Strategic HR Business Partner - IT

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Strategic HR Business Partner (HRBP) - Individual Contributor

Head of HR / HR Leadership

1. Role Overview:

We are seeking a hands-on, business-oriented Strategic HR Business Partner who can independently manage the complete HR function for the Bangalore location while partnering with business leaders to support organizational and people growth. This is a standalone individual-contributor role with no supporting HR team. The incumbent will personally own both strategic HR initiatives and day-to-day HR execution across the employee lifecycle - from workforce planning and recruitment coordination to performance management, employee engagement, HR operations, policy implementation, compliance coordination, and people analytics.

The successful candidate must combine strategic thinking with strong execution capability, be comfortable working independently, manage multiple priorities, and translate business needs into practical people solutions. The role requires a proactive partner who can build trusted relationships with leaders and employees while ensuring that essential HR processes are delivered accurately and on time.

2. Key Responsibilities:

A. Business Partnership & Organization Growth:

• Understand the business model, products, customer segments, operating priorities, project requirements, and growth plans; translate these into actionable people plans.
• Partner directly with functional leaders to understand business challenges, workforce needs, capability gaps, productivity concerns, and organizational risks.
• Develop and execute HR initiatives that support business growth, organizational effectiveness, accountability, collaboration, and employee capability.
• Independently plan and drive HR projects end-to-end, including scope, timelines, stakeholder coordination, implementation, communication, and impact measurement.
• Review organizational structures, role clarity, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and manpower requirements with business leaders.

B. End-to-End Talent Acquisition:

• Manage the recruitment process hands-on: understand requirements, refine job descriptions, publish vacancies, source candidates, screen profiles, coordinate interviews, collect feedback, and manage candidate communication.
• Work with hiring managers to define role expectations, competency requirements, selection criteria, and realistic hiring timelines.
• Coordinate and search for right candidates from different sources including not limited to recruitment agencies, job portals, employee referrals, and other sourcing channels as required.
• Manage offer discussions, approvals, documentation, pre-joining engagement, background verification coordination if applicable, and joining formalities.
• Maintain hiring trackers and recruitment dashboards; monitor time-to-fill, source effectiveness, offer acceptance, and hiring pipeline quality.

C. Workforce Planning & Resource Effectiveness:

• Prepare and maintain manpower plans, headcount budgets, hiring priorities, and workforce forecasts with functional leaders.
• Track headcount, vacancies, resource deployment, utilization, attrition, and workforce cost trends.
• Identify skill gaps and future capability requirements; coordinate with leaders on hiring, internal mobility, training, or restructuring options.
• Use workforce data to highlight capacity constraints, critical role risks, and opportunities to improve productivity and cost effectiveness.

D. Performance Management & Talent Development:

• Own the end-to-end performance management cycle, including goal setting, KRAs/KPIs, review schedules, manager guidance, calibration coordination, appraisal documentation, and closure.
• Follow up with managers to ensure goals and reviews are completed on time and aligned with business priorities.
• Coordinate salary revision, promotion, and variable-pay processes in line with approved policies and leadership decisions.
• Facilitate performance feedback, development planning, career discussions, and performance improvement processes.
• Identify learning needs and independently coordinate training programs, leadership development, manager capability building, and employee learning initiatives.

E. Employee Engagement, Culture & Retention:

• Plan and execute employee engagement initiatives, surveys, focus groups, recognition activities, communication forums, and culture-building programs.
• Analyze feedback and engagement results; prepare action plans with business owners and track completion.
• Monitor attrition patterns, conduct or coordinate exit interviews, identify retention risks, and recommend appropriate interventions.
• Build effective employee communication and support managers in improving team collaboration, inclusion, morale, and employee experience.

F. Employee Relations & Manager Support:

• Act as the first point of contact for employees and managers on HR policies, workplace concerns, interpersonal conflicts, performance issues, and employee lifecycle matters.
• Handle employee concerns objectively, maintain appropriate documentation, and escalate sensitive or high-risk matters to HR leadership when required.
• Advise managers on feedback, performance conversations, conduct, disciplinary processes, and consistent application of policies.
• Maintain confidentiality, fairness, and professionalism in all employee-related matters.

G. HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle:

• Personally manage onboarding, induction, employee documentation, HRIS updates, confirmation, transfers, changes in employment terms, and offboarding.
• Maintain accurate employee records, personnel files, organization charts, trackers, HR reports, and statutory or audit documentation as applicable.
• Coordinate payroll inputs, attendance, leave records, salary changes, reimbursements, benefits, insurance, and employee data validation with relevant internal teams or external providers.
• Prepare and issue employment letters, confirmation letters, salary revision letters, experience and relieving letters, policy acknowledgements, and other HR documentation.
• Manage exit formalities, exit interviews, clearance coordination, final settlement inputs, and employee handover processes.

