Strategic HR Officer

Job Title

Strategic HR Officer to ED & CTO

(Role designed to evolve into Chief People Officer within 24 months)

Location: Panchkula | India

Reports To: Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer

The Opportunity: The ED & CTO's People Architect

This is not a conventional HR leadership role. It is a transformational leadership track designed for a high-potential people strategist to work directly under the mentorship of the ED & CTO, with the mandate to architect the organization's long-term people philosophy, leadership ecosystem, and cultural infrastructure.

You will enter a financially robust, zero-debt, globally operating pharmaceutical organization with revenues of ₹750 Cr and a workforce of 1500+ professionals across India and international operations. The company believes that sustainable business growth is impossible without disciplined people systems, ethical leadership, operational accountability, and a deeply aligned organizational culture.

This role is designed for a future-ready HR leader who can integrate Strategy, Culture, Leadership Development, Workforce Planning, Organizational Design, Performance Systems, and Talent Intelligence into one cohesive people architecture.

You will not merely manage HR — you will help design the human engine that powers the company's next decade of growth.

Role Objective

This role is architected as an accelerated leadership catalyst intended to shape a future enterprise-level People Leader and strategic advisor to the ED & CTO.

As the Strategic HR Officer to ED & CTO, you will operate as an extension of the ED & CTO's office with unrestricted exposure across:

• Human Capital Strategy
• Leadership Development
• Organizational Design
• Industrial Relations
• Compensation & Rewards
• Talent Acquisition
• Culture & Employer Branding
• HR Governance & Compliance
• Workforce Productivity
• Learning & Capability Building

You will not simply oversee HR functions — you will be trained to understand the deeper relationship between:

• Business growth and workforce capability
• Leadership quality and operational excellence
• Culture and long-term institutional sustainability
• Productivity and people economics
• Governance and organizational trust

The Mission

To undergo an intensive 24-month leadership immersion that transitions you from a strategic HR professional into the organization's principal custodian of People, Culture, Leadership, and Organizational Effectiveness.

By the end of this journey, you are expected to independently lead enterprise-wide people strategy, build future leadership pipelines, shape culture at scale, and act as a trusted advisor to the ED & CTO on all human capital matters.

Role Structure & Progression

Phase 1: Organizational Immersion & Cultural Understanding (Months 0–6)

The goal: Understand The People Behind the Business.

Key Exposure Areas:

• Rotational Deep Dives across:
• Talent Acquisition
• HR Operations
• Payroll & Compliance
• Learning & Development
• Manufacturing HR
• Employee Relations
• Corporate HR
• Industrial Relations
• Leadership Shadowing:
• Shadow the ED & CTO in leadership reviews, strategic meetings, and high-level people discussions
• Attend functional reviews to understand leadership styles and organizational dynamics
• Culture Mapping Exercise:
• Conduct structured interactions with employees across plants, HO, sales, and international teams
• Identify cultural strengths, hidden bottlenecks, communication gaps, and leadership dependencies
• HR Governance Exposure:
• Participate in policy reviews, disciplinary proceedings, compliance audits, and labor law governance processes
• Employer Brand Analysis:
• Evaluate the organization's current employer positioning and benchmark against industry talent standards

Phase 2: Functional Ownership & People Operations Execution (Months 6–12)

The goal: Move from observation to operational ownership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Independently lead one complete hiring vertical or business function
• Drive one enterprise-wide HR improvement initiative
• Manage quarterly manpower planning exercises
• Lead performance management coordination for one business division
• Handle critical employee grievance resolutions under supervision
• Coordinate one annual engagement survey and action planning process
• Begin mentoring junior HR team members and management trainees

Strategic Projects:

• Improve hiring turnaround time
• Reduce attrition in critical functions
• Design competency frameworks for key managerial roles
• Build structured onboarding and probation review systems

Phase 3: Strategic Leadership & Organizational Transformation (Months 12–18)

