Position Overview:

This position represents the organisation's first dedicated Human Resources hire. The incumbent will be solely responsible for the end-to-end Human Resources function, covering offer negotiations, policy ownership, employee engagement, query resolution, grievance handling, attendance management, payroll, statutory compliance and performance management.

This is a single-point-of-ownership role. There is no existing Human Resources team or structure, and the incumbent will be expected to independently establish, run and continuously improve every aspect of the function. Candidates who have built an HR function from scratch, and who have set up HR processes and systems from the ground up, are an ideal fit.

This is not a specialist or recruitment-focused role. While the position does not include full-cycle recruitment, it does include ownership of offer negotiations for all hires. All other dimensions of the employee lifecycle and Human Resources operations rest with this individual.

Key Responsibilities:

Offer Management:

- Lead compensation discussions and offer negotiations with selected candidates.

- Ensure offers are consistent with internal parity, budget and role benchmarks.

- Coordinate with hiring managers to finalise terms and close candidates.

Policy Ownership:

- Design, implement and continuously update all Human Resources policies leave, attendance, code of conduct, prevention of sexual harassment and separation procedures.

- Serve as the final point of authority on policy interpretation and application.

HR Business Partnering:

- Partner directly with founders and functional leaders to translate business priorities into people strategy and workforce decisions.

- Advise leadership on organisation structure, role clarity, team design and workforce deployment as the company scales.

- Act as the primary HR advisor to managers on people-related decisions, including hiring, performance and team structuring.

- Provide people insights and recommendations to support business planning and decision-making.

Payroll and Statutory Compliance:

- Own end-to-end monthly payroll processing, including salary computation, statutory deductions and disbursement accuracy.

- Ensure full statutory compliance, including provident fund, employee state insurance, professional tax, gratuity and applicable labour regulations.

- Maintain audit-ready compliance records and coordinate filings, inspections and statutory returns.

- Manage full-and-final settlements and exit-related statutory obligations.

Employee Engagement:

- Design and execute employee engagement initiatives and cultural activities.

- Own the onboarding experience end-to-end, from offer acceptance through induction.

- Build and maintain a positive workplace culture as the organisation scales.

Employee Queries and Grievance Handling:

- Serve as the primary and only point of contact for all employee queries, concerns and grievances.

- Manage grievance resolution processes fairly, confidentially and within defined timelines.

- Escalate sensitive matters to founders where required, while maintaining employee trust.

Attendance and Employee Lifecycle Administration:

- Own attendance, leave tracking and related administrative processes end-to-end.

- Manage the complete employee lifecycle: onboarding, transfers, exits and full-and-final settlements.

- Maintain accurate employee records and documentation.

Performance Management:

- Design and administer the organisation's performance management framework, including goal-setting, review cycles and feedback processes.

- Coordinate performance discussions between employees and managers.

- Support identification of development needs and career progression conversations.

Candidate Requirements:

- MBA or PGDM in Human Resource Management from a top B-school (e.g. IIMs, XLRI, TISS, FMS, MDI or equivalent) required.

- Demonstrated experience building an HR function from scratch - policies, processes and systems set up from the ground up - rather than operating within an existing HR structure.

- Working knowledge across policy formulation, compensation, payroll, statutory compliance, employee relations and performance management.

- Comfort operating as a sole point of ownership across multiple HR disciplines simultaneously.

- Strong judgment and discretion in handling sensitive employee matters.

- Prior experience in a startup or direct-to-consumer environment preferred.

What This Role Offers:

- Direct reporting relationship with founders and full ownership of the Human Resources function from day one.

- Complete autonomy in designing and running Human Resources for the organisation.

- A defined career progression pathway toward a senior Human Resources leadership position as the organisation scales.