Human Resources Director

About InitiateFirst
InitiateFirst Information Services is a Hyderabad-headquartered talent and delivery partner with a decade of experience staffing enterprises and GCCs) We support marquee clients across technology, payments, healthcare, materials and engineering, with delivery hubs in Atlanta, Cheyenne, Hyderabad and Bengaluru and clients served across five countries.
We are now extending beyond staffing into AI-native consulting and transformation, building advisory and solution capabilities alongside our talent foundation. This is a defining phase for the company, and the HR leader will be central to it: shaping the organisation, capabilities and culture required to grow from a staffing business into an AI-native talent and consulting partner.
Role Summary
We are looking for a Director / Senior Director – HR to lead the entire people function and act as a strategic partner to the CEO. This is a senior leadership role that is deliberately lean: you will set HR strategy and design the organisation for our AI pivot, while remaining hands-on in running the function day to day, supported by one HR Executive. It suits a leader who is equally comfortable at the leadership table and in the detail — an architect who is also an operator.
Key Responsibilities
1. HR Strategy, Org Design & Leadership
Advise the CEO and leadership team as the senior people partner, owning HR strategy end to end.
Design the organisation for the AI pivot — new roles, capability maps, career ladders and reporting structures as we evolve from staffing into AI-native consulting.
Build workforce and skilling plans that anticipate future skills (AI, data, governance) and the shift from staffing seats to outcome-owning teams.
Own compensation architecture, competency frameworks and leadership hiring for new and evolving roles.
Lead change management and culture as the operating model shifts, and represent the people agenda in company decisions.
Report HR metrics (attrition, time-to-productivity, engagement, cost-to-serve) to the board and leadership to guide decisions.
2. People Development & Engagement
Own performance management — goal-setting, reviews and a fair, simple appraisal cycle across the company.
Build learning, skilling and career pathways, with a focus on transitioning talent toward AI-native and high-demand skills.
Lead engagement, retention and culture initiatives that keep attrition low and belonging high.
Mentor and develop managers as a coach on people practices, feedback and difficult conversations.
3. Core HR Operations & Compliance
Hold accountability for the full employee lifecycle — onboarding, confirmation, transfers, exits and settlements, delivered with the HR Executive.
Ensure statutory compliance under Indian labour law (PF, ESI, Gratuity, Shops & Establishments, POSH, professional tax) and keep the function audit-ready.
Govern employee data privacy in line with the DPDP Act and client data-handling obligations.
Oversee HR policies, the handbook and the HRMS, keeping process simple and consistent across delivery hubs.
Qualifications
12–18 years of progressive HR experience, including 5+ years in an HR leadership role.
Proven experience setting HR strategy and partnering directly with founders or C-level leaders.
Track record in organisation design, workforce planning or transformation — ideally in a business changing its model.
Strong, current command of Indian statutory compliance and end-to-end HR operations.
Experience in IT services, staffing, consulting or a GCC environment.
Willing and able to operate lean and hands-on — leading strategy while staying close to execution.
MBA/PGDM in HR or equivalent; excellent communication and executive stakeholder-management skills.

Work arrangement
No