People Relations Partner

Castrol; Pune District; On-site; INR 3,800,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Castrol in Pune invites an experienced professional to lead employee and labour relations for India. You will set governance, guide teams through complex cases, and oversee union negotiations and conciliation activities. You will partner with P&C and Legal to manage workforce changes and regulatory compliance.

You will drive investigations, develop bargaining strategies, and mentor leaders to strengthen governance and employee experience across a matrix organisation.

Qualifications

• Degree in business, law, human resources management or a related discipline.
• 8–12 years in employee relations and industrial relations in India, preferably with manufacturing or operational workforces.
• Experience with recognised trade unions and leading collective bargaining, wage negotiations or long-term settlements.
• Strong knowledge of Indian labour and employment requirements, including conciliation and standing orders.
• Proven experience leading complex workplace investigations and handling sensitive complaints and disciplinary matters.
• Experience supporting organisational change, outsourcing, restructurings, or workforce reductions.
• Judgement balancing legal, employee, operational and reputational considerations.
• Influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management at senior leadership level in a matrix organisation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for executive briefings and sensitive employee communications.
• Ability to analyse case data and metrics to identify trends and strengthen governance.
• Reduced labour relations risk exposure and litigation costs through effective management.
• Timely resolution of complex employee disputes and investigations.
• Successful negotiation outcomes and constructive employee representative relationships.
• Compliant, well-managed workforce transitions and organisational change.
• Improved manager and P&C capability and decision quality.

Responsibilities

• Develop the employee and labour relations strategy for India and drive governance frameworks.
• Support business partnering teams with complex employee relations cases including misconduct and harassment.
• Oversee investigation quality, evidence reviews and litigation risk; embed lessons learned.
• Lead negotiations with recognised trade unions and employee representatives, incl. wage negotiations.
• Develop bargaining strategies and negotiate collective agreements covering pay, benefits, working time and changes.
• Provide ER leadership during acquisitions, divestments, integrations, outsourcing, reorganisations and site changes.
• Assess labour risks and ensure compliant implementation with Legal and P&C.
• Engage with labour authorities and support conciliation matters and standing orders interpretation.
• Conduct regional workforce risk reviews and provide leaders with insights on trends and risks.
• Coach P&C and business leaders, build capability and set governance standards.
• Build relationships with executive leaders, unions, compliance teams and external advisers.

Skills

People relations leadership

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Legal and compliance awareness

Conflict resolution

Workforce change management

Industrial relations

Unions engagement

Education

Degree in business, law, human resources management or a related discipline

Job description

Job Description:

Castrol is one of the world’s leading lubricant brands, serving customers and consumers in the automotive, marine, industrial and energy sectors. Castrol brands are recognised globally for their premium quality and high performance, shaped by the company’s commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology. With products sold in more than 150 countries, Castrol has helped keep things moving on roads and racetracks, air, sea, and space for over 125 years.

Whether you’re just starting out or ready for your next big move, you’re in the right place to explore an exciting career with Castrol.

Job description

About the team

The People Relations team enables fair, consistent and legally compliant people practices while supporting business transformation. The team partners with P&C, Legal, Compliance, business leaders, employee representatives, unions and external advisers to manage complex employee and labour relations matters across the organisation.

Based in Pune within Castrol P&C team, this role reports to the Head of People Relations and acts as the organisations employee and industrial relations expert for India. The role combines strategic leadership with hands‑on oversight of complex cases, negotiations and workforce change.

Key tasks

• Develop the employee and labour relations strategy for India, establish governance frameworks and drive consistent, high-quality practices.
• Support and guide business partnering teams with complex and sensitive employee relations cases, including misconduct, ethics concerns, conflicts of interest, retaliation allegations, harassment complaints, grievances, disciplinary actions, executive investigations and whistleblowing matters by guiding partnering teams.
• Oversee investigation quality, evidence reviews, outcome consistency, escalation processes and litigation risk; ensure lessons learned are embedded into business practices.
• Lead negotiations with recognised trade unions and employee representatives, including wage negotiations and long‑term settlements.
• Develop bargaining strategies, negotiation plans and communication approaches, and negotiate collective agreements covering pay, benefits, working time, attendance, shifts, organisational change, flexibility and employee welfare.
• Provide employee and labour relations leadership during acquisitions, divestments, integrations, outsourcing, reorganisations, site closures and workforce reductions.
• Assess labour risks, consultation obligations and employee communication requirements, partnering with Legal and P&C to develop compliant implementation plans.
• Lead engagement with labour authorities and support conciliation matters, standing orders interpretation, labour code compliance and industrial dispute prevention.
• Conduct regional workforce risk reviews, establish People Relations metrics and provide leaders with clear insight on workforce risks and trends.
• Coach P&C and business leaders, support business partnering professionals, build capability and establish standards that strengthen decision-making and employee experience.
• Build constructive relationships with executive leaders, unions, representative bodies, compliance teams and external advisers while supporting business transformation objectives.

Experience required

• Degree in business, law, human resources management or a related discipline.
• Significant experience (8-12 years) in employee relations and industrial relations in India, ideally supporting manufacturing or operational workforces.
• Demonstrated experience working with recognised trade unions and leading collective bargaining, wage negotiations or long‑term settlements.
• Strong practical knowledge of Indian labour and employment requirements, including labour authority engagement, conciliation, standing orders and industrial dispute prevention.
• Proven experience leading and guiding complex workplace investigations and managing sensitive complaints, disciplinary matters and employment risk.
• Experience supporting organisational change, restructuring, integrations, outsourcing, site change or workforce reduction programmes.
• Strong judgement and the ability to balance legal, employee, operational and reputational considerations in complex decisions.
• Excellent influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with confidence advising senior leaders and working across a matrix organisation.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive briefings, negotiation materials and sensitive employee communications.
• Ability to use case data, risk indicators and People Relations metrics to identify trends, strengthen governance and improve manager capability.
• Reduced employee and labour relations risk exposure and litigation cost.
• Effective and timely resolution of complex employee disputes and investigations.
• Successful negotiation outcomes and constructive employee representative relationships.
• Compliant, well‑managed workforce transitions and organisational change.
• Improved manager and P&C capability, decision quality and consistency of practice.

Privacy

The Castrol entity recruiting for this role is the data controller for the personal information you provide. We use it to assess your application and to manage the recruitment and onboarding process. We may share it with service providers who support our recruitment, and it may be transferred to other Castrol entities internationally under appropriate safeguards. We keep it only for as long as necessary. For details of how we use your information and your data protection rights, contact [e-mail].

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to Castrol recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.

Requirements: