Human Resources Manager

Job Title: Human Resources (HR) Manager / HR Generalist

Industry: Marketing / PR / Creative Agency

Location: Mumbai / Hybrid

Experience: 25 years (startup or agency experience preferred)

Role Overview

The HR Manager will be responsible for managing people operations in a fast-paced, founder-led agency environment. This role requires strong people management skills, clear communication, speed, and the ability to balance empathy with business priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Hiring & Recruitment

Manage end-to-end recruitment for agency roles including PR, social media, brand, strategy, sales, and operations.

Coordinate with founders and managers on role requirements, budgets, and hiring timelines.

Screen candidates, schedule interviews, manage offers, and oversee onboarding.

Maintain recruitment trackers and hiring pipelines.

Onboarding & Documentation

Ensure all offer letters, employment contracts, NDAs, and addendums are shared via formal email communication.

Manage joining formalities, employee documentation, and record keeping.

Maintain updated employee files, contracts, and revisions.

Employee Relations

Act as the first point of contact for employee queries, concerns, and clarifications.

Ensure all communication remains professional, respectful, and solution-oriented.

Escalate issues to founders with proper context and documentation when required.

Policies & Compliance

Draft, update, and implement HR policies including leave, attendance, probation, POSH, and exit policies.

Ensure compliance with applicable labour laws such as the Shops & Establishment Act.

Clearly differentiate between statutory requirements and company policies in all documentation.

Performance & Accountability

Support founders and managers in defining role-wise KPIs.

Track probation reviews, confirmations, warnings, and exits.

Ensure performance-related discussions are documented appropriately.

Payroll & Attendance

Maintain attendance records, leave tracking, and monthly payroll inputs.

Coordinate salary processing and ensure timely payouts.

Manage salary deductions, absences, and full and final settlements.

HR Operations & Culture

Set up and manage basic HR systems suitable for a growing agency.

Support a culture of accountability, ownership, and transparency.

Balance employee well-being with business and performance requirements.

Required Skills & Traits

Prior experience in a startup or agency environment is preferred.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

High attention to detail with documentation and processes.

Ability to work closely with founders and leadership teams.

High emotional intelligence with clear professional boundaries.

Comfortable working in a fast-moving, evolving setup.

What This Role Is Not

This is not a rigid corporate HR role.

This is not a purely policy-focused position without people interaction.

This role requires alignment with business urgency and founder vision.