The goal: Demonstrate leadership maturity and strategic capability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a major cross-functional transformation initiative such as:
• Leadership Development Framework
• Succession Planning Architecture
• HRMS/ERP implementation
• Performance-linked incentive redesign
• Organizational restructuring
• Manufacturing productivity-linked workforce optimization
• Leadership Advisory:
• Actively support CXOs and business heads in manpower planning and team effectiveness
• Workforce Analytics:
• Build data-driven dashboards for:
• Attrition
• Productivity
• Hiring efficiency
• Talent pipeline health
• Leadership readiness
• Employee engagement
• Policy Architecture:
• Draft or redesign key HR policies aligned with organizational growth and governance needs
• Leadership Development:
• Design and facilitate managerial capability-building interventions

Phase 4: Transition to Enterprise Leadership (Months 18–24)

The goal: Operate as the de-facto People Leader before formal designation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Function as Acting Head of HR for day-to-day strategic and operational decisions
• Independently lead annual manpower budgeting and workforce strategy planning
• Present enterprise-level people dashboards to Board/Leadership
• Lead succession planning discussions for critical roles
• Drive culture alignment initiatives across all business units
• Manage senior leadership hiring and executive talent conversations
• Demonstrate independent command over:
• HR governance
• Industrial relations
• Workforce planning
• Compensation strategy
• Talent systems
• Organizational culture

Final Evaluation:

A formal leadership assessment at Month 24 evaluating:

• Strategic maturity
• Leadership influence
• Cultural alignment
• Governance capability
• Business understanding
• Organizational impact

Upon successful completion, you will formally assumes the role of Chief People Officer (CPO).

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Workforce & Organizational Planning

• Design workforce strategies aligned with long-term business growth
• Build scalable organizational structures capable of supporting global expansion
• Forecast leadership and capability requirements proactively
• Create succession pipelines for critical business functions

2. Leadership Development & Culture Building

• Build a strong leadership culture rooted in accountability, humility, ownership, and execution excellence
• Design leadership competency frameworks across levels
• Drive coaching, mentoring, and capability-building initiatives
• Strengthen organizational alignment with the company's values and philosophy

3. Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding

• Build world-class talent acquisition systems for leadership and critical roles
• Position the organization as an employer of choice within the pharmaceutical and manufacturing ecosystem
• Develop strategic hiring partnerships with institutes, networks, and industry forums
• Improve candidate experience and employer perception

4. Performance Management & Productivity Enhancement

• Redesign performance systems to drive meritocracy and accountability
• Establish measurable KPIs and productivity frameworks
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and execution discipline
• Align rewards and recognition systems with business outcomes

5. Employee Relations & Industrial Harmony

• Maintain healthy industrial relations across manufacturing operations
• Build trust-driven employee engagement systems
• Handle sensitive employee relations matters with maturity and fairness
• Ensure organizational discipline without compromising culture and morale

6. HR Governance, Compliance & Ethics

• Ensure full compliance with labor laws, statutory obligations, and HR governance standards
• Build strong policy frameworks and ethical practices
• Strengthen HR audit readiness across functions
• Promote fairness, transparency, and organizational trust

7. HR Technology & Data Intelligence

• Build technology-enabled HR ecosystems using HRMS, analytics, automation, and dashboards
• Leverage people analytics for strategic decision-making
• Use data to identify retention risks, leadership gaps, and productivity bottlenecks
• Drive digital transformation within HR operations

Desired Candidate Profile

Educational Qualifications

• MBA/PGDM in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or related specialization from a tier-1 institute
• Additional certifications in Leadership Development, OD, Industrial Relations, Coaching, or Analytics will be an advantage
• 1-5 years of experience

Essential Attributes (The Venus DNA)

Intellectual Depth

Ability to understand the complex relationship between business growth, culture, leadership, and people systems.

Leadership Gravitas

Capability to influence senior stakeholders, challenge respectfully, and drive alignment across functions.

Cultural Intelligence

Ability to balance empathy with accountability while shaping a high-performance culture.

Ethical Backbone

Uncompromising integrity, fairness, and confidentiality in all people decisions.

Operational Discipline

Strong execution orientation with attention to detail and governance.

Business Orientation

Ability to think beyond HR and understand the operational and financial realities of the organization.

Tech-Native HR Mindset

Comfortable with HR analytics, dashboards, AI-enabled HR systems, and technology-driven people management.

Why Choose This Path

Direct Mentorship from the ED & CTO

You will work directly with the organization's top leadership and gain unrestricted strategic exposure.