Senior Human Resource Manager

Senior Manager Plant HR

Location: Chennai
Experience: 1518 Years | Up to 20 Years
CTC: 2530 LPA
Education: Full-time Postgraduate qualification in HR / Personnel Management
Reporting To: HR Director

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Manager – Plant HR to lead HR operations and Industrial Relations for a large automotive manufacturing plant in Chennai.

The ideal candidate will be a strong HR Generalist with significant hands-on experience in Industrial Relations, particularly in managing shop-floor employees, employee relations, union interactions, contract workforce and statutory compliance.

The role requires approximately 60% focus on Industrial Relations and 40% on HR Generalist activities.

Key Responsibilities

Industrial Relations & Employee Relations

• Lead and manage Industrial Relations activities across the manufacturing plant.
• Manage employee relations, grievances, disciplinary matters and conflict resolution.
• Handle union-related matters, negotiations, settlements and collective bargaining.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with employees, union representatives and other stakeholders.
• Manage disciplinary proceedings in accordance with applicable labour laws and company policies.
• Support wage negotiations, settlements and other IR-related discussions.
• Monitor and address shop-floor employee concerns proactively.

Plant HR & Operations

• Lead end-to-end Plant HR operations for the manufacturing facility.
• Partner with plant leadership to align HR initiatives with business and operational objectives.
• Drive manpower planning, workforce deployment and employee engagement initiatives.
• Manage performance management, talent development and succession planning.
• Support recruitment and onboarding requirements for plant functions.
• Drive employee engagement, retention and welfare initiatives.

Labour Law & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable labour laws, statutory requirements and company policies.
• Manage statutory compliance related to factory operations and contract labour.
• Liaise with government authorities, labour departments and external stakeholders when required.
• Ensure proper maintenance of statutory records, registers and documentation.

Contract Labour Management

• Manage contract workforce and vendor relationships.
• Ensure compliance with applicable contract labour regulations.
• Monitor manpower deployment, attendance, statutory compliance and workforce discipline.

HR Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of 7 HR professionals comprising on-roll and off-roll employees.
• Establish clear objectives, monitor performance and develop team capabilities.
• Collaborate closely with Plant Operations, Production, Quality, Finance and other functional teams.

Candidate Profile

• 15–18 years of relevant experience, with candidates up to 20 years considered.
• Strong experience in Plant HR / Factory HR / Manufacturing HR.
• Significant hands-on exposure to Industrial Relations and Employee Relations.
• Experience in unionised / large manufacturing environments is highly preferred.
• Strong background in the Automotive / Auto Component industry.
• Experience managing shop-floor workforce and contract labour.
• Strong knowledge of labour laws, statutory compliance, grievance handling and disciplinary processes.
• Proven experience in union negotiations, wage settlements and collective bargaining.
• Strong people management and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Should have managed a sizeable HR/IR team in a manufacturing plant.
• Full-time Postgraduate qualification in HR / Personnel Management is mandatory.

Preferred Industry Background

Candidates from Tier-1 Automotive / Auto Component / Manufacturing organisations, particularly those with experience in large-scale plant environments in Chennai, will be preferred.