People Partner

Novartis India; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Novartis India is seeking a People Partner in Hyderabad to advise leaders on HR topics, support lifecycle events, and implement country HR changes in line with policy.

You will partner with managers and associates, drive DEI initiatives, onboarding, data analytics, and ensure compliance with local regulations, coordinating with unions when needed.

This role requires an MBA in HR and 6–12 years of HR experience, with strong stakeholder management and cross-country collaboration.

Qualifications

• MBA in HR or equivalent with 6–12 years HR experience (min. 3 years as HR Generalist).
• Strong stakeholder management, cross-functional collaboration and independent work capability.
• Experience managing complex matrix environments and program/project management.

Responsibilities

• Partner and coach managers and associates on People related processes.
• Drive HR initiatives and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
• Design onboarding initiatives and communication of inclusion and safety.
• Leverage data analytics to identify risk and inform decisions.
• Lead in-country transformations and restructure lifecycles with unions.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Bias for action

Customer centricity

Influencing skills

Relationship building

Independent working

Education

MBA in HR or equivalent

Job description

About The Role

As a People Partner, you act as a trusted advisor offering in‑country policy expertise and knowledge to support and educate leaders, managers and associates on all HR topics on the moments that matter. People Partners support all divisional customer groups in country enabling the delivery of lifecycle events, the employee value proposition, talent acquisition, talent management, learning, performance management, employee relations, rewards, pay and reporting. In addition, People Partners implement HR change initiatives at a country level acting as detailed designers and agents of change by working with Business Partners.

Summary

Location: Hyderabad, India

Key Responsibilities

• Partnering and coaching managers and associates on People related Processes and moments that matter. Embraces customer feedback to understand the customer journey with moments that matter and drives continuous improvement.
• Drives HR initiatives, supporting the overall HR strategy, activating business ownership and accountability of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Advises on and handles diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels, e.g., gender representation, LGBTI, pay equity – champions culture and supports implementation of corporate initiatives (e.g. Evolve, hybrid working).
• Communicates full spectrum of inclusion & Psychological Safety – designs new hire onboarding initiatives.
• Drives buy‑in and utilization of data and analytics to identify risk and trends, and to apply these business insights to inform decisions and actions.
• Ensures compliance with local equity / Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations – first point of escalation for all leaders and managers on their day‑to‑day HR topics, providing expert advice, guidance and support.
• Leads the delivery of in‑country transformations, consults and negotiates with local works council / unions, provides advice and guidance for managers through the local process, oversees associate notice / handover meetings and overall restructuring lifecycle.
• Leads the execution of local implementation of large‑scale organizational and day‑to‑day organizational structure changes, in line with country regulations / policies.
• Leads alignment and harmonization of local regulations with HR Board; monitors compliance, risk management and reviews HR controls (as part of the NFCM framework) working with People Partner team.
• Provides coaching and counselling to Country HR Business Partners on local policies and processes.
• Seeks to establish strong relationships with cross‑divisional HR community members to understand needs and challenges and drive continuous improvement.

Essential Requirements

• MBA in HR or equivalent (preferably full‑time) with 6 to 12 years of work experience in a HR environment (min. 3 years HR Generalist profile).
• Strong stakeholder management, bias for action, customer centricity, influencing skills, capability to build relationships and work independently.
• Managing complex matrix environments, program/project management skills, and strong cross‑country collaboration skills.
• Ensures compliance to global/country standards by meeting acceptable tolerances of risks / issues / audit findings.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience in the pharmaceutical / life sciences industry.
• Demonstrates ability to leverage data and analytics using AI/automation for business insights to inform business decisions evidenced through positive client feedback.
• Demonstrates service delivery levels within defined SLAs; demonstrates simplification and optimization of local People Partner team processes (e.g., time efficiencies, handoff reduction, quality improvement).
• Demonstrates strong change management and transformation capability and adherence to country‑level process nuances.
• Ability to understand the business nuances and to process solutions to senior leaders that have impact on the business.

Benefits and Rewards

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