Sr. Manager, People Operations

Narvar is Growing! Narvar is growing! We are hiring a Senior Manager, HR Business Partner for a dual-mandate role: global HR business partner to our Research & Development organization, and HR lead for our India workforce — the site that anchors a significant share of our global R&D headcount. You'll pair strategic HRBP judgment with hands-on ownership of local HR operations in a fast-scaling tech environment — partnering with engineering and R&D leaders across multiple countries on talent strategy, org design, and performance, while owning end-to-end HR operations, compliance, culture, and employee experience for India. Based in Bengaluru, you'll support R&D sites across multiple countries. • Serve as the primary HR partner to R&D and engineering leadership (VP Engineering, Directors, Senior Managers) across multiple geographies, translating business and product roadmaps into people and org plans. • Lead org design and workforce planning for R&D — team topology, span of control, leveling, and location strategy across engineering hubs. • Drive the talent lifecycle for technical teams: performance calibration, promotion cycles (including technical career ladders), succession planning, and leadership development for engineering managers. • Partner with Talent Acquisition on hiring plans, technical interview quality, and offer strategy for scarce engineering skill sets. • Use people data and analytics (attrition, engagement, span/layer, DEI representation) to bring insight-led recommendations to R&D leadership, not just administrative support. • Coach engineering managers on people-leadership fundamentals — feedback, difficult conversations, team health, and manager transitions. • Lead or co-lead compensation planning for R&D roles, including annual comp reviews, equity refresh cycles, and market benchmarking for competitive technical talent. • Manage complex employee relations matters within R&D, partnering with Legal and employee relations to ensure consistent, fair, and locally compliant resolution. • Act as a change agent for organizational transformation initiatives (reorgs, restructuring) affecting R&D teams globally. • Represent the voice of R&D employees in shaping global HR programs (engagement surveys, career frameworks, recognition, total rewards) and localize them where needed. • Own the full India HR charter: policy, statutory compliance, employee lifecycle operations, and culture-building for the India population. • Ensure compliance with Indian labour law and statutory requirements (Shops & Establishments Act, POSH Act, Provident Fund, ESI, Gratuity, Professional Tax, and state-specific regulations), partnering with payroll, legal, and external consultants as needed. • Act as the India site HR leader — single point of accountability for people matters with the India leadership team, facilities, and admin functions. • Lead India-specific talent programs, including India-market compensation benchmarking to stay competitive against local tech and GCC employers. • Own the India onboarding and offboarding experience, background verification, and HR compliance audits. • Design and run India employee engagement, wellbeing, and culture initiatives, adapting global programs to local context (festivals, benefits norms, employee expectations). • Serve as an escalation point for India employee relations and workplace investigations, including POSH Internal Committee responsibilities. • Manage relationships with India statutory bodies, auditors, and outsourced payroll/compliance vendors. • Provide India-market intelligence (attrition trends, competitor moves, talent availability) to global HR and R&D leadership to inform location and hiring strategy. What We’re Looking For • 10–14 years of progressive HR expe