Position: Corporate IR Head - Pan India

Role Overview:

Our client operates multiple manufacturing plants across India, each with dedicated HR/IR teams managing day-to-day employee relations, union engagement, and statutory compliance.

The Corporate IR Head will anchor the overall industrial relations strategy, compliance framework, and union engagement approach from the Corporate Office. This role acts as the central interface between plant HR teams and the Head of HR, while providing functional oversight across all plant HR/IR teams nationwide.

Key Responsibilities:

1. IR Leadership

- Own and drive the IR agenda across all plants covering officers, workmen, NAPS apprentices, and LEAD trainees.

- Provide strategic guidance to plant teams on union engagement, grievance handling, and conflict resolution.

- Act as the primary interface between Plant HR teams and the Head of HR.

- Conduct periodic reviews on IR climate, grievances, union dynamics, and litigation status.

2. Negotiations & Dispute Management

- Lead Long-Term Settlement (LTS) cycles across plants, including strategy, timelines, costing, and closure.

- Represent the organization in negotiations with Labour Department, DISH, District Administration, and Police authorities.

- Serve as the corporate point of contact during industrial unrest, including strikes, go-slows, and lockouts.

3. Compliance & Governance

- Ensure full compliance with all applicable labour laws, including the ID Act, Factories Act, CLRA, POSH, Apprentices Act, Code on Wages, OSH Code, and state-specific regulations.

- Govern Standing Orders, contract labour practices, POSH/Internal Committee functioning, and disciplinary frameworks across plants.

- Review and approve termination cases prior to execution.

- Oversee statutory payouts beyond payroll (bonus, incentives, etc.).

- Collaborate with HO Purchase to review and clear vendor contractual agreements.

4. Litigation Management

- Partner with Corporate Legal on all critical IR matters across Labour Courts, Tribunals, High Courts, and the Supreme Court.

- Drive a proactive, minimum-litigation approach, prioritizing resolution and settlements wherever feasible.

5. Plant HR Oversight (Dotted Line)

- Work closely with plant leadership on HR team capability, succession planning, and career development.

- Provide functional direction to ensure consistency in IR practices across all locations.

6. Reporting & Governance

- Develop and present periodic IR dashboards, compliance reports, and risk assessments to senior management.

- Proactively identify and escalate emerging IR risks.

Experience Required:

- 25+ years of experience in Industrial Relations within large, multi-plant manufacturing environments (5,000+ workforce).

- Proven experience managing multi-union environments and leading multiple LTS negotiations to closure.

- Hands-on exposure to handling strikes, lockouts, and complex union situations.

- Strong working relationships with Labour Department, DISH, Police, and District Administration.

- Experience managing IR litigation in collaboration with leading law firms across judicial levels.

- Exposure to large-scale NAPS and LEAD workforce management.

- Deep expertise in Indian labour laws.

- Proficiency in Tamil is mandatory.

- Willingness to travel extensively across plant locations.

Qualifications:

- MSW / MA (PM&IR) / MBA (HR) - Full-time from a recognized institution (mandatory)

- LLB - Preferred

Grade Fitment:

- DGM / GM level for candidates with 25+ years of relevant experience meeting all criteria.

- Others may be considered at an appropriate level based on experience and fitment.