education: Full-time MBA / PGDM (HR), Tier-1

Location: Corporate Office, Ahmedabad

ROLE PURPOSE:

A high-visibility role within the Managing Director's core team, acting as the HR strategy partner to the MD's Office. The incumbent will translate the Group's business priorities into people strategy, drive multiple Group-wide HR and strategic initiatives end-to-end, and bring structure, data and governance to decisions affecting a large, multi-location workforce.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strategic HR & Workforce Planning: Shape the Group's people strategy in line with the business plan; lead workforce planning, organisation design, spans & layers and manpower productivity across businesses.
• HR Transformation Programmes: Own and drive Group-wide initiatives such as performance management redesign, compensation & benefits benchmarking, HR policy harmonisation, HRMS/digitisation and shared services.
• MD's Strategic Initiatives: Work on cross-functional projects mandated by the MD - new business set-up, M&A / integration people workstreams, restructuring and cost-optimisation programmes.
• Talent & Leadership: Build leadership pipelines, succession plans for critical roles, high-potential programmes and senior-leadership hiring support.
• Large Workforce Management: Drive frameworks for blue-collar, contract and outsourced workforce - productivity, statutory compliance, employee relations and industrial harmony across sites.
• HR Analytics & Governance: Build HR dashboards and MIS for the MD and Board; track people metrics (cost, attrition, productivity, engagement) and convert insights into actions.
• Culture & Engagement: Lead culture, values and engagement interventions; support internal communication on change initiatives.
• Stakeholder Management: Partner with business heads, unit HR heads and external consultants; prepare board-level notes, presentations and review packs.

CANDIDATE PROFILE:

• Education: Full-time MBA / PGDM in HR from a Tier-1 institute (IIMs, XLRI, TISS, MDI, FMS, IIT-SoM or equivalent).
• Experience: 5 - 10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 - 4 years in a strategic, corporate HR or COE role; exposure to management consulting is an advantage.
• Workforce Scale: Proven experience handling a large workforce (5,000+ employees, including contract / blue-collar) in a multi-location, multi-business set-up - manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, mining or conglomerate preferred.
• Track Record: Demonstrated delivery of at least two large HR transformation or organisation-wide change programmes.
• Knowledge: Strong grounding in Indian labour codes and statutory compliance, C&B, OD and HR analytics.

KEY COMPETENCIES:

• Strategic thinking with a strong business and financial acumen; structured, data-driven problem solving.
• Executive presence and the maturity to engage with the MD, Board and senior leadership.
• Programme and project management; ability to run multiple initiatives in parallel to deadline.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills (PowerPoint, Excel, dashboards).
• High integrity and absolute discretion with confidential information.