Head of Human Resources

Patra Corporation; Visakhapatnam; On-site; INR 6,000,000 - 10,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Patra Corporation seeks a seasoned Head of HR for India to partner with India and US leadership, aligning HR strategy with global goals while adapting to local regulatory realities. This senior leader will head the India HRBP team and influence governance across functions in a dynamic delivery environment.

The role emphasizes talent development, organizational design, and change management within a values-driven culture that balances global standards with India-specific requirements.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 8 years leading an HRBP team in India in BPO or tech services.
• Demonstrated success operating in a global matrix, reporting into NA or international HR leadership.
• Deep expertise in Indian labor law, statutory compliance, and POSH.
• Strong knowledge of talent acquisition and compensation in the India market, including high-volume hiring.
• Experience with HR analytics and metrics-driven decisions.
• Experience supporting 24x7 or multi-shift operations preferred.
• Executive presence and ability to influence senior leaders without direct authority.
• Comfort with HR technology; Darwinbox experience a plus.
• MBA or postgraduate degree in Human Resources preferred.

Responsibilities

• Align HR strategies and plans with the business strategy, executing an India HR plan tied to global objectives.
• Execute strategic direction from global HR, implementing value-added initiatives and programs.
• Foster a high-performance, client-centric culture across the India organization.
• Leverage HR policies and analytics to improve retention, utilization, and productivity.
• Champion collaboration with India Operations, Technology, and Compliance teams.
• Translate global HR strategy into India execution with local adaptations as needed.
• Provide leadership, advice, and counsel to senior leaders in India on HR issues.

Skills

HR Leadership

Strategic HR

Employee Relations

Talent Acquisition

Change Management

HR Analytics

POSH Compliance

Regulatory Compliance

People Management

Executive Presence

Education

MBA in HR

Job description

Patra is an outcome-focused operating partner working exclusively for the insurance industry. Combining expert global teams, process intelligence, and purpose-built technology, Patra delivers measurable results to clients. With 20 years of deep domain expertise, exceptional client retention rates, and significant sustained investment in AI, Patra partners with agencies, brokers, MGAs, MGUs, and carriers to transform how insurance operations are delivered.

Position Summary

Patra is seeking a seasoned HR leader to serve as Head of HR for our operations in India. As the senior HRBP leader in the country, the Head of HR is the primary point of HR partnership for India-based senior leaders, requiring a strong blend of business partnering skill and operational excellence, with a deep understanding of talent dynamics in a global delivery environment.

This role leads the India HR Business Partner team, shares accountability of recruiting and total rewards outcomes in India with the US leaders of those functions, and ensures that the global HR strategy is executed with local rigor, compliance, and cultural fluency. The Head of HR will play a critical role in building a high-performing HR team, strengthening operational leadership capabilities, and embedding a strong values-driven culture aligned with global standards.

Operating as a true business partner to India site and operations leadership, the Head of HR maintains tight alignment with the North America based global HR leader – to whom the role reports directly – while adapting global programs to the realities of the Indian market and regulatory environment. The role requires the ability to lead through influence in a global matrix, balancing country-level HRBP ownership with joint accountability across functions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Leadership

• Align HR strategies and plans with the business strategy, executing an India HR plan tied to global business and delivery objectives
• Execute the strategic direction set by global HR, including implementation of value-added HR initiatives and programs that support business priorities
• Foster a high-performance, client-centric, and collaborative culture across the India organization
• Leverage HR policies, programs, and practices to create and maintain a positive, high-performing workplace
• Leverage HR analytics to improve retention, utilization, and productivity; support, track, and report HR metrics as a means of measuring the effectiveness of our people practices
• Champion collaboration across the India HR team, and Patra Operations, Technology, and Compliance teams
• Proactively communicate with management in India to ensure appropriate collaboration on employee activities and processes
• Have a curiosity to dig into small issues before they become a problem

HR Business Partnership and Leadership Advisory

• Provide leadership, advice, and counsel to senior leaders in India on human resources issues, serving as the primary HR point of contact for the country's leadership population
• Lead the regional HRBP organization and its key initiatives, ensuring consistent quality of partnership across sites and functions
• Act as leader of a high-performing, collaborative HR team that mutually supports overall internal customer groups and each other
• Advise leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, leadership effectiveness, and change management tied to transformation initiatives
• Translate global HR strategy, policy, and programs into India execution, identifying local legal or cultural adaptations where required

Employee Relations, Compliance, and Operations

• Advise senior management on the appropriate resolution of escalated employee relations issues; own employee relations for India, including investigations, disciplinary matters, POSH compliance, and grievance handling
• Educate supervisors and managers and monitor management actions and decisions to maintain legal and company policy compliance and values
• Partner with the Patra compliance function to ensure compliance with Indian labor laws and other statutory requirements, including PF, ESI, gratuity, shops and establishments, and contract labor regulations, with alignment to global HR governance
• Partner with HR Operations on HRIS adoption and data integrity for the India employee population

Talent, Engagement, and Culture

• Identify and develop leadership talent for pipeline and succession planning, including building leadership pipelines for delivery heads
• Manage projects, programs, and practices that engage, inspire, and recognize workforce performance
• Drive engagement initiatives tailored to distributed Operations teams
• Partner with all HR functions, including Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, Compensation, Benefits, and HR Operations, to deliver quality service

Talent Acquisition (joint with NA TA leadership)

• Co-accountability for India hiring outcomes, including volume, quality, time-to-fill, and cost-per-hire against operational demand
• Partner with the NA Talent Acquisition leader on recruiting strategy, employer brand in the India market, sourcing channels, and vendor management
• Ensure hiring plans remain synchronized with capacity planning and client ramp requirements

Total Rewards (joint with NA Total Rewards leadership)

• Work with management and Total Rewards colleagues to ensure compensation and benefits are competitive and equitable, co-owning India compensation and benefits strategy with attention to market competitiveness, internal equity, and cost discipline
• Provide India market intelligence on pay benchmarks, statutory benefits, and emerging practices to inform global rewards decisions
• Oversee execution of merit, promotion, and incentive cycles for the India population in line with the global calendar

Global Stakeholder Management

• Act as the India voice in global HR forums and initiatives
• Bring global best practices into local execution
• Maintain tight operating rhythms with NA-based HR leadership, with decision rights clearly documented across jointly owned functions

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 8 years leading an HRBP team in India, ideally within BPO, ITES, technology services, or global shared services
• Demonstrated success operating in a global matrix, reporting into NA or other international HR leadership
• Deep expertise in Indian labor law, statutory compliance, and POSH
• Strong working knowledge of talent acquisition and compensation in the India market, including high-volume hiring environments
• Experience with HR analytics and metrics-driven decision making
• Experience supporting 24x7 or multi-shift operations preferred
• Executive presence and the ability to influence senior operations leaders without direct authority
• Comfort with HR technology; Darwinbox experience a plus
• MBA or postgraduate degree in Human Resources preferred

Patra Corporation is an equal opportunity employer committed to celebrating diversity and creating a safe and inclusive environment for all employees.