About the Role

Company's delivery and warehousing operations run across the length and breadth of the country, in hundreds of cities, with thousands of warehouses and dark stores, and a very large gig workforce of delivery partners. Managing the people side of this scale is not straightforward. There are unions to deal with, state-specific labour laws to stay on top of, compliance audits to run, and the occasional labour dispute or strike to navigate.

We are looking for a Head of Industrial Relations who has done this before, someone who has been in the thick of a strike, sat across the table from union representatives, managed compliance for large contractor and gig workforces, and knows their labour law cold. This is a hands-on role. The person will travel extensively, spend time on the ground at operational sites, and be the go-to person for all IR matters across the organisation.

It is a senior position with real accountability, not a coordination role.

What You Will Do

Gig Workforce Delivery Partners

- Own all IR-related matters for Company's delivery partner ecosystem across India. This is the largest segment of extended workforce and needs dedicated, focused attention.

- Keep a close watch on ground-level sentiment among delivery partners. Catch problems early before they turn into something bigger.

- Work with the Operations team to set up proper grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms for gig workers, ones that work at scale.

- Stay current on how the law is evolving around gig worker classification, social security, and platform economy obligations, and ensure company is ahead of it.

Warehousing & On-Roll Workforce

- Handle IR for warehouse workers, contractual staff, and other on-roll employees across company's fulfilment centres and dark stores.

- Manage disciplinary proceedings, domestic enquiries, and separations in line with the applicable Standing Orders and the Industrial Disputes Act.

- Ensure full compliance with the Factories Act, CLRA, Minimum Wages Act, and all other statutes relevant to warehousing operations across states.

- Keep the floor-level communication channels open so that worker concerns reach management before they become disputes.

Unions & Collective Bargaining

- Be company's primary point of contact with trade unions across all geographies. Build relationships that are professional, not adversarial.

- Lead all wage negotiations and charter-of-demands discussions. Settlements must be commercially sound and not create precedents that come back to bite.

- Track union activity, third-party influences, and collective sentiment on an ongoing basis, not just when things get difficult.

Disputes & Strike Management

- When things escalate to work stoppages, go-slows, strikes, this person needs to be the one leading the response. That means being on the ground, coordinating with legal, security, operations, and communications, and staying cool under pressure.

- Maintain ready contingency plans for IR emergencies across all major operational hubs. These should be practical, not theoretical.

- Represent company in conciliation proceedings before Labour Commissioners, Labour Courts, and Industrial Tribunals across states.

Compliance & Audits

- Own end-to-end IR compliance across all establishments, central and state labour laws, ESIC, PF, Bonus, Gratuity, Maternity Benefit, Equal Remuneration, and the four Labour Codes.

- Design and run regular compliance audits across sites and contractor operations. Track and close every observation no pending actions sitting open for months.

- Manage principal employer obligations for all contract labour engagements. Contractor compliance is not their problem alone it is ours too.

- Liaise directly with Labour Departments, Labour Commissioners, EPFO, ESIC, and other authorities at both state and central levels.

- Review and maintain Certified Standing Orders for all applicable establishments. These should reflect current ground realities, not be dusty documents filed away somewhere.

Team & Stakeholder Management

- Build and run a Pan-India IR team regional manager, compliance executives, and legal liaison officers. This team needs to be capable of responding quickly, anywhere in the country.

- Work closely with Legal, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain. IR decisions have commercial consequences and need to be made with the full picture in view.

- Brief the CHRO and business leadership regularly on IR status, open disputes, compliance health, and risk flags. These conversations need to be direct and factual.

- Travel is a significant part of the job. Visits to operational hubs, dispute sites, and government offices across India will be frequent and sometimes at short notice.

What We Are Looking For

Background & Experience

- 15 to 20 years of experience with a strong core in Industrial Relations, not just HR, with some IR exposure.

- Has personally managed unions, negotiated wage settlements, and handled live labour disputes, including strikes. This is a must, not a nice-to-have.

- Has worked with large blue-collar, contractual, or gig workforces ideally at companies in e commerce, logistics, FMCG, manufacturing, or similarly labour-intensive sectors.

- Has run or closely managed IR compliance audits across multi-state operations.

- Has dealt directly with Labour Commissioners, Labour Courts, and state-level government bodies.

- Ex-Armed Forces officers are strongly encouraged to apply. The ability to manage large teams under pressure, maintain discipline, and operate in complex, fast-moving situations is exactly what this role needs.

Knowledge

- Solid working knowledge of all four Labour Codes and how they apply (or will apply) across states.

- Understands collective bargaining, union negotiation, and the legal framework around industrial disputes inside out.

- Familiar with the evolving gig worker legal landscape, platform economy liability, social security provisions, and state-level regulatory developments.

- Can draft and review legal notices, settlement documents, and Standing Orders without needing to rely entirely on external lawyers for every step.

The Person

- Calm under pressure. IR situations can get heated. This person needs to stay level-headed and make good decisions when things are moving fast.

- Credible on the ground and in the boardroom. They need to be taken seriously by a union leader in a warehouse as much as by the CHRO in a review meeting.

- Direct communicator. When there is a problem, this person calls it out clearly; they do not obscure issues or over-polish bad news.

- Strong people manager. Will be running a distributed team across India and needs to keep them aligned, motivated, and performing.

- Willing to travel extensively, estimated 30 to 50% of the time, including at short notice.

Qualifications

A relevant undergraduate degree is required, preferably in Law (LLB), Labour Law, Social Work, HR Management, or a related field. A post-graduate degree or diploma in Labour Laws, Industrial Relations, or HR/MBA (HR) is mandatory for this role.

Certifications from institutions like XLRI, TISS, or VVGNLI in IR or Labour Law will be looked upon favourably, but are not a prerequisite.