Manager – HR Operations & Employee Relations

About the School – CHIREC INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL CHIREC International is a leading K-12 school located in Hyderabad, India offering International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). CHIREC was founded in 1989 by Founder-Director, Ratna Reddy as a summer camp that offered Programmes in fine arts, performing arts, computers, indoor and outdoor sports. Today, CHIREC is one of the premier educational institutions in the country for excellence in academics and co-curricular activities. CHIREC’s mission is to nurture the innate potential of its students to enable them to excel in whatever they choose. The school helps students to grow and evolve into open-minded, ethical and caring individuals who are focused and encouraged to set goals, attain them and exceed expectations. As a valued member of the Cognita global group, and recognized by respected educational bodies like the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the IB Organization, CHIREC International School is known for its exceptional quality of education. About Cognita At Cognita, we know every student is unique. We nurture their distinct personalities and strengths. We support them academically, socially, and emotionally, wherever they are in the world, wherever they’re starting from. And each and every one of our schools is unique too. We protect what’s special about them, while offering them rich knowledge, opportunities, and best practices. And they get to be part of something bigger. We open their classrooms to the collective wisdom of over 100 schools in 16 countries, ensuring every child gets an education that’s, quite literally, world class. It’s an individual approach that empowers every school, teacher and student to focus on what they do best. And thrive. Position Objective: Own the day-to-day HR infrastructure and ensure consistent, compliant, and employee-friendly HR operations across the organization. The HR Manager will digitize workforce data, streamline safeguarding and personnel checks, automate absence tracking, and simplify employee onboarding, while overseeing personnel administration, payroll, and HR compliance for educational institutions. The role will ensure adherence to relevant employment laws, regulations, safeguarding requirements, and organizational policies, working closely with internal teams and external auditors or regulatory bodies to maintain effective, compliant, and integrated HR processes. Key Responsibilities: - Oversee day-to-day HR operations and ensure efficient, consistent, and employee-focused service delivery. - Develop, standardize, and continuously improve HR policies, procedures, SOPs, workflows, and documentation. - Provide HR guidance and support to managers and employees on people-related matters. - Manage employee relations matters, including grievances, disciplinary issues, performance concerns, and workplace conflicts. - Ensure employee relations cases are handled fairly, confidentially, consistently, and in line with applicable employment laws and policies. - Coordinate payroll processes with Finance and payroll providers, ensuring accurate and timely processing. - Oversee attendance, leave, absence management, and employee benefits administration. - Monitor attendance, absence, and workforce trends and provide relevant insights to management. - Ensure compliance with employment laws, regulations, safeguarding requirements, and organizational policies. - Manage pre-employment and personnel checks, including background verification, references, and right-to-work checks. - Maintain accurate HR records and ensure timely completion and renewal of mandatory compliance checks. - Own the HRIS and ensure accurate, secure, and up-to-date employee and workforce data. - Drive digitization and automation of HR processes, including onboarding, employee records, attendance, and routine workflows. - Develop HR MIS, dashboards, and reports to support workforce planning and management decision-making. - Maintain appropriate HR data governance, controls, confidentiality, and reporting standards. - Support internal and external HR audits, inspections, regulatory reviews, and compliance assessments. - Promote employee wellbeing, engagement, inclusion, and a positive employee experience. - Coordinate employee welfare, engagement, and support initiatives and address workplace concerns. - Identify opportunities to improve HR service delivery, employee experience, and organizational effectiveness. - Lead, coach, and develop the HR team, ensuring clear responsibilities, performance standards, and continuous capability development. Education & Professional Qualifications - Postgraduate qualification in Human Resources, Personnel Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline. - A degree or professional qualification in Law, Labour Law, Industrial Relations, or Employee Relations will be an advantage. - Relevant professional HR certification is desirable. Experience - 15 to 20 years of relevant HR experience, with at least 5 years in a managerial position. - Demonstrated experience in HR operations, employee relations, HR compliance, policy implementation, payroll coordination, and HR systems. - Experience in leading and developing small HR teams - Experience in the education sector or another regulated environment is highly desirable. - Proven experience in HR digitization, HRIS implementation/improvement, process automation, and HR MIS. - Demonstrated experience handling complex employee relations matters, audits, regulatory requirements, and employment-related compliance. - Experience working with senior leadership and external auditors, regulators, and service providers.