Head of HR

Hospitality (restaurants) industry experience mandatory.

The Head of HR will play a critical role in shaping the HR function as Brik Oven, a fast-growing restaurant chain. The ideal candidate will combine hands-on HR expertise with strategic leadership to manage a rapidly scaling workforce across multiple restaurant locations and corporate functions. This role will be pivotal in setting up the HR infrastructure, developing policies, and fostering a culture that aligns with the company’s mission of growth and innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic HR Leadership:

• Develop and implement scalable HR strategies that align with the company’s growth objectives and long-term vision.
• Lead the transition, focusing on organizational design, workforce planning, and leadership development.
• Collaborate with the executive team to shape and promote a dynamic, inclusive, and employee-first culture that encourages innovation and excellence.
• Lead talent management efforts, including building a strong leadership pipeline, creating succession plans, and implementing retention strategies for key roles.
• Introduce and manage corporate-level HR policies, frameworks, and governance structures to support business expansion across locations.

Operational HR Management:

• Oversee full-cycle recruitment, from sourcing top talent to onboarding employees, ensuring both speed and quality in hiring for corporate and restaurant roles.
• Design, update and implement HR processes, such as payroll, benefits, and performance management systems, to ensure operational efficiency as the company scales.
• Ensure compliance with all Indian labor laws and industry-specific regulations (PF, ESI, Shops and Establishments Act, etc.).
• Develop HR policies and procedures, ensuring smooth communication and consistent implementation across all business units.
• Build and manage the performance appraisal process, ensuring the alignment of individual goals with company objectives and fostering a culture of feedback and continuous development.
• Handle employee relations, addressing issues such as grievances, conflict resolution, and disciplinary matters.
• Support restaurant managers in optimizing staffing, managing labor costs, and scheduling efficiently across multiple locations.

Organizational Development & Growth:

• Create and drive training and development programs to support the growth of the workforce, including leadership development, upskilling, and cross-functional training.
• Lead efforts to build employee engagement programs, ensuring that employees are motivated and aligned with the company’s vision.
• Establish HR metrics and analytics to track workforce performance, turnover, engagement, and other key indicators of business health.

Key Skills & Competencies:

• Strong leadership and communication skills, capable of leading the HR function through a high-growth, transformational phase.
• Proven ability to manage HR operations in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment, with experience in scaling HR practices for growth.
• Expertise in Indian labor laws and regulations, with a focus on compliance and industry best practices.
• Strategic thinking combined with the ability to execute operationally in a startup-to-corporate transition.
• Deep understanding of talent acquisition, employee engagement, and retention strategies tailored to a fast-scaling organization.
• Strong conflict resolution, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field. An MBA in HR or certification (e.g., SHRM, CHRP) is a plus.
• Minimum of 10 years of HR experience, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership role, preferably within the restaurant or hospitality sector.
• Experience in building HR systems, processes, and policies for multi-location operations.