General Manager - HR & IR

We are hiring General Manager HR, IR for a leading manufacturing company based out of Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

Role Purpose

The Head HR, IR, Admin & Security will act as the senior-most HR leader at the plant and will be accountable for building a disciplined, compliant, productive and engaged work environment. The role will provide strategic and operational leadership across human resources, industrial relations, administration and security, with strong emphasis on union management, long-term settlements, change management, statutory compliance and site discipline.

Key Result Areas

• Human Resources: Lead the end-to-end HR agenda for the site, including manpower planning, talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, capability building, employee engagement, succession planning and HR policy implementation.
• Industrial Relations: Maintain harmonious industrial relations, manage unions and workmen representatives, handle grievances, lead collective bargaining, and ensure timely and effective closure of long-term settlements.
• Administration: Oversee plant administration, facilities, canteen, transport, housekeeping, welfare amenities, vendor management and employee services to ensure smooth plant operations.
• Security: Lead site security governance, access control, incident prevention, crisis response coordination, asset protection and alignment of security processes with business requirements.

Key Responsibilities

HR Leadership

• Partner with the plant leadership team and Corporate HR to translate business priorities into people plans.
• Drive workforce planning, recruitment, retention and capability-building initiatives for permanent, contractual and managerial workforce.
• Ensure effective implementation of HR policies, systems, processes and governance standards across the site.
• Build leadership capability, employee connect and a strong performance culture at the plant.
• Lead employee engagement, communication forums, welfare initiatives and culture-building interventions.

Industrial Relations and Union Management

• Manage relationships with unions, workmen representatives, labour authorities and other external stakeholders to ensure constructive and peaceful industrial relations.
• Lead preparation, negotiation, signing and implementation of long-term settlements, wage agreements and productivity-linked arrangements.
• Handle grievances, disputes, disciplinary matters, domestic enquiries, conciliation proceedings and labour court matters in coordination with legal counsel where required.
• Proactively identify IR risks and develop preventive strategies to avoid work disruption, unrest or productivity loss.
• Ensure consistent shop-floor communication, employee counselling and structured engagement with workmen.

Change Management

• Drive change management initiatives relating to productivity improvement, cultural transformation, organisational restructuring, automation, digitisation and process discipline.
• Partner with business leaders to assess people impact, build communication plans and manage stakeholder readiness for change.
• Support implementation of new policies, systems and operating practices while ensuring employee acceptance and continuity of operations.

Statutory Compliance and Governance

• Ensure full statutory compliance under applicable labour, employment, factory, contract labour, social security, welfare, standing orders and industrial relations laws.
• Monitor compliance by contractors, vendors and service providers, including records, licences, registers, returns, payments and audits.
• Maintain readiness for internal, external, government and customer audits related to HR, IR, admin and labour compliance.
• Ensure timely liaison with labour department, factory inspectorate, local administration, police and other statutory authorities.

Discipline, Administration and Security

• Establish and maintain discipline across the site through fair, consistent and legally compliant processes.
• Oversee plant administration including canteen, transport, housekeeping, guest house, facilities, employee welfare, events and general services.
• Ensure effective security operations including gate management, access control, material movement, visitor management, incident reporting and emergency support.
• Coordinate with EHS, operations and security teams for emergency preparedness, crisis management and protection of people, property and business assets.

Candidate Profile

• MSW, MLW, MBA HR or any other full-time two-year Master’s course in Human Resources / Industrial Relations / Personnel Management / Labour Welfare or equivalent; law qualification will be an added advantage.
• Around 25 to 30 years of overall experience in HR, IR, Administration and/or Security, preferably in a large manufacturing or plant environment with a unionised workforce.
• Strong experience in a large manufacturing / plant environment, preferably with exposure to unionised workforce and high-scale operations.
• Demonstrated experience in handling unions, collective bargaining and successful signing and implementation of long-term settlements.
• Sound knowledge of labour laws, statutory compliance, disciplinary procedures, contract labour management and plant administration.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, manage complex IR situations and lead change in a large site environment.

Key Competencies

• Strategic HR leadership and business partnering
• Industrial relations maturity and negotiation capability
• Union handling and stakeholder management
• Change leadership and organisational effectiveness
• Statutory compliance orientation and governance mindset
• Decision-making, problem solving and conflict resolution
• High integrity, discipline orientation and ability to operate under pressure
• Strong communication, influencing and team leadership skills