Human Resources Director

Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP Group); Chennai District; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The HR Director will spearhead the India HR strategy, building the local function from the ground up and aligning with global HR standards while supporting M&A integration. The role requires extensive leadership experience in manufacturing or automotive settings and fluency in English.

Based in Chennai, India, the role involves partnerships with India leadership and the European Group HR function to drive governance, policies and people analytics across the organisation.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of HR experience with senior leadership responsibility.
• Experience as HR Director / Head of HR / Senior HR Business Partner within a complex organisation.
• Experience in manufacturing, automotive, engineering or industrial environments.
• Experience building or transforming HR functions, systems and policies.
• Strong M&A experience including HR due diligence and post-merger integration.
• Solid knowledge of Indian employment and labour legislation.
• Experience working with European or international headquarters and implementing global HR policies locally.
• Fluency in English.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the India HR strategy, organisation, policies and processes.
• Establish the HR framework aligned with Indian regulations and global standards.
• Lead HR workstream across M&A activities in India, including due diligence and integration.
• Build and lead a high-performing local HR team.
• Interface between the India organisation and Group HR in Europe.
• Partner with manufacturing/plant operations and senior leadership.
• Develop talent, succession, and employee engagement initiatives.

Skills

Senior HR Leader

HR Strategy

Stakeholder Management

Change Management

English Fluency

Job description

About the Company

Our client is a globally recognised European automotive company with an established international presence and a strong reputation for engineering, innovation and operational excellence.

As part of its continued expansion in India, the company is strengthening its local organisation and is looking to appoint a Human Resources Director to lead the development of its HR function in the country.

This is a highly strategic and hands-on leadership opportunity. The successful candidate will play a central role in building the local HR organisation and infrastructure from the ground up, while also supporting the company's M&A activities and integration agenda.

The position will be based in Chennai, India.

About the Role

The HR Director will have overall responsibility for developing and implementing the company's India HR strategy, organisation, policies and processes.

A key priority will be to establish a robust and scalable local HR framework aligned with both Indian employment regulations and the Group's global HR standards.

The role will also play a leading role in M&A activities, including HR due diligence, organisation design, employee transition and post-merger integration, ensuring a smooth and effective integration of people, culture, systems and processes.

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience in manufacturing and/or the automotive industry, together with proven experience in building HR functions, managing organisational change and operating in complex international environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the overall HR strategy for the India business in alignment with global Group objectives.
• Act as a strategic HR partner to the India leadership team and key business stakeholders.
• Establish the HR organisation, structure and operating model required to support business growth.
• Build and lead a high-performing local HR team.
• Serve as the key interface between the India organisation and the Group HR function in Europe.

HR Function Build-Up

• Build the local HR function from the ground up, including policies, processes, systems and governance.
• Establish core HR processes covering recruitment, onboarding, performance management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, learning and development, talent management and succession planning.
• Develop and implement HR policies and procedures in compliance with Indian employment legislation.
• Introduce appropriate HR systems, reporting mechanisms, KPIs and people analytics.
• Ensure consistency between local HR practices and the Group's global policies and standards.
• Lead the HR workstream across M&A activities in India.
• Support HR due diligence, including organisational structure, workforce analysis, employment contracts, compensation, benefits and employee-related liabilities.
• Develop integration plans covering organisation design, people, culture, policies, systems and processes.
• Lead employee communication and change-management activities throughout the M&A process.
• Ensure effective employee transition and integration following acquisitions.
• Identify and mitigate people-related risks associated with M&A activities.

Manufacturing & Industrial HR

• Partner closely with plant, manufacturing, engineering, supply-chain and operational leadership.
• Develop HR practices suitable for a manufacturing and industrial environment, including workforce planning, shift structures, productivity, skills development and employee engagement.
• Support the development of talent pipelines for technical, engineering and manufacturing positions.
• Establish appropriate employee-relations and workforce-management practices.
• Support organisational transformation and operational excellence initiatives.

Talent & Organisation Development

• Develop talent acquisition and workforce-planning strategies to support business expansion.
• Establish leadership-development and succession-planning frameworks.
• Build capabilities and career-development programmes for local employees.
• Develop initiatives to strengthen employee engagement, retention and organisational culture.
• Support the development of a strong local leadership pipeline.

Employee Relations & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable Indian labour and employment legislation.
• Establish appropriate employee-relations frameworks and processes.
• Manage relationships with employees, employee representatives and relevant external stakeholders, where applicable.
• Ensure HR policies and practices meet both local legal requirements and global governance standards.
• Proactively identify and manage employment-related risks.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be a senior HR leader with strong experience in India, ideally gained within a manufacturing, automotive or other industrial environment.

Key requirements include:

• 15+ years of HR experience, with significant senior HR leadership responsibility.
• Proven experience as an HR Director / Head of HR / Senior HR Business Partner within a complex organisation.
• Strong experience in manufacturing, automotive, engineering or industrial environments.
• Demonstrated experience building or transforming HR functions, systems and policies.
• Strong M&A experience, including HR due diligence and post-merger integration.
• Solid knowledge of Indian employment and labour legislation.
• Experience working with European or other international headquarters and implementing global HR policies locally.
• Strong understanding of organisational design, workforce planning, talent management and employee relations.
• Experience working closely with manufacturing/plant operations and senior business leadership.
• Strong change-management and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on, particularly during the initial build-up of the India organisation.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Fluency in English is required.

Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidates will combine:

Automotive / Manufacturing Experience + India HR Leadership + M&A / Integration Experience + HR Function Build-Up + International / European Corporate Environment

This is an opportunity for an experienced HR leader to build a local HR organisation from the ground up and play a critical role in the company's next phase of growth in India.