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

Work arrangement
No