Strategic HR Officer

• Job Title
• Strategic HR Officer to ED & CTO
• (Role designed to evolve into Chief People Officer within 24 months)
• Location: Panchkula | India
• Reports To: Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer
• The Opportunity: The ED & CTOs People Architect

This is not a conventional HR leadership role. It is a transformational leadership track designed for a high-potential people strategist to work directly under the mentorship of the ED & CTO, with the mandate to architect the organizations long-term people philosophy, leadership ecosystem, and cultural infrastructure.

You will enter a financially robust, zero-debt, globally operating pharmaceutical organization with revenues of 750 Cr and a workforce of 1500+ professionals across India and international operations. The company believes that sustainable business growth is impossible without disciplined people systems, ethical leadership, operational accountability, and a deeply aligned organizational culture.

This role is designed for a future-ready HR leader who can integrate Strategy, Culture, Leadership Development, Workforce Planning, Organizational Design, Performance Systems, and Talent Intelligence into one cohesive people architecture.

• You will not merely manage HR — you will help design the human engine that powers the companys next decade of growth.
• Role Objective
• This role is architected as an accelerated leadership catalyst intended to shape a future enterprise-level People Leader and strategic advisor to the ED & CTO.
• As the Strategic HR Officer to ED & CTO, you will operate as an extension of the ED & CTOs office with unrestricted exposure across:

• Human Capital Strategy
• Leadership Development
• Organizational Design
• Industrial Relations
• Compensation & Rewards
• Talent Acquisition
• Culture & Employer Branding
• HR Governance & Compliance
• Workforce Productivity
• Learning & Capability Building

You will not simply oversee HR functions — you will be trained to understand the deeper relationship between:

• Business growth and workforce capability
• Leadership quality and operational excellence
• Culture and long-term institutional sustainability
• Productivity and people economics
• Governance and organizational trust

The Mission

To undergo an intensive 24-month leadership immersion that transitions you from a strategic HR professional into the organizations principal custodian of People, Culture, Leadership, and Organizational Effectiveness.

By the end of this journey, you are expected to independently lead enterprise-wide people strategy, build future leadership pipelines, shape culture at scale, and act as a trusted advisor to the ED & CTO on all human capital matters.

• Role Structure & Progression
• Phase 1: Organizational Immersion & Cultural Understanding (Months 0–6)
• The goal: Understand The People Behind the Business.
• Key Exposure Areas:

• Rotational Deep Dives across:
• Talent Acquisition
• HR Operations
• Payroll & Compliance
• Learning & Development
• Manufacturing HR
• Employee Relations
• Corporate HR
• Industrial Relations
• Leadership Shadowing:
• Shadow the ED & CTO in leadership reviews, strategic meetings, and high-level people discussions
• Attend functional reviews to understand leadership styles and organizational dynamics
• Culture Mapping Exercise:
• Conduct structured interactions with employees across plants, HO, sales, and international teams
• Identify cultural strengths, hidden bottlenecks, communication gaps, and leadership dependencies
• HR Governance Exposure:
• Participate in policy reviews, disciplinary proceedings, compliance audits, and labor law governance processes
• Employer Brand Analysis:
• Evaluate the organizations current employer positioning and benchmark against industry talent standards

• Phase 2: Functional Ownership & People Operations Execution (Months 6–12)
• The goal: Move from observation to operational ownership.
• Key Responsibilities:

• Independently lead one complete hiring vertical or business function
• Drive one enterprise-wide HR improvement initiative
• Manage quarterly manpower planning exercises
• Lead performance management coordination for one business division
• Handle critical employee grievance resolutions under supervision
• Coordinate one annual engagement survey and action planning process
• Begin mentoring junior HR team members and management trainees

Strategic Projects:

• Improve hiring turnaround time
• Reduce attrition in critical functions
• Design competency frameworks for key managerial roles
• Build structured onboarding and probation review systems

• Phase 3: Strategic Leadership & Organizational Transformation (Months 12–18)
• The goal: Demonstrate leadership maturity and strategic capability.
• Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a major cross-functional transformation initiative such as:
• Leadership Development Framework
• Succession Planning Architecture
• HRMS/ERP implementation
• Performance-linked incentive redesign
• Organizational restructuring
• Manufacturing productivity-linked workforce optimization
• Leadership Advisory:
• Actively support CXOs and business heads in manpower planning and team effectiveness
• Workforce Analytics:
• Build data-driven dashboards for:
• Attrition
• Productivity
• Hiring efficiency
• Talent pipeline health
• Leadership readiness
• Employee engagement
• Policy Architecture:
• Draft or redesign key HR policies aligned with organizational growth and governance needs
• Leadership Development:
• Design and facilitate managerial capability-building interventions

