Head of Recruitment

Job role: Head - Talent Acquisition Location: Mumbai HO Experience: 10+ years Role overview: As a “Talent acquisition head” at The Hosteller, you shall be leading the entire team of acquisition specialists hiring for India’s largest backpacker hostel brand. This role requires a strategic thinker who can build a super-efficient team and processes having a sound understanding/experience in the hospitality sector, specially in domains like manpower agencies/campus hiring/facility management services/etc. supporting the face paced human resource requirement of the company. The role shall also require experience in P&L management, attrition controls, pan-India knowledge including regional/national expertise, labour laws, manpower forecasting, etc. in order to attract and retain the best talent in the hospitality sector. Key responsibilities - Design and execute The Hosteller’s pan-India full scale talent acquisition strategy in line with growth plans (new property openings, functional scale-ups, and seasonal hiring cycles) - Partner with leadership to anticipate talent needs, skill gaps, and organizational design changes aligned with business goals - Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing talent acquisition team including regional leads, recruiters, and manpower partners - Establish KPIs, hiring metrics and dashboards for TAT (time-to-fill), cost-per-hire, attrition forecasting, conversion efficiency, etc. - Develop a centralized manpower forecasting model (property, F&B, housekeeping, community, ops, and support roles) and lead recruitment across functions - Build partnerships with campuses, training institutes, and skill development centres (e.g., IHMs, hotel management schools, NSDC-affiliated institutions) - Activate mass recruitment drives through job portals, agencies, job fairs, and regional collaborations - Activate and manage manpower supply partners, recruitment agencies and facility management vendors across North, South, East, and West zones - Negotiate and optimize contracts to balance cost efficiency and hiring quality - Oversee P&L management of the recruitment vertical including budgets, agency commissions, onboarding costs, and productivity ratios - Standardize SOPs for job postings, screening, interviews, offers, and onboarding across all levels - Implement scalable ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) and digital hiring tools for better transparency and reporting, including the ones developed by The Hosteller - Analyze attrition data, identify root causes, and co-create retention strategies with HR Business Partners - Ensure adherence to state and central labour laws, minimum wages, PF, ESI, contract staffing regulations, and HR audits - Liaise with compliance and finance teams for vendor documentation, agreements, and renewals and develop frameworks to prevent non-compliance issues in multi-state hiring and staffing Qualifications - MBA/PGDM in HR or related field (Tier 1/Tier 2 institutes preferred) - 10+ years of proven experience in hospitality/facility management/retail/QSR/ manpower supply/multi-location operations - Strong pan-India recruitment exposure with understanding of regional hiring dynamics and language diversity - Experience managing large-scale blue & grey collar hiring pipelines - Demonstrated success in P&L ownership, attrition control, and manpower forecasting - Knowledge of hospitality org structures, shift dynamics, and service standards - Familiarity with ATS tools, HR analytics, and recruitment automation systems - Excellent negotiation, stakeholder management, and team leadership skills - Up-to-date understanding of labour legislation and contract workforce regulations across states - Excellent communication, analytical, and stakeholder management skills - Certification in labour laws, HR analytics, or talent management is a plus - Strategic thinker with an execution-first mindset