Head Human Resource

Somani Technologies; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,200,000 - 9,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Somani Technologies seeks an exceptional Head of HR to architect and execute a people strategy during a transformational growth phase in India's fast-growing biopharma landscape.

The role partners with the CEO and leadership to build organizational capability, attract world-class scientific talent, and establish the company as an employer of choice. You will drive culture, performance, and leadership development across critical scientific domains.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive HR leadership experience with 8+ years in senior roles.
• Proven track record in biopharma, biotech, manufacturing, pharma, or life sciences.
• Deep understanding of scientific talent markets, R&D culture, GMP environments.
• Strategic business partner to C-suite and Board stakeholders.
• Successful in high-growth settings: scaling teams, entering new markets, M&A integration.
• Expertise in recruiting hard-to-fill scientific roles: computational biology, biologics, regulatory.
• Strong analytical capability: workforce analytics and metrics-driven decisions.
• Familiarity with Indian biotech ecosystem and regulatory landscape.
• Execution excellence with a practical, results-oriented mindset.

Responsibilities

• Translate business strategy into an integrated talent strategy with the CEO and leadership.
• Architect organizational design to support pipeline expansion and commercial scale-up.
• Lead workforce planning for AI-driven drug discovery, computational biology, and manufacturing.
• Drive culture transformation balancing scientific rigor, speed, and collaboration.
• Champion DEI with measurable impact on representation and belonging.
• Build employer brand and internal mobility programs to attract and retain top talent.
• Redesign performance management into a continuous development engine.
• Establish succession planning and high-potential programs for leadership pipeline.
• Design total rewards balancing market competitiveness with mission-driven culture.
• Ensure compliance with Indian labor law, GMP requirements, and global standards.
• Build HR team and centers of excellence in critical domains.

Skills

HR leadership

Strategic partnership

Workforce analytics

Talent acquisition (scientific roles)

Leadership in high-growth environments

Change management

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Master's in HR/Business/Psychology

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

We seek an exceptional HR leader to architect and execute our people strategy during a transformational growth phase. As Head of HR, you will be a strategic business partner to the CEO and leadership team, building organizational capability to support our ambitious pipeline, attract world-class scientific talent, and establish our company as the employer of choice in India's competitive biopharma landscape.

This is a rare opportunity to shape culture, drive talent excellence, and create sustainable competitive advantage through people in one of India's fastest-growing sectors.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Partner with CEO and Executive Committee to translate business strategy into integrated talent strategy
• Build organizational architecture to support pipeline expansion, therapeutic area diversification, and commercial scale-up
• Lead workforce planning for critical capabilities: AI-driven drug discovery, computational biology, advanced biologics manufacturing, regulatory excellence
• Drive culture transformation balancing scientific rigor, innovation, speed, and collaboration
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion with measurable impact on representation and belonging

Talent Acquisition & Management

• Architect talent acquisition strategy to compete with global biopharma, tech giants, and Western opportunities for India's best scientific minds
• Build employer brand positioning our mission, scientific impact, and career opportunities
• Design career frameworks enabling dual tracks: technical expertise (Principal Scientist) and people leadership
• Establish internal mobility programs reducing reliance on external hiring and accelerating capability development
• Create succession planning and high-potential programs ensuring leadership pipeline strength

Performance & Development

• Redesign performance management from administrative process to continuous development engine
• Implement competency frameworks reflecting evolving skill needs: domain expertise + data science + cross-functional collaboration
• Build learning ecosystem combining scientific excellence, leadership development, and emerging capabilities (AI/ML, regulatory data science)
• Partner with IISc, NCBS, and global institutions for specialized talent development programs
• Drive manager effectiveness through training, coaching, and accountability for people outcomes

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Create employee voice mechanisms ensuring all levels from lab scientists to senior leaders—feel heard and valued
• Design retention strategies addressing segment-specific needs: early career mentorship, mid-career growth, senior impact opportunities
• Build total rewards philosophy balancing market competitiveness with mission-driven culture
• Address unique challenges of two-tier workforce (lab-based vs. computational/regulatory roles) ensuring equitable experience
• Establish wellness programs supporting mental health in high-pressure R&D environment

Organizational Effectiveness

• Lead organizational design initiatives supporting agility, cross-functional collaboration, and speed to market
• Drive HR analytics and metrics-based decision making: predictive attrition, skills gap analysis, performance-outcome correlationImplement HR technology stack enabling seamless employee experience and strategic insights
• Ensure compliance with Indian labor law, GMP requirements, and global regulatory standards
• Build HR team capability and establish centers of excellence in critical domains

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• 15+ years progressive HR leadership experience, including 8+ years in senior leadership roles
• Proven track record (preferably?) in biopharma, biotech, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, or life sciences industries
• Deep understanding of scientific talent markets, R&D culture, and GMP-regulated environments
• Strategic business partnership experience with C-suite and Board-level stakeholders
• Demonstrated success in high-growth environments: scaling teams 2-3x, entering new markets, managing M&A integration
• Expertise in talent acquisition for hard-to-fill scientific roles: computational biology, biologics manufacturing, regulatory affairs
• Strong analytical capability: workforce analytics, predictive modelling, metrics-driven decision making
• Master's degree in HR, Business, Psychology, or related field; MBA preferred
• Familiarity with Indian biotech ecosystem: academic partnerships, government initiatives, regulatory landscape
• Execution Excellence