Job Requirements

Role/ Job Title: Lead - Employee Relations

Function/ Department: Employee Relations & HR Compliance

Job Purpose:

This role is responsible for driving end-to-end Statutory Compliance, contingent workforce management and Employee Relations across the organization, ensuring adherence to applicable labour laws, regulatory requirements, and internal governance standards.

The incumbent will play a critical role in risk mitigation, compliance assurance, and strengthening ER governance frameworks, while enabling business continuity in a high-volume, geographically dispersed environment. The role requires balancing employee fairness with organizational risk, ensuring zero regulatory exposure and consistent application of policies and disciplinary frameworks.

Roles & Responsibilities:

A. Statutory Compliance (PAN India):

- Ensure adherence to all applicable labour laws including Shops & Establishments Acts, POSH, Social Security regulations, and Labour Codes (Wages, OSH, IR, Social Security)

- Monitor statutory compliance across branches, offices, and vendor locations

- Ensure timely filings, registrations, renewals, and statutory record maintenance

- Drive standardization of compliance processes across locations

B. Labour Inspections & Regulatory Liaison:

- Lead handling of labour inspections, notices, and regulatory audits across jurisdictions

- Interface with labour authorities, inspectors, and government bodies

- Ensure timely, accurate, and defensible responses to notices and compliance queries

- Drive end-to-end closure of inspection observations with zero risk exposure

C. Legal & Litigation Management:

- Manage labour litigation, disputes, and conciliation matters

- Coordinate with internal legal teams and external counsel for case strategy and representation

- Ensure accurate documentation, evidence management, and case tracking

- Drive timely closure and favorable outcomes in employee-related legal matters

D. Contingent Workforce Management:

- Govern lifecycle of contingent workforce (onboarding to exit) across vendors

- Ensure compliance with CLRA and applicable labour laws for outsourced workforce

- Monitor vendor adherence to statutory obligations and payment compliance

- Drive cost governance while mitigating compliance and reputational risks

E. Vendor Management:

- Oversee compliance aspects of vendor contracts and engagement models

- Define and monitor SLAs, compliance scorecards, and audit mechanisms

- Conduct vendor audits and ensure closure of compliance gaps

- Partner with procurement and business teams on risk-proof engagement structures

F. Employee Relations:

- Manage disciplinary processes including show cause, charge sheets, domestic inquiries, and closure actions

- Handle employee grievances, escalations, and sensitive cases with objectivity

- Conduct investigations into misconduct, fraud, and policy violations

- Support performance-related interventions and high-risk employee cases

G. Policy Design & Governance:

- Draft, review, and update HR policies, standing orders, and ER frameworks

- Ensure policies are aligned with evolving labour laws and regulatory expectations

- Drive consistent policy interpretation and implementation across locations

- Build governance structures for ER processes and decision-making

H. Compliance Audits & Risk Management:

- Lead internal and external compliance audits (statutory, regulatory, and internal controls)

- Identify compliance gaps and implement corrective/preventive actions

- Track and ensure timely closure of audit observations

- Build a proactive compliance risk management framework

I. Data & Reporting:

- Develop and manage compliance dashboards, ER MIS, and litigation trackers

- Provide actionable insights on ER trends, compliance risks, and case metrics

- Track key indicators such as disciplinary TAT, audit closures, and compliance scores

- Support leadership reporting with data-backed insights

J. Stakeholder Management:

- Partner with HRBPs, Business Heads, Legal, Compliance, Audit, and external regulators

- Act as a trusted advisor on ER and compliance-related matters

- Ensure alignment between business priorities and compliance requirements

- Drive cross-functional collaboration for risk mitigation

K. Capability Building:

- Design and conduct training for managers on disciplinary processes, labour laws, and POSH compliance

- Build awareness on employee conduct, ethics, and compliance responsibilities

- Strengthen ER capabilities across HR and business teams

Secondary Responsibilities:

- Support organizational initiatives related to culture, compliance, and leadership development from an ER perspective.

- Contribute to cross-functional projects and committees as the ER representative.

Education Qualification:

- Graduation: Bachelor's degree any relevant stream

- Post-graduation: Master's degree in Human Resources or Law (preferred).

- LL.B. preferred (strong advantage for litigation and compliance roles)

Experience:

- 10 - 15 years in HR with strong focus on Employee Relations and Compliance.

- Proven experience in handling high employee volumes and multi-location operations.

- Demonstrated exposure to labour laws, regulatory interactions, and ER case management.

- Industry Preference: Banking, Retail, Telecom, or other regulated sectors.