Head of Human Resources

Industry:Travel & Tourism

Location:Trivandrum (with pan-India travel)

Experience: years 

Reporting to:Chief Executive Officer / Managing Director

About the client: Our esteemed client is a dynamic and rapidly growing travel solutions provider with a team of 200 passionate professionals spread across India.  Dedicated to creating unforgettable travel experiences, the client is seeking a strategic and hands-on Head of Human Resources to champion our people-first culture and drive organisational excellence.

The Role: The Head of HR will be a key member of the leadership team, responsible for developing and executing the HR strategy in alignment with our business goals. This role requires a seasoned professional who can manage the complexities of a diverse, pan-India workforce from our base inTrivandrum. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker, an effective change agent, and a passionate leader who is open to travel extensively across India to connect with and empower our teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic HR Leadership:

• Develop and implement the overall HR strategy and annual HR plan to support business objectives.
• Act as a strategic advisor to the leadership team on all people-related matters, including organisational design, change management, and talent strategy.
• Drive initiatives related to employer branding, employee engagement, and retention.
• Talent Acquisition & Management:
• Oversee end-to-end talent acquisition for pan-India roles, ensuring we attract and hire top talent.
• Design and manage robust onboarding and induction programs for new hires.
• Develop and implement career pathing, succession planning, and talent development frameworks.

Performance & Reward Management:

• Lead the design, implementation, and governance of the performance management system (PMS) to foster a high-performance culture.
• Manage the annual appraisal cycle, ensuring fairness and transparency.
• Oversee the compensation & benefits structure, ensuring market competitiveness and internal equity across all locations.

Learning & Development:

• Identify skill gaps and create comprehensive L&D programs to enhance capabilities across the organisation.
• Focus on building leadership pipelines and functional competencies.

Employee Engagement & Relations:

• Champion a positive and inclusive work environment. Develop and execute employee engagement strategies, including surveys, action plans, and events.
• Travel frequently to all office locations to build rapport, understand ground-level challenges, and strengthen company culture.
• Handle complex employee relations issues and ensure compliance with all statutory labor laws across different states.

HR Operations & Compliance:

• Oversee HR operations, including payroll, HRMS, and policies & procedures.
• Ensure statutory compliance with all national and state-specific labor laws (PF, ESI, Gratuity, LWF, etc.).
• Team Leadership:
• Lead, mentor, and develop a small, potentially geographically dispersed HR team.

Desired Qualifications & Experience:

· Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.

· 10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3-4 years in a leadership role heading the HR function for a pan-India organization.

· Proven experience managing HR for a geographically dispersed workforce of 150+ employees is preferred.

· Extensive experience in the Travel, Hospitality, Retail, or a similar fast-paced, customer-centric industry is highly preferred.

· Must be willing and able to travel extensively across India (approximately 40-50% of the time).

· Resilience and the ability to thrive in a dynamic and evolving environment.

What We Offer:

· A competitive compensation package with performance-linked incentives.

· A pivotal leadership role with significant impact on the company's culture and growth.

· Comprehensive travel and expense policy for pan-India travel.