Head Human Resource

Head Human Resources

Company: Almond House
Function: Human Resources
Designation: Head HR
Location: Hyderabad
Reporting To: Managing Director / CEO

Position Overview

Almond House is looking for an experienced Head Human Resources to lead the complete HR function across its corporate office, manufacturing/factory operations, retail stores, and other business units.

The role will be responsible for building a strong, compliant, employee-focused HR organisation with particular emphasis on Industrial Relations, Labour Laws, Statutory Compliance, Factory HR, Employee Relations, Talent Management, HR Policies, Performance Management, and HR Governance.

The ideal candidate should have strong hands-on experience in retail, FMCG, food manufacturing, confectionery, hospitality, or other high-volume workforce environments, with a proven track record of managing both corporate and frontline employees.

Key Responsibilities

1. Industrial Relations & Employee Relations

• Lead Industrial Relations (IR) strategy across manufacturing/factory and other operational locations.
• Manage employee grievances, disciplinary matters, misconduct cases, domestic enquiries and conflict resolution.
• Handle workmen-related issues, absenteeism, attrition, productivity and employee engagement.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with employees, supervisors, management and worker representatives.
• Manage union/worker representative relationships wherever applicable.
• Establish effective grievance redressal and employee communication mechanisms.
• Ensure proper documentation and legal defensibility of disciplinary and employee-relations actions.

2. Labour Laws & Statutory Compliance

• Ensure end-to-end compliance with applicable Central and State Labour Laws.

• Ensure compliance with applicable provisions relating to:

• Factories and manufacturing establishments

• Shops & Establishments

• Minimum Wages / applicable wage regulations

• Payment of Wages

• Payment of Bonus

• Payment of Gratuity

• Employees' Provident Fund (EPF)

• Employees' State Insurance (ESI)

• Contract Labour

• Maternity Benefit

• Payment of overtime and working hours

• Leave and attendance regulations

• POSH Act

• Child & Adolescent Labour regulations

• Occupational health, safety and welfare requirements

• Applicable labour codes and rules as and when implemented

• Ensure timely filing of statutory returns, registers, notices and records.

• Maintain a robust statutory compliance calendar and compliance tracker.

• Coordinate with government departments, labour authorities, inspectors and external consultants when required.

• Ensure compliance across all applicable stores, offices, factories and operational locations.

3. Factory / Manufacturing HR

• Lead HR operations for manufacturing and production facilities.
• Partner with Plant/Factory leadership on manpower planning, productivity and workforce deployment.
• Manage workmen, contract labour and supervisory workforce.
• Monitor attendance, shift management, overtime, absenteeism and manpower productivity.
• Support production planning through effective manpower availability.
• Ensure statutory registers, employee records and factory HR documentation are maintained.
• Partner with EHS/Operations teams on workplace safety, employee welfare and statutory requirements.
• Conduct periodic HR and compliance audits at manufacturing locations.

4. Retail HR

• Develop HR systems for a large retail/store workforce.
• Manage manpower planning, recruitment, onboarding and retention across stores.
• Improve frontline employee productivity and reduce attrition.
• Develop store-level attendance, incentive, performance and employee engagement systems.
• Partner with Retail Operations to identify workforce gaps and operational HR issues.
• Establish consistent HR practices across all stores.

5. HR Policies & Governance

• Develop, review and implement HR policies, SOPs and employee guidelines.
• Ensure consistent implementation of HR policies across corporate, factory and retail operations.
• Establish appropriate HR governance, approval and documentation processes.
• Conduct periodic HR audits and identify areas of compliance or process risk.
• Ensure employee records and HR documentation are accurate and up to date.

6. Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Develop manpower plans aligned with business expansion and operational requirements.
• Lead recruitment strategy for corporate, retail, manufacturing and leadership positions.
• Build strong sourcing channels and recruitment processes.
• Improve quality of hire, time-to-hire and retention.
• Develop succession plans for critical positions.

7. Performance Management

• Design and implement an effective KPI/KRA-based Performance Management System.
• Establish performance standards for corporate, retail, manufacturing and managerial employees.
• Drive appraisal, performance review and talent evaluation processes.
• Identify high-potential employees and develop succession pipelines.

8. Learning & Development

• Identify training needs across retail, factory, corporate and managerial teams.

• Develop training programs covering:

• Leadership

• Customer service

• Sales

• Store operations

• Food safety awareness

• Workplace conduct

• Compliance

• Supervisory skills

• Build internal capability and career-development programs.

9. Compensation & Benefits

• Develop competitive salary structures and compensation frameworks.
• Benchmark salaries across relevant retail, FMCG, food manufacturing and hospitality markets.
• Manage incentives, attendance-linked benefits and performance-based compensation.
• Ensure payroll processes are accurate and compliant with applicable statutory requirements.

10. POSH, Employee Welfare & Workplace Culture

• Ensure effective implementation of the POSH Act and Internal Committee requirements.
• Drive employee welfare initiatives across stores, factories and corporate offices.
• Promote a safe, inclusive and professional workplace.
• Establish effective mechanisms for employee feedback and engagement.

11. HR Technology & Analytics

• Drive effective utilisation of HRMS/HR technology for employee lifecycle management.

• Establish HR dashboards covering:

• Headcount

• Attrition

• Recruitment

• Absenteeism

• Manpower cost

• Overtime

• Employee productivity

• Training

• Compliance

• Use HR analytics to support business and management decisions.

12. HR Leadership & Business Partnership

• Act as a strategic HR business partner to the leadership team.
• Provide management with insights on manpower cost, workforce productivity, employee risks and organisational capability.
• Build and lead a professional HR team.
• Develop HR structures and processes capable of supporting rapid business expansion.
• Participate in strategic business planning and organisational development initiatives.

Mandatory Experience & Skills

• 15+ years of overall HR experience, preferably with significant experience in a leadership role.
• Strong hands-on experience in Industrial Relations and Labour Law Compliance.
• Experience managing factory/manufacturing + retail/frontline workforce will be highly preferred.
• Experience in FMCG, food manufacturing, confectionery, retail, hospitality or consumer-facing businesses preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Indian labour legislation and statutory compliance.
• Proven experience handling employee grievances, disciplinary proceedings and domestic enquiries.
• Experience managing contract labour and workmen.
• Strong understanding of HR audits, statutory inspections and labour authority interactions.
• Strong leadership, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Strong HR analytics and HRMS orientation.
• Ability to build HR systems and processes from the ground up.

Preferred Educational Qualification

• MBA / PGDM in Human Resources / Personnel Management / Industrial Relations.
• Degree in Law (LLB) or qualification in Labour Laws will be an added advantage.
• Additional certification in Industrial Relations, Labour Laws or HR Compliance will be preferred.

Key Competencies

Industrial Relations | Labour Laws | Statutory Compliance | Factory HR | Retail HR | Employee Relations | Contract Labour Management | HR Governance | HR Policies | Talent Acquisition | Performance Management | Compensation & Benefits | POSH | HR Audits | Workforce Planning | HR Analytics | Leadership