Associate Director - HRIS

About the Opportunity

Emeritus is partnering with global universities to facilitate world-class global education in India. In alignment with the latest UGC mandates and the NEP 2020 framework, we are establishing Joint Ventures (JVs) to launch seven world-class foreign university campuses across India.

We are seeking a seasoned HR Technology leader to drive the digital backbone of this massive initiative. This is a greenfield opportunity to design, deploy, and manage the HR infrastructure for these seven distinct entities while integrating them into a cohesive central ecosystem.

Role Purpose

The Associate Director HRIS will act as the principal architect and transformation lead for the organizations multi-entity expansion. You will lead the design, configuration, and implementation of HR System across 7 new university setups, ensuring seamless integration with our central HRMS.

The Strategic Evolution:

Initially, this role focuses on Implementation & Architecture. Post-implementation, this role will evolve into a Group HRMS Centre of Excellence (CoE). You will transition into a strategic internal consultant, taking over Application Management Services (AMS) for the parent company and JVseffectively replacing external partners and building an in-house HRMS team.

---------------------

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Architecture

Standardization vs. Localization: Define the global HR tech standards (taxonomy, data models) while configuring localized workflows specific to the academic and operational needs of each university.

Governance: Establish data privacy, security protocols, and role-based access controls (RBAC) compliant with Indian (DPDP Act) and Global standards.

2. Implementation Leadership (The Build Phase)

End-to-End Deployment: Lead the full lifecycle implementation of Darwinbox for the 7 JVsfrom scoping and blueprinting to UAT, Go-Live, and Hyper-care.

Process Harmonization: Map and re-engineer HR processes to ensure they fit the digital environment, ensuring consistency across all campuses.

Stakeholder Management: Act as the bridge between the Central HR Team, JV Partners, and University Leadership to align system capabilities with business goals.

3. Integration & Interoperability

Ecosystem Connectivity: Manage complex API integrations between Darwinbox and third-party systems, including:

o Campus Management / Student Information Systems

o Finance & ERP Systems o Learning Management Systems (LMS)

o Identity & Access Management (IAM)

o Recruitment & Background Verification Systems

o Payroll Systems

Data Integrity: Ensure unified data standards to facilitate real-time people analytics and dashboards across all entities.

4. Strategic Evolution: Internal AMS & CoE (The Growth Phase)

In-Housing AMS: Transition the organization away from external AMS partners. You will become the internal "Managed Services Partner," handling support, upgrades, and feature optimization for the Parent Company and all JVs.

Cost Optimization: Drive ROI by centralizing HR tech support and removing external consultancy costs.

Team Building: Scale the function by hiring, mentoring, and leading a team of HRMS analysts and administrators to support the expanding ecosystem.

----------------------------------------------

Candidate Profile

Experience & Education:

810 years of functional and technical experience in HRMS.

MBA in HR, IT, or a related field is preferred.

Technical Competencies:

Preferred: Darwinbox Expertise - Deep, hands-on experience with Darwinbox configuration, implementation, and modules

Implementation Lifecycle: Proven track record of leading at least 23 full-lifecycle HRMS implementations in a multi-entity or shared services environment.

Integration Knowledge: Strong understanding of APIs, SFTP, middleware, and data synchronization protocols.

Behavioral Competencies:

Architect Mindset: Ability to see the "big picture" of how 7 different entities connect to a central parent.

Agility: Comfortable working in a setup that involves new JVs and cross-border collaboration.

Consultative Approach: Ability to translate technical constraints into business solutions for C-suite stakeholders (CHRO, CXOs, JV Boards)