HR Specialist – India GCC

Talent Acquisition Support | Employee Benefits & Compensation | HR Operations (Policy & Compliance) | Employee

Experience

Location India (GCC Office)

Reporting To Global HR Leadership (functional/organizational reporting into the global HR structure, based outside India)

Work Model Hybrid – 4 days per week in office; working hours structured to provide substantial overlap with U.S. business hours

Experience 8–10 years in Human Resources, including demonstrated experience setting up or scaling HR for a Global Capability Center (GCC) / Global In-house Center (GIC)

Employment Type Full-time

POSITION SUMMARY

This role is the on-the-ground HR anchor for the India Global Capability Center (GCC), operating as an extension of the

Global HR team and reporting into global HR leadership. The individual will be responsible for adapting and implementing global HR policies, programs, and processes in India with the right regional flavour — ensuring full compliance with Indian statutory and labour law requirements while preserving alignment with global standards,

tone, and MNC-grade employee experience. The role spans four core pillars: Talent Acquisition support, Employee

Benefits & Compensation (India market), HR Operations (policies & compliance), and Employee Experience — all delivered to the standards expected of a multinational organization operating in India.

The ideal candidate has prior, hands-on experience helping establish or mature HR functions within a GCC/GIC environment in India, is comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy across a broad HR remit and can represent the India employee and market perspective confidently in conversations with global stakeholders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Talent Acquisition Support

● Support end-to-end recruitment for the India GCC in partnership with global TA/business stakeholders —

sourcing, screening, interview coordination, and offer management.

● Localize global hiring processes and job architecture to fit the Indian talent market (role levelling, market benchmarking, sourcing channels, notice periods, background verification norms).

● Build and maintain relationships with recruitment agencies, campus partners, and sourcing platforms relevant to the India market.

● Provide market intelligence on India talent supply, competitive hiring trends, and attrition risks for GCC-critical roles.

● Partner with global TA on employer branding and candidate experience initiatives, ensuring consistency with global MNC standards while reflecting local expectations.

● Track and report India hiring metrics (time-to-fill, offer acceptance, source effectiveness) to global HR.

- Employee Benefits and Compensation (India Market)

● Design, benchmark, and administer India-specific compensation structures (fixed/variable pay, statutory components, allowances) aligned with global compensation philosophy.

● Manage the India benefits portfolio — group medical/health insurance,



life and accident cover, retirement advantages (PF, Gratuity, NPS), and other statutory or market-competitive benefits.

● Lead or support the annual compensation review, salary benchmarking surveys, and merit/bonus cycles for India,

ensuring alignment with global timelines and frameworks.

● Partner with global C&B/Total Rewards on job evaluation, grading, and pay equity analysis for India roles.

● Manage relationships with India benefits vendors/insurers/brokers, ensuring competitive positioning against

MNC/GCC peer benchmarks.

● Ensure statutory compliance on payroll-adjacent components (PF, ESI, Skilled Tax, Labour Welfare Fund,

Gratuity, Bonus Act, etc.) in coordination with Finance/Payroll.

- HR Operations – Policies and Compliance

● Translate and localize global HR policies into India-compliant policies, ensuring statutory alignment (Shops &

Establishments Act, Industrial/Labour laws, POSH, Maternity Benefit Act, etc.) while retaining global intent and tone.

● Own the India HR policy manual/handbook — drafting, periodic review, version control, and rollout/communication of updates.

● Serve as the India subject-matter point of contact for statutory and regulatory compliance audits, labour inspections, and internal/external HR audits.

● Maintain HR governance documentation (SOPs, RACI, process maps) for India HR operations in a format consistent with global audit and compliance expectations.

● Manage employee lifecycle operations for India — onboarding, transfers, exits, documentation, and HRIS data integrity — in line with global systems and SLAs.

● Constitute and administer the Internal Committee (IC) under the POSH Act and ensure timely closure of any grievances per statutory timelines.

● Coordinate with global HR, Legal, and Finance on works council/employee relations matters, contracts, and any

India-specific regulatory changes.

- Employee Experience

● Design and deliver an India employee experience roadmap (onboarding, engagement, recognition, wellness,

culture events) benchmarked to MNC/GCC best practices.

● Localize global engagement surveys, recognition programs, and communication cadences for the India workforce,

and drive action-planning on survey outcomes.

● Own the India onboarding journey — new hire orientation, buddy programs, and early-tenure engagement —

ensuring a seamless, globally consistent first impression.

● Plan and execute employee engagement calendars, wellness initiatives, and culture-building activities suited to the India office and workforce demographics.





● Act as a trusted point of contact for India employees on HR queries, escalations, and workplace concerns,

ensuring timely resolution and appropriate escalation to global HR where needed.

● Partner with Facilities/Admin/IT on the physical and digital workplace experience for the India GCC office.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

● 8–10 years of progressive HR experience, with demonstrated exposure across Talent Acquisition, Compensation &

Benefits, HR Operations/Compliance, and Employee Experience.

● Proven experience setting up, stabilizing, or scaling HR for a Global Capability Center (GCC) / Global In-house

Center (GIC) / Shared Services set-up in India is essential.

● Strong working knowledge of Indian labour laws and statutory compliance requirements (PF, ESI, Gratuity, Bonus

Act, POSH, Shops & Establishments Act, etc.).

● Demonstrated experience localizing and implementing global HR policies/programs within a matrixed,

multinational reporting structure.

● Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field; MBA/PGDM in HR preferred.

● Comfortable and experienced working in a hybrid model (4 days in office) with regular overlap with US business hours.

● Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to represent the India perspective credibly to global leadership and vice versa.

PREFERRED SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

● Prior experience in a pharmaceutical, life sciences, or other regulated industry is an advantage.

● Hands-on experience with HRIS/HCM platforms (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, or similar) and ticketing/case management tools.

● Strong analytical orientation — comfortable building HR dashboards, compensation benchmarking analyses, and compliance trackers.

● High degree of ownership and comfort operating independently as the sole/lead India HR resource within a globally distributed HR team.

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with polish suited to interactions with global leadership,

auditors, and external vendors.

● Discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential employee, compensation, and compliance matters.

REPORTING & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

● Reports into Global HR leadership (based outside India), with a strong dotted-line/day-to-day connect to India site/GCC leadership.

● Partners closely with Global Talent Acquisition, Global Total Rewards/C&B, Global HR Operations, Legal,

Finance/Payroll, and IT/Facilities teams supporting the India GCC.

● Acts as the primary India HR representative in global HR forums, ensuring the India market perspective is factored into global policy and program design.

WORK MODEL & LOCATION DETAILS

● Location: India GCC office.

● Work Model: Hybrid — minimum 4 days per week in office.

● Working Hours: Structured to ensure meaningful daily overlap with US business hours to support real-time collaboration with global HR stakeholders.

📌 HR Specialist -LS (India)
🏢 Cognizant
📍 India