Head of Human Resources

Job Title: Head Human Resources

Industry: Pharmaceutical

Location: Ahmedabad, India

Role Overview

The Head of HR will lead the end-to-end people agenda for a growing pharmaceutical organization with operations across multiple geographies. This role requires a strategic HR leader who can build scalable people processes while ensuring strong execution across talent management, performance systems, compliance, and organizational development. The incumbent will partner closely with business leadership to drive culture, capability, and organizational effectiveness across domestic and international teams.

Key Responsibilities

1. HR Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute the organizations HR strategy aligned to business growth plans.
• Act as a strategic advisor to the leadership team on organization design, workforce planning, culture, and capability building.
• Build and lead a high-performing HR team across locations and geographies.
• Drive HR transformation initiatives, digitization, and process standardization where required.

2. Talent Management & Development

• Design and implement robust talent acquisition, onboarding, and retention frameworks.
• Build leadership development and succession planning pipelines across functions and geographies.
• Drive learning and development interventions aligned to business and regulatory requirements.
• Establish competency frameworks and career pathing for critical roles.

3. Performance Management & Culture

• Lead performance management architecture including goal setting, reviews, and calibration processes.
• Enable a high-performance culture through structured feedback, leadership coaching, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Support managers on performance improvement planning and talent decisions.
• Drive engagement surveys, action planning, and organizational health metrics.

4. Policies, Governance & Compliance

• Develop, review, and implement HR policies aligned with local labour laws and international regulatory frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements across regions (India and international markets where applicable).
• Manage employee relations, disciplinary processes, and grievance mechanisms.
• Oversee audits and ensure HR practices meet regulatory and governance standards.

5. Compensation, Benefits & HR Operations

• Oversee compensation and benefits strategy ensuring competitiveness and internal equity.
• Manage payroll governance, HR operations, and HRIS effectiveness.
• Support budgeting and manpower cost planning.
• Drive process efficiency and standardization across locations.

6. Global HR Management

• Manage and align HR practices across international teams and offices.
• Support cross-border hiring, mobility, and cultural integration.
• Partner with regional leaders to ensure consistency in performance and talent frameworks while adapting to local requirements.

Qualifications:

Experience

• 1218+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience in end-to-end HR leadership including talent development, performance management, and compliance.
• Experience managing multi-location and cross-border teams is essential.
• Experience in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, or regulated manufacturing sector is strongly preferred.
• MBA / Masters in Human Resources or related field.

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking with strong execution capability.
• Strong stakeholder management and business partnering skills.
• Deep understanding of performance management and talent development frameworks.
• Knowledge of labour laws, compliance, and HR governance.
• Ability to operate in a fast-growing, regulated, and multi-geography environment.
• High credibility, discretion, and leadership presence.