Assistant Manager – Human Resources

Job Description: Talent Management – Performance & Rewards Specialist

Department: Human Resources

Reports to: Talent Management Specialist

Location: Turbhe, Navi Mumbai

Employment Type: Full-time

Role Type: Individual Contributor (IC) — no direct reports

Role Overview

We are looking for a Performance & Rewards Specialist to work as an individual contributor owning the end-to-end performance management cycle (approx. 70% of the role) and supporting compensation & rewards processes (approx. 30% of the role). This is a hands-on execution role rather than a people-management role — the candidate will drive processes directly, working closely with HRBPs, managers, and Finance, without managing a team. The ideal candidate has hands-on working experience with Keka HRMS and brings strong process discipline, data accuracy, and stakeholder management skills to drive a fair, transparent, and well-governed performance and rewards ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

**Performance Management (**70%)

• Own and administer the complete performance management lifecycle — goal-setting/OKR cascading, mid-year and annual reviews, self-appraisals, manager appraisals, calibration, and closure — end to end on Keka.
• Configure and manage performance review cycles, templates, rating scales, and workflows in Keka.
• Drive timely completion of goal-setting, check-ins, and appraisal cycles through tracking, reminders, and escalations to managers and employees.
• Support calibration sessions across business units — consolidating ratings, flagging outliers, and preparing calibration decks/data for leadership discussions.
• Partner with business unit HRBPs and managers to ensure quality of goal-setting (SMART goals/OKRs) and meaningful feedback documentation.
• Manage Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) — tracking, documentation, and coordination with managers and HR business partners.
• Generate performance analytics and dashboards (bell curve distribution, rating trends, department-wise performance, low performer tracking) for leadership and EXCO reviews.
• Handle employee and manager queries related to the performance process; act as the go-to POC for the performance module in Keka.
• Continuously improve the performance process — templates, communication, training material, and manager enablement (FAQs, how-to guides, calibration toolkits).
• Ensure performance data feeds accurately into downstream processes (increments, promotions, bonus payouts).

**Compensation & Rewards (**30%)

• Support the annual compensation review cycle — merit increases, promotions, and bonus/variable pay calculations, working closely with Finance and business leaders.
• Assist in preparing and maintaining salary benchmarking data, compensation structures, and pay bands.
• Coordinate the compensation planning tool/module in Keka — budget allocation, manager recommendations, approvals, and final letter generation.
• Support administration of rewards and recognition programs, including tracking nominations, budgets, and payouts.
• Assist in variable pay/bonus calculations based on performance ratings and business/individual metrics.
• Maintain compensation data integrity in Keka and ensure compliance with internal pay equity guidelines.
• Support ad hoc compensation analyses (pay equity checks, attrition-linked compensation trends, offer benchmarking) as required.
• Assist with statutory/compliance aspects related to compensation documentation.

Required Skills & Experience

• 4–7 years of total HR experience, with a significant focus on performance management (majority of experience) and exposure to compensation & benefits.
• Hands-on, working knowledge of Keka HRMS — specifically the Performance and Compensation/Payroll-linked modules — is mandatory.
• Strong understanding of performance management frameworks (goal-setting, OKRs, competency-based appraisals, bell curve/forced ranking, calibration).
• Working knowledge of compensation fundamentals — salary structuring, benchmarking, variable pay design, and increment/bonus cycles.
• Strong Excel/data analysis skills; comfort building dashboards and reports from HRIS data.
• Excellent stakeholder management — ability to work independently with managers, HRBPs, Finance, and leadership.
• High attention to detail and discretion in handling confidential compensation and performance data.
• Strong process orientation, ownership, and ability to manage multiple cycles/deadlines simultaneously, without relying on a team to execute.

Good to Have

• Prior experience in a listed/mid-size organization with multi-business-unit structure.
• Exposure to designing or refining performance policies, competency frameworks, or reward programs.
• Experience preparing leadership/EXCO-level dashboards and analytics.

Qualification

• Postgraduate in HR, Business Administration, or related field (MBA-HR preferred).