Lead - HR Compliance & Governance

Role Overview:

We are seeking a Lead - HR Compliance and Governance to manage our statutory compliance, regulatory reporting, and internal audit processes across an employee base of over 45,000 headcount. This role will oversee end-to-end compliance operations across our group entities, ensuring accurate filings and proactive risk management. You will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to maintain operational discipline and ensure the organization remains compliant with all labour laws and regulations.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Compliance and Governance:

- Oversee comprehensive statutory compliance across all group entities, ensuring timely registration, accurate remittances, and mandatory filings (PF, ESI, PT, LWF, S&E, etc.).

- Ensure complete adherence to government schemes and statutory benefits.

- Monitor the evolving regulatory landscape to proactively mitigate risks; develop, implement, and maintain robust internal controls.

- Ensure a complete, reconciled record of statutory registrations for all locations, maintaining relevant updates or controls in the HRMS.

- Ensure all HR operations, record-keeping, and data handling processes rigorously adhere to data privacy laws and internal security standards.

Audit Readiness and Regulatory Relations:

- Serve as the primary point of contact for internal, statutory, and external audits, including third-party payroll partner audits, coordinating seamless data sharing across cross-functional teams.

- Support internal investigations related to compliance breaches or policy violations, providing documentation and subject matter expertise as required.

- Cultivate and manage collaborative relationships with key stakeholders, including Finance, Legal, Auditors, and Payroll partners, to ensure proactive issue resolution and alignment.

- Act as the primary liaison with local Labour Authorities and government bodies, proactively managing inspections, audits, and regulatory inquiries.

- Conduct periodic audits of HR policies, third-party payroll partners, and internal processes to identify gaps and drive corrective actions.

Employee Relations and Compliance Support:

- Provide direct support to employees on compliance-related requirements, including PF, ESI, and other statutory benefits.

- Manage and resolve employee grievances and handle legal notices related to HR matters in coordination with Legal.

- Ensure the timely finalization and publishing of state-wise holiday calendars, manage necessary changes, and monitor compliance regarding holiday working.

Operational Excellence and Leadership:

- Provide strategic direction to the compliance team, fostering a culture of functional excellence and continuous improvement.

- Act as a key subject matter expert, partnering with Business HR and key stakeholders to resolve complex, business-aligned compliance challenges.

- Manage the vendor ecosystem by defining clear SLAs, KPIs, and performance standards to optimize costs and service quality.

- Develop high-impact MIS dashboards for leadership, providing actionable insights into risk trends, audit status, and key performance metrics.

- Define and enforce standardized SOPs and compliance checklists to guarantee operational discipline across HR functions.

- Lead the adoption of advanced compliance management systems to streamline data capture, tracking, and reporting efficiency.

Key Qualifications and Experience:

- 6 - 8 years of progressive experience in HR compliance and statutory management, preferably within large, multi-state organizations.

- Master's degree in Human Resources, Labour Law, Business Administration, or a related field.

- Proven track record of managing end-to-end Labour Law or Payroll Compliances across multiple entities.

- In-depth expertise in statutory labour laws, statutory filings, and regulatory compliance requirements.

- Demonstrated experience interfacing and liaising with labour authorities to successfully navigate inspections and regulatory reviews.

- Extensive experience managing internal and external audits across HR Operations, Payroll, and HR Compliance functions.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify systemic compliance risks and execute effective corrective actions.

- Exceptional negotiation and communication skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and handle sensitive legal or regulatory situations with discretion.

- Detail-oriented with strong organization, prioritization, and project management skills to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

- High proficiency in MS Excel. Experience with HR compliance tools and management systems is a plus.