Head of People / HR – Startup

Location: Bangalore

Experience: 6–10 years

Work Mode: On-site / Hybrid

Industry: High-Growth Startup

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and entrepreneurial Head of People / HR to build and scale the People function as the company enters its next phase of growth.

This is a high-ownership role for someone who has built and managed HR/People functions in a high-growth startup or scaling organization. The ideal candidate will be a strong communicator, hands-on operator, and strategic partner to business leaders - someone who can build robust people systems without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

You will play a critical role in shaping the company's talent strategy, performance culture, leadership development, organizational design, and employee experience, while preserving its entrepreneurial and mission-driven culture.

Key Responsibilities

- Improve Talent Density

Raise the quality bar across hiring and talent decisions.

Partner closely with founders and business leaders on critical and leadership hiring.

Build scalable and effective sourcing and talent acquisition capabilities.

Strengthen employer branding and position the company as a compelling destination for exceptional, mission-driven talent.

Develop processes to identify, attract, and retain high-performing talent.

- Build a High-Performance Culture

Establish clear role expectations, scorecards, goals, and performance metrics.

Build and institutionalize performance management and feedback systems.

Drive regular talent reviews and ensure accountability across teams.

Create a culture centered around meritocracy, ownership, continuous improvement, and high performance.

Partner with managers to address performance challenges effectively and fairly.

- Workforce Planning & Organizational Development

Build scalable people processes that enable rapid growth without unnecessary bureaucracy.





Drive organizational design and workforce planning aligned with business priorities.

Identify future capability and talent requirements ahead of business needs.

Develop systems and processes that allow the organization to scale efficiently.

Use people data and insights to support organizational and workforce decisions.

- Develop People & Leadership Capabilities

Build leadership development programs for emerging leaders and first-time managers.

Strengthen managerial effectiveness across the organization.

Develop capabilities around coaching, communication, decision-making, feedback, and leadership behaviours.

Identify high-potential employees and create development pathways for them.

Help build the next generation of leaders within the organization.

- Protect & Strengthen Company Culture

Ensure the company's entrepreneurial, mission-driven, customer-obsessed, and ownership-oriented culture remains strong as the organization scales.

Translate company values into everyday behaviours, processes, and employee experiences.

Build a strong employee experience while maintaining a high-performance environment.

Act as a culture champion and trusted advisor to leadership and employees.

- Partner with Business & Leadership

Work closely with founders and senior leadership on people and organizational priorities.

Provide data-driven insights and recommendations on talent, organization, and workforce matters.

Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.

Operate effectively in a fast-changing and ambiguous startup workplace.

What We're Looking For

6–10 years of impactful HR/People experience,



preferably in high-growth startups or scaling organizations. We are flexible on experience for exceptional candidates.

Proven experience building and managing multiple HR disciplines, rather than working only within an already-established corporate HR structure.

Strong startup experience with a demonstrated builder/doer mindset.

Track record of building and implementing people systems in growth-stage organizations.

Demonstrable achievements in areas such as:

Leadership and critical hiring

Performance management

Organizational development

Workforce planning

Leadership development

Culture building

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence founders, senior leaders, and employees.

High ownership and strong execution orientation.

Comfortable working with ambiguity, limited resources, and rapidly changing priorities.

Ability to move seamlessly between strategic planning and hands-on execution.

Ideal Candidate

You are someone who

Has built HR/People functions from the ground up in a startup or scaling organization.

Is equally comfortable designing a people strategy and personally driving its execution.

Can challenge leadership constructively and influence important decisions.

Has exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.

Understands how to maintain startup culture while introducing the systems required to scale.

Is highly entrepreneurial, pragmatic, data-driven, and execution-focused.

Believes that great people and strong organizational systems are a competitive advantage.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to shape the People function and culture of a rapidly scaling organization from the ground up. You will work closely with the leadership team and have significant ownership in defining how the organization hires, develops, evaluates, and retains talent as it grows globally.

📌 Head of Human Resources (Karnataka)
🏢 Nexshift
📍 Karnataka