Human Resources Director – India | Chennai

About the Company

Our client is a globally recognised European automotive company with an established international presence and a strong reputation for engineering, innovation and operational excellence.

As part of its continued expansion in India, the company is strengthening its local organisation and is looking to appoint a Human Resources Director to lead the development of its HR function in the country.

This is a highly strategic and hands-on leadership opportunity. The successful candidate will play a central role in building the local HR organisation and infrastructure from the ground up , while also supporting the company's M&A; activities and integration agenda.

The position will be based in Chennai, India .

About the Role The HR Director will have overall responsibility for developing and implementing the company's India HR strategy, organisation, policies and processes .

A key priority will be to establish a robust and scalable local HR framework aligned with both Indian employment regulations and the Group's global HR standards .

The role will also play a leading role in M&A; activities, including HR due diligence, organisation design, employee transition and post-merger integration , ensuring a smooth and effective integration of people, culture, systems and processes.

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience in manufacturing and/or the automotive industry , together with proven experience in building HR functions, managing organisational change and operating in complex international environments.

Key Responsibilities

HR Strategy & Leadership

- Develop and implement the overall HR strategy for the India business in alignment with global Group objectives.
- Act as a strategic HR partner to the India leadership team and key business stakeholders.
- Establish the HR organisation, structure and operating model required to support business growth.
- Build and lead a high-performing local HR team.
- Serve as the key interface between the India organisation and the Group HR function in Europe.

HR Function Build-Up
- Build the local HR function from the ground up , including policies, processes, systems and governance.
- Establish core HR processes covering recruitment, onboarding, performance management, compensation and benefits,



employee relations, learning and development, talent management and succession planning.
- Develop and implement HR policies and procedures in compliance with Indian employment legislation.
- Introduce appropriate HR systems, reporting mechanisms, KPIs and people analytics.
- Ensure consistency between local HR practices and the Group's global policies and standards.

M&A; & Post-Merger Integration
- Lead the HR workstream across M&A; activities in India .
- Support HR due diligence, including organisational structure, workforce analysis, employment contracts, compensation, benefits and employee-related liabilities.
- Develop integration plans covering organisation design, people, culture, policies, systems and processes.
- Lead employee communication and change-management activities throughout the M&A; process.
- Ensure effective employee transition and integration following acquisitions.
- Identify and mitigate people-related risks associated with M&A; activities.

Manufacturing & Industrial HR
- Partner closely with plant, manufacturing, engineering, supply-chain and operational leadership.
- Develop HR practices suitable for a manufacturing and industrial environment , including workforce planning, shift structures, productivity, skills development and employee engagement.
- Support the development of talent pipelines for technical, engineering and manufacturing positions.
- Establish appropriate employee-relations and workforce-management practices.
- Support organisational transformation and operational excellence initiatives.

Talent & Organisation Development
- Develop talent acquisition and workforce-planning strategies to support business expansion.
- Establish leadership-development and succession-planning frameworks.
- Build capabilities and career-development programmes for local employees.
- Develop initiatives to strengthen employee engagement, retention and organisational culture.




- Support the development of a robust local leadership pipeline.

Employee Relations & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with applicable Indian labour and employment legislation.
- Establish appropriate employee-relations frameworks and processes.
- Manage relationships with employees, employee representatives and relevant external stakeholders, where applicable.
- Ensure HR policies and practices meet both local legal requirements and global governance standards.
- Proactively identify and manage employment-related risks.

Candidate Profile The ideal candidate will be a senior HR leader with robust experience in India , ideally gained within a manufacturing, automotive or other industrial environment .

Key requirements include

- 15+ years of HR experience , with significant senior HR leadership responsibility.
- Proven experience as an HR Director / Head of HR / Senior HR Business Partner within a complex organisation.
- Strong experience in manufacturing, automotive, engineering or industrial environments .
- Demonstrated experience building or transforming HR functions, systems and policies .
- Strong M&A; experience, including HR due diligence and post-merger integration .
- Solid knowledge of Indian employment and labour legislation.
- Experience working with European or other international headquarters and implementing global HR policies locally.
- Strong understanding of organisational design, workforce planning, talent management and employee relations.
- Experience working closely with manufacturing/plant operations and senior business leadership.
- Strong change-management and stakeholder-management capabilities.
- Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on , particularly during the initial build-up of the India organisation.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills.
- Fluency in English is required.

Ideal Candidate The strongest candidates will combine: Automotive / Manufacturing Experience + India HR Leadership + M&A; / Integration Experience + HR Function Build-Up + International / European Corporate Environment

This is an opportunity for an experienced HR leader to build a local HR organisation from the ground up and play a critical role in the company's next phase of growth in India .

📌 Human Resources Director (Chennai Metropolitan Area)
🏢 Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP Group)
📍 Chennai Metropolitan Area