HR Head

HR Head

Group People Function • Leadership Role

Reports to:CEO / Director

Location : Kochi and Bangalore

Experience:12-18 years, including 4+ years owning the complete HR function

The role

ART Technology & Software is an AI-first technology services group of 500+ people across Kochi, Bangalore, the UK and Europe. We are re-engineering how technology services are delivered: AI agents, applied AI engineering and AI-augmented delivery teams sit at the core of our fintech and enterprise practice.

This is a leadership role reporting directly to the CEO/Director. You will lead a team of HR specialists and be the single owner of people strategy, policy and compliance across all group companies. You will own the people function across all group entities a single framework for grades, designations, capability, compensation, policy and performance, implemented correctly and compliantly within each legal entity.

The group has grown entity by entity, and AI has changed our capability model faster than our people systems have kept up. Your mandate is to build both.

Roles and responsibilities

Modernise HR delivery. Our HR operations already run on AI-enabled tooling for screening, documentation and reporting. You will own this stack, extend automation into the remaining manual processes, and keep a lean team capable of governing 500+ people across multiple entities.

Capability architecture. A group-wide designation, grade and skills framework is in place following our recent restructure across 11 verticals. You will own it as a living system keeping the taxonomy current as AI reshapes technical roles, and governing how new roles and tracks enter it.

AI capability building. Structured upskilling and certification pathways are established across the group, including a dedicated Forward Deployed AI Engineer track. You will own participation, progression and measurable outcomes, and expand the programme as capability needs evolve.

AI-era hiring. Hiring standards for AI engineering and forward-deployed roles are defined. You will govern their consistent application across entities and keep assessment methods robust as candidate use of AI tooling advances.

Outcomes and analytics. Our performance framework is oriented toward delivery outcomes. You will strengthen the reporting layer beneath it capability coverage, skills gaps against the delivery pipeline, and AI adoption so leadership decisions rest on current data.

Responsible AI in HR. Guidelines for AI use at work and employee data handling exist. You will own their governance, review and enforcement data privacy, bias in AI-assisted screening, and audit readiness for client and regulatory scrutiny.

Core ownership

People framework. One group grade, designation and compensation architecture; one policy core with entity-specific annexures; the annual appraisal and calibration cycle; succession planning for critical delivery and leadership roles.

Compliance. End-to-end statutory ownership for each Indian entity PF, ESI, professional tax, gratuity, Shops & Establishments, POSH, returns and inspections, across separate registrations. Governance of UK and European obligations through local partners. Audit-ready documentation for client audits and due diligence.

Talent acquisition. Hiring standards, interview structure and offer governance; the hiring plan against approved headcount; workforce planning, bench and utilisation with delivery leadership; campus and intern programme; recruitment partner performance.

HR operations. Payroll governance across entities; HRIS as the single source of truth; onboarding, transfers, cross-entity movements and international deputation; exits and full-and-final settlement.

Business partnering. Senior HR counterpart to entity heads and delivery leadership; grievances, disciplinary matters, POSH cases and performance improvement; engagement and retention across sites.

Reporting. Monthly people metrics headcount by entity and vertical, attrition, pipeline health, cost per hire, capability coverage, compliance status and open risks.

Requirements

• 12-18 years in HR, including four or more years owning the function not a sub-function — at a company of 500+ people.
• Proven HR ownership across multiple legal entities: separate statutory registrations, separate payrolls, and the governance to keep practices consistent. This is the most important qualifier for the role.
• Hands-on statutory compliance ownership under Indian labour law, not oversight of a consultant alone.
• Demonstrated use of technology and AI to change how HR works — an HR platform implemented, a process automated, or manual reporting replaced with analytics. We are looking for evidence, not familiarity with the concept.
• Personal fluency with AI tools and the credibility to set capability expectations for a technical workforce.
• IT services, technology or professional services background, where people cost and utilisation drive margin.
• Able to design a grade, capability and compensation structure from first principles and defend it to leadership and employees; strong data discipline; credible in client audit and due-diligence settings.
• Willing to work across Kochi and Bangalore and with UK and European stakeholders; comfortable holding a standard under pressure from entity leadership.

Preferred

• Group HR or shared-services HR experience serving several operating companies.
• Exposure to GCC, BOT or captive-build models.
• Experience with international deputation, secondment or intra-group resource transfers.
• HRIS implementation or migration experience