Manager HR & People Advisory

• *Business context and mandate**

Lead HR for a business growing from approximately 40 people towards 100 over three years. Operations combine UAV engineering and manufacturing with a highly skilled, motivated, embedded software team developing UAV simulations, embedded intelligence and smart applications beyond UAVs. Sustain capability coverage for active clients over extended periods.

Be the CEO’s sounding board on everyday people decisions, personally operate dependable HR processes and own employment and factory compliance execution. Deliver independently; internal support will be specified at appointment. Coordinate with the external Organisation Development consultant and Quality lead on culture, capabilities and role design aligned with the Quality Management System.

• *CEO advice and employee relations**

Advise on hiring, pay, deployment, performance, grievances, discipline, retention and exits. Distinguish facts, assumptions, legal requirements and discretion; recommend alternatives and record material decisions. Challenge unsupported instructions respectfully, including the CEO’s. Hear affected employees, preserve evidence, protect confidentiality and avoid predetermined outcomes. Obtain specialist advice and escalate unresolved risks. Hold a weekly CEO people review; help managers set expectations, give feedback and apply fair development, performance and disciplinary processes.

• *Employment and factory compliance**

Maintain site\-specific applicability and a calendar for registrations, licences, notices, displays, records, returns, inspections and verified closure. Anticipate workforce, contractor, shift and site changes. Control employment documentation, wages, working time, overtime, leave, social security and separations. Verify contractor compliance; coordinate welfare, harassment prevention, complaints and incident obligations with authorised owners. Supervise external providers and verify outputs. Operational ownership does not transfer statutory duties of the employer, occupier, factory manager or other designated persons.

• *HR operations recruitment and pay**

Maintain accurate employee records and operate HRMS controls. Reconcile attendance and payroll inputs and outputs, deductions, reimbursements and master changes. Ensure independent verification and approval of bank changes and payment release. Manage joining, probation, confirmation, transfers and exits. Plan technical, software and shop\-floor hiring; agree skill assessments with technical leaders, manage agencies and offers, and track joining outcomes. Apply reasoned pay ranges and exceptions with attention to internal equity and retention.

• *People analytics and sustained client capability**

Own a structured skills database covering hardware, manufacturing, embedded software, simulation and relevant smart\-application capabilities. Record proficiency, experience, evidence, assessor, validation date, development and authorisations. Distinguish self\-declared from validated skills; technical leaders validate competence and approve deployment.

Refresh records at least quarterly and after material changes. With delivery leaders, review client coverage monthly and before commitments, deployment changes or exits. Map support periods to critical skills, primary and backup capability, capacity and knowledge transfer. Track single\-person dependencies, stale records, expiring authorisations and gaps. Coordinate cross\-training, succession, handovers and hiring with owners and dates. Report coverage, constraints, development effectiveness and continuity risks to the CEO; define metrics, restrict access and allow corrections. Utilisation alone is not a performance measure. Manager HR and People Advisory \| 2

• *External OD consultant and Quality coordination**

Coordinate evidence, employee access, priorities and action reviews with the external OD consultant. Support inquiry and interventions on employee voice, supervisory behaviour, collaboration and responses to errors, respecting developmental confidentiality and agreed information\-sharing boundaries. With managers and Quality, clarify role purpose, responsibilities, decision rights, interfaces and escalation; maintain role descriptions, competence matrices and development\-evaluation records. Training attendance alone does not establish competence.

Translate improvements into usable HR processes and controlled QMS evidence. The consultant contributes diagnosis, facilitation and design; the CEO sponsors priorities; managers own implementation; Quality confirms QMS requirements and document control. HR coordinates action and verified follow\-through.

• *Essential eligibility and knowledge**

Recognised bachelor’s degree plus a relevant postgraduate degree or diploma in HR, Personnel Management, Industrial Relations or Labour Welfare; alternatively, a recognised employment\-law\-focused qualification with substantial practical HR experience. Normally 5–10 years’ relevant post\-qualification experience, including two years independently owning HR operations and compliance in Indian manufacturing, assembly, industrial engineering or comparable production. Consider stronger candidates beyond this range.

Demonstrate exposure to technical professionals, shop\-floor personnel and contractor interfaces; personal payroll reconciliation, compliance closure, recruitment and substantive employee\-case responsibility; reasoned advice to senior management; and cross\-functional improvement delivery. Recruitment\-only, engagement\-led or administration\-only experience is insufficient. Practical HRMS, spreadsheets, structured workforce data and decision\-support skills are essential.

Apply Karnataka employment and factory requirements, including Labour Codes, applicable rules, notifications, transitional provisions and state requirements. Establish applicability, recognise uncertainty and seek qualified advice. Understand manufacturing workflows, skill dependencies, fair process, confidentiality and audit evidence. Show independent judgment, respectful challenge, composure, fairness and reliable execution using proportionate controls.

• *Language and Statutory Eligibility**

Working knowledge of English, Kannada and Hindi is required, in that order of proficiency. English supports CEO advice, writing and reporting; Kannada supports shop\-floor interaction and employee concerns; Hindi supports practical conversation with Hindi\-speaking personnel. Test all three through work samples. Confirm on\-site availability and agreed shift or incident support. Verify separately any required Welfare Officer or other statutory appointment, including applicability, qualifications and appointment conditions; general HR qualifications do not establish eligibility.

• *Preferred capabilities including AI use**

Prefer factory establishment or audits, software\-team support, skills inventories, technical recruitment, external OD coordination and quality\-intensive engineering or AS9100\-related people records. Hands\-on Copilot or Claude use is an added advantage for data preparation, formula assistance, analysis, drafting or workflow improvement. Demonstrate contribution, verification and benefit using fictional or anonymised examples. Use approved tools, protect employee and client information and intellectual property, and retain human accountability for consequential people decisions. Brand\-specific access is not essential.

• *Authority outcomes and selection**

Agree access to the CEO, people and records; authority to return incomplete requests; a hold\-and\-escalate procedure; budgeted specialist advice; and an authorised\-director route for concerns involving the CEO. Designated owners retain financial approvals, technical safety and statutory signatures.

Within 30 days verify records and priority payroll/compliance gaps; by 60 days operate controlled payroll, compliance, hiring and employee\-case routines; by 90 days show priority\-gap closure, a verified skills baseline, client\-coverage risks and a joint OD/Quality action plan. Evaluate accuracy, closure, fair handling and improved practice; low complaint counts alone do not establish workplace health.

Selection includes payroll, HRMS, skills\-coverage, compliance and founder\-pressure exercises, language samples and consent\-based qualification/employment verification. Require adequate payroll controls, compliance judgment, fair process and independent advice. Seek anonymised examples, not confidential previous\-employer records.

Pay: From ₹80,000\.00 per month

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Paid sick time
• Provident Fund

Work Location: In person