Country Head-People & Culture

Role & Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Execution

• Lead the HR strategy for the launch and scale-up of the India GCC and contact center operations.
• Build and evolve HR infrastructure to support rapid growth and operational readiness.

Business Partnering

• Act as a strategic business partner to country leadership and functional heads, providing proactive people solutions that support operational goals and growth plans.
• Collaborate closely with GCC and contact center leadership to align workforce strategies with business priorities, ensuring agility and responsiveness during scale-up.
• Influence decision-making through data-driven insights, workforce analytics, and deep understanding of local market dynamics.
• Serve as a cultural ambassador, ensuring alignment between Starlink group corporate values and local execution.

Talent Acquisition

• Lead, and inspire a high-performing TA team to support the hiring needs of a Global Capability Centre in India and the Qatar Corporate office and Qatar Operations.
• Set clear performance goals, KPIs, and development plans to drive team excellence and accountability.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, agility, and continuous improvement across recruitment functions.
• Ensure the team delivers timely, high-quality talent pipelines for diverse roles across geographies.
• Provide strategic direction and hands-on coaching to optimise sourcing, assessment, and onboarding processes.
• Drive tech-enabled improvements in recruitment operations, including the adoption of AI-powered tools for sourcing, screening, and candidate engagement.
• Champion employer branding and candidate experience to position the StarZen (India) and Starlink (Qatar) as an employer of choice.

HR Shared Service Centre Start-Up

• Lead the design and launch of an HR Shared Service Centre in India to support Qatar-based operations, starting with core functions like payroll, onboarding, and employee helpdesk.
• Establish governance frameworks, service level agreements, and digital workflows to ensure scalable, high-quality service delivery.
• Leverage technology and AI-driven tools to automate routine HR processes, enhance service efficiency, and improve employee experience.

Talent & Culture Development

• Drive initiatives to attract, develop, and retain top talent across diverse functions.
• Foster a high-performance, inclusive, and values-driven culture aligned with global standards and local expectations.
• Design and implement scalable learning and development programs to support onboarding, upskilling, and leadership development across the Starlink Group in India & Qatar (Including GCC, Contact center teams and Corporate teams)
• Build a learning culture that supports continuous improvement, career growth, and operational excellence.
• Measure impact of learning initiatives through performance metrics, feedback, and business outcomes.
• Lead leadership development, succession planning, and capability building programs

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Design and implement employee engagement strategies tailored to startup environments and operational teams, including the Global Capability Center and contact center functions.
• Ensure a consistent and positive employee experience across onboarding, career development, and retention touchpoints.
• Lead the deployment of bi annual engagement surveys in the GCC and feedback tools to capture employee sentiment and identify areas for improvement.
• Drive action planning based on survey results, partnering with business leaders to implement meaningful changes that enhance culture and performance.
• Promote a listening culture that values employee voice and fosters continuous improvement.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure HR policies and practices comply with Indian labor laws and regulatory requirements.
• Manage employee relations and support ethical decision-making during rapid expansion.

Financial Management

• Develop and manage the GCC P&C budget and operating plan.
• Conduct forecasting and financial analysis to support strategic decisions.
• Ensure commercial viability and cost-effectiveness of all P&C initiatives.

Market Analysis & Insights

• Conduct ongoing talent market and competitor analysis to identify trends in compensation, benefits, employee experience, and workforce availability, especially in GCC and contact center domains.
• Provide strategic insights to inform workforce planning, employer branding, and talent acquisition strategies tailored to Indias dynamic labor market.
• Monitor emerging technologies and digital HR innovations, such as AI-driven recruitment tools, employee engagement platforms, and hybrid work models, to enhance operational efficiency and employee experience.
• Benchmark against industry best practices to ensure competitive positioning in attracting and retaining top talent.
• Use data-driven insights to support decisions on organizational structure, ramp-up timelines, and location strategy for the GCC and contact center operations.

Team Leadership

• Lead and inspire a high-performing People & Culture team in the Starlink GCC, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Build HR capabilities to support the launch and scale-up of the Global Capability Center and contact center operations, ensuring alignment with global standards and local needs.
• Act as a mentor and coach to P&C colleagues across locations, driving professional development and succession planning.
• Champion cross-functional collaboration with business groups, support departments and group colleagues to deliver integrated people solutions across the two locations (Qatar & India).

Preferred candidate profile:

Educational Background:

• A bachelors degree in HR, Business or a related field.
• An MBA/Masters or other advanced post graduate qualifications are an advantage.

Work Experience:

• 12+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including experience in scaling operations or launching new entities.
• Proven success in startup or high-growth environments, preferably in GCC or contact center settings.
• Strong understanding of Indian labor laws, compliance, and HR operations.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and change leadership skills.