People & Culture Lead — Build the Function, Not Just Run It

ColoredCow; Gurgaon; Hybrid; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ownership of the entire function

Opportunity to shape company growth

High-impact team leadership

Job summary

A dynamic software company in Gurgaon is seeking a People & Culture Lead to own a fully documented function and make it operational amid an AI transition. This role requires 3–7 years of experience in creating people operations, strong judgment in complex situations, and comfort using AI tools. You will be responsible for hiring, onboarding, appraisal processes, and managing the talent pipeline across multiple locations. Flexible travel to Tehri and Dwarahat is necessary. Competitive compensation between ₹12–18 LPA is offered.

Qualifications

• 3–7 years of experience building people operations in a small company.
• Experience designing and deploying a people system rather than inheriting one.
• Willingness to embrace ambiguity and work in hill towns.

Responsibilities

• Hire and onboard people for roles reshaped by AI.
• Run appraisal conversations covering honest feedback.
• Manage a talent pipeline at hill colleges.

Skills

People operations

Judgment in complex situations

Self-discipline

Comfort using AI tools

Job description

People & Culture Lead — Build the Function, Not Just Run It

People Operations

We’ve built the system. We need the person. If you’ve ever wanted to own an entire People & Culture function — not inherit a broken one, but walk into a documented one and make it run — at a company navigating the AI transition, this is that role.

Overview

ColoredCow is a bootstrapped software company of 30 people, 11 years old, with offices in Gurgaon, Tehri, and Dwarahat. We build custom software for social sector organizations, US marketing agencies, and healthcare clients. No HR department has ever existed. The value of people and judgment is rising as AI redefines the software industry.

What This Role Actually Is

You walk into a mid‑transformation company and take ownership of the people function: hiring, onboarding, appraisals, growth paths, team health, the university talent pipeline, and multi‑site coordination across three hill offices. You’ll make daily judgment calls to navigate a team through the biggest shift in the software industry in decades.

Responsibilities

• Hire and onboard people for roles reshaped by AI.
• Run appraisal conversations covering honest feedback, even when uncomfortable.
• Manage a talent pipeline at hill colleges through authentic problem‑solving.
• Coordinate across Gurgaon, Tehri, and Dwarahat, traveling regularly.
• Work directly with the CEO; no middle layer or HR director above you.
• Own the function that all other functions depend on.

Qualifications

• 3–7 years of experience building (not just running) people operations in a small company.
• Experience designing and deploying a people system rather than inheriting one.
• Strong judgment in complex people situations where policy does not provide an answer.
• Comfort using AI tools as a default operating mode.
• Self‑discipline to maintain systems with weekly pulses, monthly check‑ins, and quarterly reviews.
• Willingness to embrace ambiguity, work in hill towns, and accept direct founder challenge.

Location & Travel

Gurgaon office with regular travel to Tehri and Dwarahat; presence in all three sites is required.

Compensation & Benefits

₹12–18 LPA, depending on experience. In addition to salary, you receive ownership of an entire function from day one, a fully documented system ready for execution, the chance to shape a company’s growth through the AI transition, and the opportunity to lead a high‑impact team.