H. HR Policies, Compliance & Governance:

• Implement, communicate, and periodically review HR policies, SOPs, employee handbook provisions, and people processes.
• Track compliance requirements applicable to the organization and coordinate with legal, payroll, finance, or external consultants on statutory and employment matters.
• Maintain records and documentation required for internal reviews, audits, and compliance checks.
• Identify policy gaps, process risks, and inconsistent practices; recommend and implement corrective actions with appropriate approvals.
• Ensure HR practices are applied consistently and sensitive employee information is handled securely.

I. Compensation, Benefits & HR Budget Coordination:

• Coordinate annual compensation review, benchmarking inputs, salary structures, promotion proposals, and variable-pay administration.
• Prepare and validate employee-related cost inputs, headcount reports, and HR budget data in coordination with Finance and HR leadership.
• Coordinate employee benefits, group insurance, renewals, employee queries, and vendor interactions.
• Maintain compensation and benefits records and ensure changes are implemented only after the required approvals.

J. HR Analytics, HR Technology & Process Improvement:

• Prepare and maintain dashboards for headcount, hiring, attrition, attendance, leave, performance, engagement, training, workforce cost, and other relevant HR metrics.
• Use data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities; present concise insights and recommendations to HR leadership and business stakeholders.
• Administer and maintain HRIS workflows, employee data, system configurations, and user adoption in coordination with the HR technology provider.
• Identify opportunities to automate, simplify, and standardize HR processes while maintaining appropriate controls and documentation.
• Track HR project milestones, outcomes, service timelines, and process effectiveness.

3. Standalone Role Ownership & Ways of Working:

• Operate from Bangalore location, independently managing routine HR activities and strategic HR projects without a dedicated supporting team.
• Own planning, execution, follow-up, documentation, reporting, and closure of assigned HR processes rather than only coordinating or delegating them.
• Prioritize competing business and employee needs, maintain clear trackers and calendars, and meet committed timelines.
• Work collaboratively with central HR, Finance, IT, business leaders, vendors, and external consultants where needed; use these stakeholders as partners, not as a substitute for personal ownership.
• Exercise sound judgment within approved policies and delegated authority, and escalate sensitive, legal, financial, or high-impact decisions to the appropriate leadership.

4. Key Success Measures:

• Timely and quality delivery of end-to-end HR processes with accurate records and minimal avoidable rework.
• Hiring delivery against agreed plans, including time-to-fill, pipeline quality, offer acceptance, and joining conversion.
• Completion of performance cycles, goal setting, appraisals, and related compensation processes within agreed timelines.
• Effective workforce planning and visibility into headcount, vacancies, utilization, capability gaps, and workforce costs.
• Improvement in employee engagement, manager effectiveness, retention of critical talent, and closure of employee feedback actions.
• Successful delivery of HR projects with clear milestones, stakeholder alignment, and measurable business or employee impact.
• Quality and reliability of HR dashboards, HRIS data, employee documentation, policy implementation, and compliance coordination.
• Proactive identification and resolution of people-related risks and operational bottlenecks.

Specific targets will be agreed with HR leadership and business stakeholders based on annual priorities and the scale of the Bangalore organization.

5. Qualifications & Experience:

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5 - 8 years of progressive HR experience, with demonstrated hands-on ownership across multiple HR functions.
• Experience in a technology, product-based, SaaS, engineering, or similarly fast-paced organization is preferred.
• Prior experience independently managing HR for a location, business unit, or small organization with limited HR support is strongly preferred.
• Practical experience across recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, performance management, employee engagement, employee relations, HR operations, HRIS, and workforce reporting.
• Working knowledge of compensation processes, payroll coordination, benefits, HR policies, and applicable employment compliance requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of HR systems, spreadsheets, dashboards, and data-driven reporting.

6. Required Competencies:

• Business acumen and ability to connect people practices with business outcomes.
• Strong ownership, independence, and a hands-on execution mindset.
• Strategic thinking combined with practical problem-solving and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, influencing, and employee counseling skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and confidential matters independently.
• Data and digital mindset, process orientation, and continuous improvement approach.
• High integrity, sound judgment, adaptability, and commitment to employee experience.

7. Candidate Profile:

The ideal candidate is a well-rounded HR professional who can independently manage the complete HR lifecycle while also partnering with leaders on business and people strategy. This is not a specialist role supported by separate HR teams: the individual must be willing and able to execute operational tasks personally, solve day-to-day people issues, and lead strategic initiatives from concept to completion.