Director - Human Resources - Rural Commerce

Director HR - Rural commerce

Description:

About the Role

We are a fast-growing startup building for scale and impact. We are looking for a seasoned Head of Human Resources to lead our people strategy, build strong HR foundations, and partner closely with founders and business leaders.

This role requires someone who has built HR systems from scratch, scaled teams rapidly, and understands the balance between startup agility and structured governance.

Key Responsibilities:

1. People Strategy & Leadership

- Partner with founders and leadership team to define long-term people strategy aligned with business goals.

- Build scalable HR frameworks for a high-growth environment.

- Act as a trusted advisor on organizational design, workforce planning, and leadership development.

2. Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

- Own end-to-end hiring strategy across corporate, operations, sales, tech, and leadership roles.

- Build recruitment engines for volume as well as niche hiring.

- Strengthen employer branding and campus/lateral hiring programs.

3. Performance Management & Culture

- Design and manage performance management systems (OKRs/KPIs, appraisals, feedback cycles).

- Drive high-performance culture with clear accountability and ownership.

- Lead employee engagement, culture building, and internal communication initiatives.

4. Compensation, Benefits & Rewards

- Design compensation structures, ESOP policies, and incentive frameworks.

- Benchmark salaries with startup and industry standards.

- Ensure pay-for-performance philosophy across levels.

5. HR Operations & Policies

- Build and maintain HR policies, SOPs, and employee handbooks.

- Oversee payroll, attendance, leave management, and HRMS systems.

- Ensure smooth onboarding and offboarding processes.

6. Compliance & Employee Relations

- Ensure statutory compliance (PF, ESIC, Shops & Establishment, CLRA, POSH, etc.).

- Handle employee grievances, disciplinary actions, and conflict resolution.

- Lead POSH implementation and committee governance.

7. Learning & Development

- Build leadership development and succession planning frameworks.

- Identify training needs across functions and career levels.

- Support capability building for first-time managers and leaders.

Required Qualifications & Experience:

- 10 to 15 years of HR experience, with significant exposure to startups or high-growth companies.

- Experience in scaling teams from early to growth stage (100 to 500+ employees) preferred.

- Strong understanding of Indian labor laws and HR compliance.

- Hands-on experience across Talent Acquisition, HR Operations, Performance, and Culture.

- Prior experience working closely with founders and CXOs.

Skills & Competencies:

- Strategic thinking with strong execution ability

- Deep understanding of startup culture and pace

- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

- Data-driven approach to HR metrics and decision-making

- High ownership, maturity, and problem-solving mindset

What Were Looking For:

- Someone who has seen chaos and built order in startups

- Comfortable with ambiguity and fast decision-making

- Builder mindset rather than only policy management

- Strong people empathy balanced with bus