Senior Manager / Associate Director – Human Resources

Bhumi; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,100,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Bhumi is seeking a Senior Manager to Associate Director – HR to own the people strategy for a growing social-sector organisation in Chennai. The role involves shaping systems, culture, and talent practices that support the mission, blending strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

You will lead HR strategy end-to-end, oversee talent acquisition, design performance systems, and drive leadership development while ensuring compliant, audit-ready HR operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in HR, Business Administration, or related field; MBA/PGDM preferred.
• 10 to 15 years of progressive HR experience, depending on level.
• Demonstrated experience leading HR teams and driving strategic HR initiatives.
• Prior NGO/social sector experience valued but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the HR strategy end-to-end, aligning people practices with mission goals.
• Head talent acquisition, workforce planning, and employer branding.
• Design and run performance management, learning initiatives, and leadership pipelines.
• Drive employee engagement through surveys and action planning.
• Ensure smooth HR operations: policies, HRMIS, payroll, and compliance.
• Mentor the HR team; use people analytics for insights and improvements.
• Demonstrate strategic thinking, leadership, and strong stakeholder management.

Skills

Strategic HR leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in HR/Business Administration (MBA/PGDM preferred)

Tools

HRIS/HRMIS

Payroll coordination

Job description

• State/Province Tamil Nadu
• Country India

Job Description

Role Overview

The Senior Manager / Associate Director – HRis a senior leadership role for an HR professional who wants to build — notjust manage. This role owns the people strategy for a growing social-sectororganisation: designing the systems, culture, and talent practices that let ourmission thrive. It sits at the intersection of strategic thinking and hands-onexecution, with real scope to shape how we grow and how our people experiencework.

• Lead the HR strategy end-to-end — fromworkforce planning and organisational design to succession and long-termcapability building — ensuring people practices are tightly aligned withorganisational goals and mission priorities.
• Lead talent acquisition, workforce planning,and employer branding to attract, hire, and retain high-quality, diverse talentaligned with organisational values and culture.
• Design and run performance management systems,learning initiatives, and leadership pipeline programmes that grow individualcapability and organisational resilience.
• Drive employee engagement — including surveys,pulse checks, and action planning — to foster an inclusive, values-driven,high-performing workplace where people feel heard and connected to the mission.
• Ensure smooth, compliant HR operations — policies,HRMIS, payroll coordination, documentation, and all statutory requirements —keeping systems accurate and audit-ready.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the HR team; usepeople analytics to sharpen decisions, track organisational health, and bringregular insights to senior leadership for continuous improvement.
• Strategic thinking and business acumen
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management
• Excellent communication and interpersonalskills
• Problem-solving and conflict resolution
• High integrity and confidentiality

Qualifications& Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in HumanResources, Business Administration, or a related field (MBA/PGDM preferred)
• 10 to 15 years of progressive HR experience(depending on level)
• Demonstrated experience leading HR teams,driving strategic HR initiatives, and managing organisational change
• Prior experience in NGOs/social sector is aplus, but not required — we value mission-alignment over sector pedigree

Other Information

• Designation: Senior Manager to AssociateDirector (based on candidate’s profile)
• Remuneration: Between ₹11 to 16 LPA
• Reporting to: Director – Operations and HR
• Commitment: Minimum 3 years to long-term