Position: Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Industry: FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods)

Location: India

Reporting To: Managing Director / CEO

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: 1825+ years

Function: Human Resources / People & Culture

Role Overview:

We are looking for an accomplished and business-oriented Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) to lead the Human Resources function for a high-growth FMCG organization in India.

The CHRO will be a strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team, responsible for building a high-performance, future-ready organization aligned with the companys business strategy. The role will lead the people agenda across corporate functions, manufacturing, sales, distribution, supply chain, R&D, and other business operations.

The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in FMCG / consumer businesses, organizational transformation, talent management, leadership development, employee engagement, industrial relations, and culture building, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and geographically distributed environment.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Business & People Strategy:

- Partner with the CEO, Board, and Executive Leadership Team to translate business strategy into a comprehensive people strategy.

- Develop and execute the annual and long-term HR strategy aligned with business growth, profitability, expansion, and transformation objectives.

- Act as a strategic advisor to business leaders on organization, talent, culture, and workforce matters.

- Build HR capabilities that support scale, agility, innovation, and sustainable growth.

- Provide data-driven insights to leadership on workforce productivity, talent risks, succession, and organizational effectiveness.

2. Talent Management & Leadership Development:

- Build a robust talent strategy covering attraction, assessment, development, retention, and succession planning.

- Identify and develop high-potential and critical talent across the organization.

- Establish leadership development programs for current and future business leaders.

- Drive succession planning for critical roles and leadership positions.

- Strengthen internal talent mobility and career development frameworks.

- Build a strong employer brand to attract high-quality talent in a competitive FMCG market.

3. Organization Development & Transformation:

- Lead organization design and workforce planning initiatives in line with business priorities.

- Drive organizational transformation, restructuring, and change management initiatives.

- Develop a high-performance culture with clear accountability and performance orientation.

- Review organizational structures, spans of control, roles, and capabilities to improve effectiveness.

- Support business expansion, new market entry, acquisitions, integrations, and other strategic initiatives.

4. Performance Management & Rewards:

- Own the organization's performance management philosophy and processes.

- Establish effective goal-setting, performance evaluation, and talent review mechanisms.

- Develop competitive compensation and benefits strategies aligned with market benchmarks.

- Design and oversee executive compensation and incentive programs.

- Ensure strong linkage between performance, rewards, business outcomes, and employee value creation.

5. Employee Engagement & Culture:

- Build an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performance organizational culture.

- Develop initiatives to strengthen employee engagement, retention, wellbeing, and employee experience.

- Establish mechanisms to continuously listen to employees and translate insights into action.

- Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across the organization.

- Strengthen communication and engagement across corporate, field, sales, and manufacturing populations.

6. Manufacturing, Sales & Workforce Management:

- Develop HR strategies for large and geographically distributed sales, supply chain, manufacturing, and frontline workforces.

- Partner with business and operations leaders to improve workforce productivity and capability.

- Establish effective manpower planning and workforce cost management.

- Strengthen frontline leadership and capability-building programs.

- Drive HR technology and analytics solutions for a distributed workforce.

7. Industrial Relations & Employee Relations:

- Provide strategic leadership for industrial relations across manufacturing locations.

- Ensure effective relationships with employees, unions, worker representatives, and other stakeholders.

- Develop proactive strategies for employee relations and dispute resolution.

- Ensure compliance with applicable Indian labour laws and statutory requirements.

- Partner with plant leadership to create productive, safe, and positive workplace environments.

8. HR Technology, Analytics & Digital Transformation:

- Lead the HR digital transformation agenda, including HRIS, talent platforms, learning systems, and employee experience tools.

- Establish people analytics and dashboards to support business decision-making.

- Leverage technology and AI-enabled HR solutions to improve productivity and employee experience.

- Drive automation and simplification of HR processes.

9. HR Governance & Compliance:

- Ensure strong governance across all HR policies, processes, and practices.

- Ensure compliance with applicable employment, labour, compensation, and statutory regulations in India.

- Establish appropriate HR policies, controls, and risk-management mechanisms.

- Maintain high standards of confidentiality, ethics, and professional conduct.

10. Culture, Values & Employer Brand:

- Define and embed organizational values and leadership behaviours.

- Act as a cultural champion across the organization.

- Strengthen the company's position as an employer of choice within the FMCG and consumer sector.

- Represent the organization at relevant industry, talent, and HR forums.

Key Success Metrics / KPIs:

- Leadership and critical-role succession readiness

- Employee engagement and retention

- Quality of talent acquisition

- High-potential talent development and retention

- Workforce productivity

- Organization effectiveness

- HR cost optimization

- Performance management effectiveness

- Leadership capability development

- Industrial relations stability

- Diversity and inclusion metrics

- HR digital transformation and adoption

- Compliance and HR governance

- Employer brand and talent attraction

Candidate Profile:

Education:

- Postgraduate degree / MBA in Human Resources, Personnel Management, or Organizational Development from a reputed institution.

- Additional qualifications in leadership, organizational psychology, or business management would be an advantage.

Experience:

- 18-25+ years of progressive HR experience, with significant experience in senior HR leadership roles.

- Strong preference for candidates with substantial experience in FMCG, Consumer, Retail, Food & Beverage, or other high-volume consumer businesses.

- Experience partnering with CEOs, business heads, and senior leadership teams.

- Demonstrated experience managing large, complex, and geographically distributed organizations.

- Strong exposure to manufacturing, sales, supply chain, and frontline workforce environments.

- Proven experience in organization transformation, talent strategy, leadership development, and culture building.

- Experience managing industrial relations and labour matters will be highly valued.

Key Competencies:

- Strategic and commercial mindset

- Strong business acumen

- Executive presence and leadership maturity

- Organization design and transformation

- Talent and succession management

- Leadership development

- Culture building

- Change management

- Employee relations and industrial relations

- Compensation & benefits

- HR analytics and digital HR

- Stakeholder management

- Strong communication and influencing skills

- High integrity and confidentiality

- Ability to operate in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment