Location: Bangalore - Indraprastha, India

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence. Operating at the forefront of aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we’re driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 2200 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors. Thales has two engineering competence centres in India - one in Noida focused on Cyber & Digital business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs. The Group has also established an MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) facility in Gurugram to provide comprehensive avionics maintenance and repair services to Indian airlines and support the growth of the local aviation industry.

Description  :

The Plant HR Head is responsible for leading Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Labour Relations, statutory compliance, workforce planning, talent management, employee engagement, and HR operations for the manufacturing plant. The role partners with Plant Leadership to align people strategies with business objectives while ensuring industrial harmony, workforce productivity, legal compliance, operational excellence, and organizational effectiveness.

Missions and responsibilities :

The job holder is responsible for the following activities

1. Strategic HR Leadership

• Partner with Plant Leadership to develop and execute people strategies aligned with business and manufacturing objectives.
• Drive workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, capability development, employee engagement, and change management initiatives.
• Lead HR transformation, automation, digitalization, and Industry 4.0 readiness initiatives.
• Act as a trusted advisor on organization design, culture, workforce capability, and people strategy.
• Manage HR budgets, workforce plans, and people metrics to support business decisions.

2. Industrial Relations & Labour Relations

• Develop and implement Industrial Relations strategies to maintain a stable, productive, and disruption-free manufacturing environment.
• Build and sustain effective relationships with trade unions, employee representatives, and workmen.
• Lead collective bargaining, wage negotiations, productivity-linked settlements, and long-term agreements.
• Ensure compliance with Certified Standing Orders/Model Standing Orders, settlements, awards, and employment conditions.
• Represent management before Labour Authorities, Conciliation Officers, Labour Courts, Industrial Tribunals, and statutory forums.
• Manage grievances, disciplinary matters, misconduct investigations, domestic enquiries, and conflict resolution in accordance with principles of natural justice.
• Coach managers on employee relations and disciplinary processes.
• Monitor industrial relations climate and implement proactive interventions to prevent industrial unrest and ensure business continuity.

3. Labour Law, Statutory Compliance & Government Liaison

Ensure compliance with all applicable labour legislation, including:

• Code on Wages, 2019
• Industrial Relations Code, 2020
• Code on Social Security, 2020
• Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020
• POSH Act, 2013
• Apprentices Act, 1961
• Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act
• Applicable Central and State Rules, notifications, amendments, and employment laws.
• Responsibilities include:
• Ensuring compliance relating to wages, overtime, working hours, leave, welfare provisions, statutory benefits, and employment conditions.
• Maintaining statutory registers, licences, records, notices, and returns.
• Coordinating inspections, audits, and regulatory submissions with Labour Department, Directorate of Factories, EPFO, ESIC, and other authorities.
• Monitoring legislative developments, conducting compliance audits, and implementing corrective actions and risk mitigation measures.
• Maintaining effective relationships with labour authorities, statutory bodies, and government agencies.

4. Factory HR Operations & Contract Labour Management

• Lead workforce planning and manpower deployment across shifts and operations.
• Manage recruitment, onboarding, confirmations, transfers, promotions, and separations.
• Oversee permanent, fixed-term, apprentice, trainee, and contract workforce administration.
• Ensure effective management of payroll coordination, attendance, leave administration, HRIS, employee records, wages, overtime, incentives, shift allowances, statutory deductions, and employee benefits.
• Fulfil Principal Employer obligations and ensure contractor compliance with labour laws.
• Conduct contract labour audits covering wages, statutory contributions, bonus, leave, welfare provisions, licences, and statutory documentation.
• Monitor contractor performance, workforce deployment, productivity, and labour costs.

5. Talent Management, Performance & Employee Engagement

• Lead talent acquisition, succession planning, leadership development, learning initiatives, and workforce capability building.
• Build talent pipelines for critical manufacturing, engineering, technical, and leadership positions.
• Drive performance management, goal setting, development planning, promotions, merit increases, incentive schemes, and bonus administration.
• Monitor labour costs and compensation competitiveness.
• Drive employee engagement, retention, recognition, welfare, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
• Lead shop-floor engagement programs including suggestion schemes, quality circles, communication forums, and cultural initiatives.
• Foster an ethical, inclusive, and high-performance culture supported by grievance redressal and whistleblower mechanisms.

6. Health, Safety, Analytics & Team Leadership

• Partner with HSE teams to strengthen workplace safety culture and statutory compliance.
• Support occupational health, employee wellbeing, welfare programs, safety committees, and incident investigations.
• Ensure compliance relating to welfare facilities, occupational health requirements, medical examinations, and statutory safety provisions.
• Develop HR dashboards and provide insights on attrition, absenteeism, labour productivity, overtime utilization, labour costs, recruitment effectiveness, training outcomes, employee engagement, diversity, contract labour utilization, compliance status, and workforce planning.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Plant HR team while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement

Skills and competences requirements:

1.Skill Requirements

• Working in a Matrix
• Employee & industrial relations management
• Labor law and statutory compliance
• Talent acquisition and workforce planning
• Conflict resolution and negotiation
• Team leadership and mentoring
• Data-driven decision making and HR analytics

2. Technical Competencies

• SAP, Oracle, Workday, or equivalent HRIS platforms.( Desirable)
• HR Analytics and Dashboard Reporting.
• Microsoft Office Suite.

Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Law, Labour Welfare, or related discipline.
• MBA/master’s degree in human resources, Industrial Relations, Labour Welfare, Personnel Management, or related field preferred.
• Professional HR or Industrial Relations certifications will be an advantage.

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive HR experience, including significant manufacturing or industrial experience.
• Minimum 10 years in Plant HR leadership roles.
• Strong expertise in Industrial Relations, Labour Relations, collective bargaining, labour law compliance, statutory compliance, workforce management, and employee relations.
• Proven experience managing unionized workforces, government inspections, wage settlements, disciplinary processes, and organizational change initiatives.

At Thales, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you’ll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.