Project Manager - HR IT & Digital Initiatives

Saint Gobain; Chennai; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Saint Gobain in Chennai is seeking an experienced Project Manager (HR IT & Digital Initiatives) to lead medium to large HR technology programs and AI-based initiatives. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, deliver HRMS and payroll projects, and ensure delivery excellence across the lifecycle.

The role requires 10–15 years of total experience with 4–5 years in project management, and leadership of a 25–30 member delivery team, with emphasis on governance, compliance, and value

Qualifications

• Experience in HR applications implementation or management (HRMS, Payroll, Attendance).
• Understanding of HR data models, workflows, integrations, and compliance.
• Exposure to AI-based platforms and ability to manage AI/ML initiatives.
• Experience managing multi-technology landscapes and enterprise-scale platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project lifecycle: scope definition, planning, budgeting, execution, monitoring, risk management, and closure.
• Manage delivery for HR technology projects involving HRMS, payroll, performance systems, workforce management, and employee experience platforms.
• Drive AI/automation use cases within the HR domain, ensuring feasibility assessments, implementation, and adoption.
• Maintain project documentation, progress dashboards, communication plans, and governance structures.
• Lead and mentor a delivery team of 25–30 members including developers, testers, analysts, and support engineers.
• Engage with multiple business units, HR teams, COEs, compliance teams, and technical leads to align priorities.

Skills

HR applications

HR data models

AI platforms

Multi-technology landscapes

Project management

Budget & risks

Vendor relationships

Communication

Leadership & mentoring

Ownership & initiative

Problem-solving

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology/IT

MBA HR/Systems (plus)

Job description

Job Description – Project Manager (HR IT & Digital Initiatives)

Location: Chennai, India

Type : Work from office/All Days

Experience: 10–15 years (with 4–5 years in Project Management)

Function: IT / HR Technology

Reports To: IT Director / Digital HR Leadership

1. Role Summary

The Project Manager will be responsible for leading medium to large-scale HR Technology projects, managing cross-functional teams, and driving implementation of enterprise HR applications and AI-based initiatives.

The role requires strong domain knowledge in HR, hands-on project delivery experience, and the ability to manage complex multi-stakeholder environments. The candidate will also mentor team members, promote innovation, and ensure delivery excellence across the project lifecycle.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Project Leadership & Delivery

• Lead end-to-end project lifecycle: scope definition, planning, budgeting, execution, monitoring, risk management, and closure.
• Manage delivery for HR technology projects involving HRMS, payroll, performance systems, workforce management, and employee experience platforms.
• Drive AI/automation use cases within the HR domain, ensuring feasibility assessments, implementation, and adoption.
• Maintain project documentation, progress dashboards, communication plans, and governance structures.

B. Team & Stakeholder Management

• Lead and mentor a delivery team of 25–30 members including developers, testers, analysts, and support engineers.
• Engage with multiple business units, HR teams, COEs, compliance teams, and technical leads to align priorities and ensure smooth execution.
• Facilitate project ceremonies—scrums, reviews, retrospectives, workshops, UAT planning, and executive updates.
• Build a collaborative, positive, and high-motivation environment within the team.

C. HR Domain & Compliance Expertise

• Work closely with HR business teams to understand process impacts, map requirements, and translate them into actionable technical specifications.
• Demonstrate strong working knowledge of HR processes (Core HR, Time, Payroll, Talent, L&D, Onboarding, HR Ops).
• Bring understanding of Indian HR compliance, including Wage Codes, labor law changes, statutory requirements, and audit readiness.
• Ensure implementation of application controls, role-based access, and data security practices.

D. Technology, AI & Platform Exposure

• Manage implementation, integration, and enhancement of HR applications using diverse technologies such as enterprise HRMS platforms, workflow tools, analytics tools, and integration engines.
• Explore, evaluate, and implement AI platforms for HR—Chatbots, document processing, predictive analytics, automation, etc.
• Work with architects and engineering teams on platform modernization, API integrations, cloud migration, and scalability initiatives.

E. Governance, Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Set and monitor KPIs, SLAs, delivery metrics, and quality parameters.
• Implement best practices in project governance, documentation, testing, and release management.
• Identify opportunities for automation and process optimization across HR IT operations.
• Ensure alignment with organizational objectives, cost management, and value realization.

3. Required Skills & Competencies

Technical & Domain Skills

• Strong experience in HR applications implementation or management (HRMS, Payroll, Attendance, Talent Systems, etc.).
• Understanding of HR data models, workflows, integrations, and compliance.
• Exposure to AI-based platforms and ability to manage AI/ML initiatives.
• Experience in managing multi-technology landscapes and enterprise-scale platforms.

Project Management Skills

• Proven delivery experience for large-scale HR or enterprise projects.
• Proficiency in project management methodologies—Waterfall/Agile/Hybrid.
• Ability to manage project budgets, risks, dependencies, and vendor relationships.
• Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.

Leadership & Behavioral Skills

• Ability to inspire, mentor, and lead teams with diverse skill sets.
• Positive mindset with strong ownership, initiative-taking, and problem-solving capability.
• Structured thinking, analytical ability, and decision-making confidence.
• High level of adaptability, learning agility, and openness to emerging technologies.

4. Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology/IT (MBA HR/Systems is a plus).
• 10–15 years of total experience with at least 4–5 years as a Project Manager.
• Certifications like PMP / PRINCE2 / Agile / Scrum Master are preferred.

5. Nice-to-Have

• Experience in digital HR transformation programs.
• Experience in RPA/automation projects.
• Exposure to multi-country/multi-business HR implementations (advantageous but not mandatory).