Elevation Capital - Head - Human Resources

Head HR - Sales Org Experience

Role Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Head HR to lead People & Talent strategy. This is a critical leadership role reporting to the CEO, responsible for building and scaling an exceptional team while establishing world-class HR practices. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in BFSI (banking, financial services, or insurance) and high-growth startup environments, with proven success as an HRBP managing Sales organizations.

Required Background & Experience:

- Minimum 10+ years in HR leadership roles, with significant tenure in both BFSI and startup/scaling environments.

- Proven track record as HRBP managing Sales organizations - understanding sales dynamics, comp structures, commission models, and how to attract/retain top revenue talent.

- Direct experience building HR teams and scaling people operations from ~50 to 500+ employees.

- Expertise in recruitment, employer branding, and building talent pipelines in competitive talent markets.

- Strong knowledge of India HR regulations, compliance, and payroll; familiarity with regional hiring practices and talent acquisition channels.

Key Competencies:

- Strategic HR & OD: Ability to align people strategy with business goals; experience building high-performance cultures.

- BFSI Acumen: Understanding of regulatory compliance, risk management, and talent dynamics in financial services or fintech.

- Sales Alignment: Ability to design comp, incentives, and career frameworks that attract and retain world-class revenue teams.

- Startup Mindset: Comfort with ambiguity, speed, and building scrappy solutions; experience in fast-growth environments.

Responsibilities:

- People Strategy & Culture: Define and execute people strategy; build a strong, values-driven culture that attracts and retains top talent.

- Sales HRBP Partnership: Be the primary HRBP for the Sales organization; partner closely on org design, hiring, performance management, and compensation.

- Talent Acquisition & Retention: Build high-caliber recruitment capabilities; establish partnerships with executive search firms and develop internal pipelines.

- Compensation & Benefits: Design and administer competitive compensation structures, equity frameworks, and benefits programs; ensure market competitiveness.

- Organizational Development: Lead performance management, succession planning, and leadership development initiatives.

- Compliance & HR Operations: Ensure all HR policies and practices comply with Indian labor laws and regulations; oversee payroll, benefits, and employee records.

Success Metrics:

- Builds and scales an effective HR team (from 1-2 to 8-10+ within 18-24 months).

- Achieves 30-40% improvement in sales hiring cycle time and quality of hire metrics.

- Designs and rolls out competitive comp and equity programs with high internal alignment.

- Establishes strong employer brand; increases employee NPS and reduces attrition in key roles.

Ideal Profile:

- Former HR Head or VP People from a mid-market fintech, BFSI player, or fast-growing startup (Series B-D).

- Has led Sales HRBP function at companies with 50-200+ person sales teams.

- Analytical, metrics-driven; comfortable with dashboards, data, and accountability.

- Entrepreneurial mindset with experience building things from scratch; not overly process-heavy.