IR HEAD

Job Description – Head of Industrial Relations (IR)

Position Title: Head – Industrial Relations (GM)

Function: Human Resources / Industrial Relations

Reporting To: Senior Management / CHRO / Director – HR

Location: Pune, Corporate Office

Grade/Level: Senior Leadership Role

Role Overview:
The Head of Industrial Relations (IR) will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for Industrial Relations across multiple manufacturing locations. The role involves managing industrial relations for a large blue-collar workforce of approximately 10,000+ associates, engaged primarily through contractors, spread across PAN INDIA. The incumbent will oversee plant-level IR operations and ensure stable, compliant, and harmonious employee relations across all sites.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Provide overall leadership and governance of Industrial Relations across all manufacturing plants and locations.
2. Manage IR operations for 10,000+ blue-collar associates, largely deployed through multiple contractors, ensuring smooth workforce management and productivity.
3. Develop and implement IR strategies, policies, and frameworks aligned with business objectives and statutory requirements.
4. Handle plant-level IR issues, including disputes, negotiations, settlements, disciplinary matters, and conflict resolution.
5. Lead and mentor Plant IR/HR Heads, who will have a dotted/solid-line reporting into this role, ensuring consistent IR practices across locations.
6. Ensure strict compliance with central and state labour laws across PAN INDIA, including contract labour regulations.
7. Act as the key escalation point for union matters, workforce grievances, strikes, lockouts, and other sensitive IR situations.
8. Coordinate with plant leadership, legal teams, and external authorities to maintain industrial peace and business continuity.
9. Drive contractor governance, audits, and adherence to statutory and ethical employment practices.
Support organizational growth, new plant setups, expansions, and workforce transitions from an IR standpoint.
 

Stakeholder Management:
1. Work closely with Plant Heads, HR Leadership, Legal, and Operations Teams.
2. Interface with unions, contractors, labour authorities, and external advisors as required.
3. Provide regular updates and risk assessments to senior leadership on IR matters.
 

Key Skills & Competencies:
1. Strong expertise in Industrial Relations and labour law compliance across multiple states.
2. Proven experience in managing large blue-collar and contract labour workforces.
3. Excellent negotiation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills.
4. Ability to lead geographically dispersed teams and drive standardization.
5. High level of maturity, discretion, and crisis-handling capability.
 

Experience & Qualification (Indicative)
1. 20+ years of experience in Industrial Relations, preferably in manufacturing, automotive, or heavy engineering environments.
2. Prior experience handling multi-plant and multi-state IR operations is essential.
3. Degree in HR, Labor Laws, Industrial Relations, or a related discipline.