Location: Kochi, Kerala

Experience: 15–20 Years

Employment Type: Full-Time

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

About the Opportunity Our client, a pharmaceutical company based in Kochi, Kerala, is looking for an experienced and strategic HR Manager to lead its overall Human Resources function.

The ideal candidate will have 15–20 years of progressive HR experience, with strong expertise in strategic workforce planning, organisational development, talent management, employee relations, performance management, compensation and benefits, statutory compliance and HR transformation.

The role involves working closely with senior management to align people strategies with business objectives and drive organisational growth.

Key Responsibilities

- Develop and execute the overall HR strategy in alignment with business objectives and long-term growth plans.
- Act as a strategic HR business partner to senior management and department heads.
- Lead the overall HR function, including recruitment, employee relations, performance management, learning and development, compensation and HR operations.
- Develop workforce strategies, manpower plans, succession plans and talent pipelines.
- Lead senior-level and critical talent acquisition across corporate, sales, operations, manufacturing and support functions.
- Establish talent management and retention strategies for key and high-performing employees.
- Drive organisational restructuring, workforce optimisation, change management and HR transformation initiatives.
- Establish performance management frameworks covering KPIs, KRAs, goal setting, performance reviews and development plans.
- Develop leadership development, succession planning and career progression frameworks.
- Lead employee engagement and organisational culture initiatives.
- Provide strategic guidance on employee relations,



grievances, disciplinary actions and conflict resolution.
- Oversee compensation and perks, including salary structures, benchmarking, annual increments and incentive programmes.
- Establish HR policies, processes and governance frameworks.
- Ensure compliance with Indian labour laws and statutory requirements, including PF, ESI, Gratuity and Shops & Establishments Act.
- Drive workforce cost optimisation, productivity improvement and organisational effectiveness.
- Establish HR metrics and dashboards to monitor employee turnover, recruitment effectiveness, absenteeism, manpower costs and employee engagement.
- Present strategic HR reports, workforce analytics and recommendations to senior management.
- Identify organisational capability gaps and lead learning and development initiatives.
- Mentor and develop the HR team while ensuring consistent implementation of HR policies across departments and locations.
- Provide leadership during organisational changes, business expansion and restructuring.

Requirements

- MBA in Human Resources / Human Resource Management is mandatory.
- Bachelor's degree from a recognised university.
- 15–20 years of progressive HR experience, including significant experience in senior HR management roles.
- Strong experience in the Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Medical Devices or FMCG industry.
- Proven experience independently leading and managing the overall HR function.




- Strong understanding of Indian labour laws, statutory compliance and HR governance.
- Demonstrated expertise in strategic HR planning, organisational development, talent management and workforce planning.
- Proven experience managing senior stakeholders and partnering with business leadership.
- Experience leading and developing HR teams.
- Strong exposure to compensation strategy, performance management, succession planning, employee engagement and organisational transformation.
- Experience managing HR across multiple departments, business functions or locations will be an advantage.
- Proficiency in HRMS/HRIS, HR analytics and Microsoft Office.
- Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Profile

- Extensive experience in Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Medical Devices, Nutraceutical, Consumer Healthcare or FMCG organisations.
- Experience working in organisations undergoing significant growth, expansion, restructuring or transformation.
- Previous experience working directly with CEOs, directors and senior management teams.
- Strong commercial understanding and the ability to connect HR strategy with business performance.
- Experience managing large and diverse workforces across multiple functions or locations.

Key Skills Strategic HR Leadership | Workforce Planning & Organisational Design | Talent Management & Succession Planning | Leadership Development | Employee Relations & Engagement | Performance Management | Compensation & Benefits Strategy | Labour Law & Statutory Compliance | Organisational Development | Change Management | HR Transformation | HR Analytics | Stakeholder Management | HR Team Leadership | Business Partnering

📌 HR MANAGER -Pharmaceutical (Kochi)
🏢 I Know A Guy
📍 Kochi