• Phase 4: Transition to Enterprise Leadership (Months 18–24)
• The goal: Operate as the de-facto People Leader before formal designation.
• Key Responsibilities:

• Function as Acting Head of HR for day-to-day strategic and operational decisions
• Independently lead annual manpower budgeting and workforce strategy planning
• Present enterprise-level people dashboards to Board/Leadership
• Lead succession planning discussions for critical roles
• Drive culture alignment initiatives across all business units
• Manage senior leadership hiring and executive talent conversations
• Demonstrate independent command over:
• HR governance
• Industrial relations
• Workforce planning
• Compensation strategy
• Talent systems
• Organizational culture

Final Evaluation:

A formal leadership assessment at Month 24 evaluating:

• Strategic maturity
• Leadership influence
• Cultural alignment
• Governance capability
• Business understanding
• Organizational impact

• Upon successful completion, you will formally assumes the role of Chief People Officer (CPO).
• Key Responsibilities
• 1. Strategic Workforce & Organizational Planning

• Design workforce strategies aligned with long-term business growth
• Build scalable organizational structures capable of supporting global expansion
• Forecast leadership and capability requirements proactively
• Create succession pipelines for critical business functions

2. Leadership Development & Culture Building

• Build a strong leadership culture rooted in accountability, humility, ownership, and execution excellence
• Design leadership competency frameworks across levels
• Drive coaching, mentoring, and capability-building initiatives
• Strengthen organizational alignment with the companys values and philosophy

3. Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding

• Build world-class talent acquisition systems for leadership and critical roles
• Position the organization as an employer of choice within the pharmaceutical and manufacturing ecosystem
• Develop strategic hiring partnerships with institutes, networks, and industry forums
• Improve candidate experience and employer perception

4. Performance Management & Productivity Enhancement

• Redesign performance systems to drive meritocracy and accountability
• Establish measurable KPIs and productivity frameworks
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and execution discipline
• Align rewards and recognition systems with business outcomes

5. Employee Relations & Industrial Harmony

• Maintain healthy industrial relations across manufacturing operations
• Build trust-driven employee engagement systems
• Handle sensitive employee relations matters with maturity and fairness
• Ensure organizational discipline without compromising culture and morale

6. HR Governance, Compliance & Ethics

• Ensure full compliance with labor laws, statutory obligations, and HR governance standards
• Build strong policy frameworks and ethical practices
• Strengthen HR audit readiness across functions
• Promote fairness, transparency, and organizational trust

7. HR Technology & Data Intelligence

• Build technology-enabled HR ecosystems using HRMS, analytics, automation, and dashboards
• Leverage people analytics for strategic decision-making
• Use data to identify retention risks, leadership gaps, and productivity bottlenecks
• Drive digital transformation within HR operations

Desired Candidate Profile

Educational Qualifications

• MBA/PGDM in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or related specialization from a tier-1 institute
• Additional certifications in Leadership Development, OD, Industrial Relations, Coaching, or Analytics will be an advantage
• 1-5 years of experience

• Essential Attributes (The Venus DNA)
• Intellectual Depth
• Ability to understand the complex relationship between business growth, culture, leadership, and people systems.
• Leadership Gravitas
• Capability to influence senior stakeholders, challenge respectfully, and drive alignment across functions.
• Cultural Intelligence
• Ability to balance empathy with accountability while shaping a high-performance culture.
• Ethical Backbone
• Uncompromising integrity, fairness, and confidentiality in all people decisions.
• Operational Discipline
• Strong execution orientation with attention to detail and governance.
• Business Orientation
• Ability to think beyond HR and understand the operational and financial realities of the organization.
• Tech-Native HR Mindset
• Comfortable with HR analytics, dashboards, AI-enabled HR systems, and technology-driven people management.
• Why Choose This Path
• Direct Mentorship from the ED & CTO
• You will work directly with the organizations top leadership and gain unrestricted strategic exposure.