People Partner - Compliance & Central Processes

Job Description Summary

#LI-Hybrid

Location: Hyderabad, India

About the role:

As a People Partner for Compliance and Central Processes for Novartis India, you will be responsible for all compliance topics within the scope of People Partnering, with a primary focus on country labor law compliance. The role will ensure that the India People Partnering organization adheres to all relevant policies, processes, and other P&O content, and that the team operates in full compliance with applicable internal and external requirements. The role may require travel on a need basis, aligned with business and role requirements.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• End-to-end ownership and accountability for achieving and sustaining 100% compliance on labor compliance and internal P&O compliance topics, in close partnership with designated external vendors and internal teams covering all sites.

• Oversee end to end vendor governance and performance to ensure all compliance requirements for Novartis India are delivered accurately, timely, and right first time, in line with statutory obligations and internal standards.

• Define and monitor SLAs and KPIs for compliance related vendor performance, while reviewing Statements of Work to identify gaps, strengthen controls, drive continuous improvement, and mitigate operational and regulatory risk.

• Ensure timely execution and maintenance of all statutory compliance requirements, including registrations, licenses (and its renewals), filings, registers, inspection support integrated annual returns etc.

• Lead Country labor compliance reporting by maintaining & updating compliance dashboards, driving alignment between NFCM controls, global P&O frameworks, and local statutory requirements, and maintaining strong governance across internal risk & compliance tools.

• Act as SME for all labor compliance, lead annual self‑audits and remediation actions to build an audit‑ready organization, and own Labor Code in close partnership with P&O teams.

• Process & Policy ownership to reassess / refine to align with legal requirements and organizational standards, and lead knowledge & content management ensuring policy and process compliance w.r.t documentation & maintenance.

• Operate as the country P&O SPOC and Program manage engagements with accounting & finance, legal and other internal functions for all enterprise reporting, internal audits and risk management & governance requirements

Essential Requirements:

• Educational Qualification: MBA in HR or Master's in Labor law.

• Strong understanding of labor laws, employment regulations, CLRA (Contract Labor Regulation and Abolition Act), Shops & Establishments Act, POSH compliance, and other statutory acts including the new Labor Codes.

• Must have strong presentation, communication (both written and verbal), influencing and negotiation skills

• 10+ years of experience handling similar profile in a multinational organization.

• Ability to design audit agendas, conduct self-inspections, identify potential risks, implement strategies to mitigate legal and financial liabilities and document findings accurately.

• Ability to identifying compliance risks, preparing risk memos, and implementing controls to mitigate risks.

• Ability to interpret and design compliance metrics.

• Knowledge of process mapping, SOP creation, and governance frameworks.

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing capabilities in a matrix organization.

• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to work independently and drive outcomes with accountability.

• Open to travel, if required.

Desirable Requirements:

• Experience in leveraging AI and technology to simplify people processes.

• Proficiency in program management, project planning, execution, and monitoring. Ability to manage timelines, and deliverables effectively.

• Strong data analysis skills, proficiency in MS Excel.

Skills Desired :

Labor compliance, Knowledge of New Labor Codes, MS Excel, Stakeholder Management, Influencing without Authority, Accountability, Collaboration, Proactive approach, Audit mindset, Shops & Establishment Act, Apprentices Act, CLRA Act, Vendor Audit, Compliance Metrics, Data Analysis & Reporting, Program Management, SOP Creation, Vendor Governance, Local Statutory requirement

Skills Desired

Business Acumen, Change Implementation, Coaching, Connecting The Dots, Data Analysis & Reporting, Empathy, Employee Lifecycle Management, Employee Relations & Engagement, Influencing, Matrix Collaboration, Operational Excellence, Performance Management, Project Management, Resilience, Stakeholder Management