Head of HR - India Business & Operations

The Head of HR \General Manager – Human Resources will lead the HR function for TORQ India Business & Operations, acting as a strategic people partner to senior and top management.

The role will be responsible for developing and executing the people strategy required to support TORQ's business growth, organisational development and operational objectives in India.

The GM HR will oversee the full employee lifecycle and HR agenda, including talent acquisition, performance management, workforce planning, compensation and benefits, HR operations, employee relations, learning and development, organisational development, HR digitalisation, compliance and employee engagement.

A key objective of the position will be to develop a high-performance, meritocratic and accountable organisational culture while building the leadership capabilities and talent pipeline required for the future growth of the business.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic HR Leadership & Business Partnership

• Act as a trusted strategic HR advisor to Top Management on organisational, talent and people-related matters.
• Translate business strategy into an effective people and organisational strategy.
• Partner closely with senior leadership on organisational priorities, workforce requirements, succession planning and leadership development.
• Provide proactive recommendations based on business requirements, workforce trends and HR analytics.

2. Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Lead end-to-end recruitment and talent acquisition across TORQ India.
• Develop effective sourcing and recruitment strategies for critical, specialist and leadership positions.
• Build strong internal and external talent pipelines to support current and future business requirements.
• Drive workforce planning in collaboration with business leaders.
• Develop manpower budgets, forecasts and headcount plans aligned with business objectives.
• Monitor recruitment effectiveness through relevant KPIs, including quality of hire, time to hire and recruitment costs.

3. Performance Management & Meritocracy

• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of the Performance Management framework.
• Ensure objectives and KPIs are clearly defined and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Establish a strong culture of accountability, ownership and measurable performance.
• Partner with management to identify and address underperformance effectively.
• Ensure performance outcomes are appropriately connected to career development, succession, recognition and reward.
• Support the development of a transparent and performance-based organisational culture.

4. Compensation, Benefits & Payroll

• Drive proactive Compensation & Benefits strategies to maintain internal equity and external competitiveness.
• Conduct market benchmarking and recommend appropriate salary structures and benefit programmes.
• Support annual salary reviews, bonus processes and incentive structures.
• Ensure accurate, compliant and efficient payroll management.
• Monitor personnel costs and provide management with meaningful compensation and workforce analysis.

5. HR Operations & Administration

• Provide leadership and oversight of HR Operations and Administration.
• Ensure effective management of employee documentation, contracts, onboarding, probation, transfers, promotions, exits and employee records.
• Develop and continuously improve HR policies, procedures and SOPs.
• Ensure HR processes are efficient, scalable and aligned with business requirements.

6. Employee Relations & Engagement

• Build constructive and professional employee relations across the organisation.
• Advise management on complex employee relations matters and workplace issues.
• Develop initiatives to strengthen employee engagement, communication and retention.
• Conduct and analyse employee engagement surveys and translate findings into measurable action plans.
• Promote a professional, collaborative and performance-oriented working environment.

7. Learning & Development

• Identify organisational and individual capability gaps in partnership with business leaders.
• Develop and implement targeted Learning & Development programmes aligned with business priorities.
• Build leadership and management capabilities across the organisation.
• Establish measurable objectives and ROI/KPIs for major L&D initiatives.
• Support career development and internal mobility opportunities for high-performing employees.

8. Organisational Development & Change

• Partner with Top Management to design and implement Organisational Development (OD) initiatives.
• Support organisational restructuring, role design, job evaluation and reporting-line optimisation where required.
• Lead HR aspects of organisational change and transformation programmes.
• Strengthen succession planning and identify critical roles and potential successors.
• Support the development of a sustainable leadership pipeline.

9. HR Digitalisation & Analytics

• Drive digital HR initiatives aimed at improving employee connectivity, efficiency and management information.
• Promote effective utilisation and continuous improvement of HRIS and other HR technology platforms.
• Develop meaningful HR dashboards and management reporting.
• Use HR analytics to identify workforce trends, risks and opportunities and support data-driven decision-making.

10. Employer Branding

• Develop and drive employer-branding initiatives in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strengthen TORQ's positioning as an employer of choice within relevant talent markets.
• Support recruitment marketing, university relationships, professional networks and other talent-branding initiatives.
• Ensure consistency between TORQ's external employer proposition and the internal employee experience.

11. Compliance & Governance

• Ensure compliance with applicable Indian labour and employment laws, statutory requirements and internal company policies.
• Maintain appropriate HR governance, documentation and controls.
• Identify potential employment-related risks and proactively advise management.
• Coordinate with legal advisors, payroll providers, auditors and other external stakeholders where required.

12. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Develop and spearhead meaningful Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives aligned with TORQ's organisational values and business objectives.
• Promote fair and merit-based recruitment, development, promotion and reward practices.
• Establish measurable DEI objectives rather than purely activity-based programmes.

13. HR Team Leadership

• Lead, manage, develop and motivate the India HR team.
• Establish clear responsibilities, objectives and performance expectations across the HR function.
• Develop the capabilities of HR team members and ensure strong business partnering across the organisation.
• Build an HR function recognised for responsiveness, professionalism, commercial awareness and execution.
• Ensure HR initiatives deliver planned and measurable outcomes.

Key Success Measures

Success in this position will be measured through:

• Quality and timeliness of recruitment.
• Employee retention and regrettable attrition.
• Performance management effectiveness.
• Employee engagement levels.
• Workforce productivity and personnel-cost management.
• Leadership and succession pipeline development.
• Payroll accuracy and HR operational efficiency.
• HR compliance and risk management.
• Effectiveness and ROI of L&D initiatives.
• HR digitalisation and process improvements.
• Development and performance of the India HR team.
• Progress towards establishing a high-performance, accountable and merit-based organisational culture.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate should be a commercially minded and execution-oriented HR leader who can operate effectively at both strategic and operational levels.

The individual should demonstrate:

• Strong business partnering experience with CEOs, Directors and senior management.
• Broad generalist HR expertise covering Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, C&B, HR Operations, Employee Relations, L&D and OD.
• Experience managing and developing an HR team.
• Strong knowledge of Indian employment legislation and HR compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience building performance-driven organisational cultures.
• Strong analytical capability and comfort working with workforce data, budgets and HR metrics.
• Experience implementing or improving HR technology and digital HR processes.
• Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills.
• Ability to challenge senior stakeholders constructively and professionally.
• High levels of integrity, confidentiality and professional judgement.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and internationally connected organisation.

Preferred Experience

Experience within a commodity trading, FMCG, food/agri-business, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, financial services or other commercially driven international organisation would be advantageous.

Reporting & Stakeholder Management

The GM HR will work closely with TORQ India Top Management and Group Leadership and will lead the India HR function.

The role will also require regular collaboration with business heads, finance, operations and other corporate functions, as well as coordination with HR colleagues and stakeholders across TORQ's international operations.

• Competitive salary with performance-based bonus.
• Opportunity to work in a global commodity environment.
• Exposure to international markets and leading industry players.
• Career development in a fast-growing trading team.