HR Head Job Description, KRAs and Skills

The HR Head is the senior-most HR person in a mid-sized company, usually reporting to the founder, MD or CEO. Unlike HR leaders in large groups, the HR Head is hands-on: writes policies, closes key hires, signs off payroll, handles escalations and sets up HR systems. The role gives the company one accountable owner for people. A good HR Head makes HR predictable, so people join on time, get paid correctly and know the rules that apply to them.

Detail	For this role
Department	Human Resources
Level	Senior management
Reports to	Managing Director
Direct reports	HR Manager, Talent Acquisition Manager, Payroll Manager, HR Executive
Experience	10 to 15 years in HR, including 3 or more years as the senior HR person for a site or company

HR Head job description template

Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.

Job title: HR Head

Department: Human Resources

Reports to: Managing Director

Location: [City], [office, branch or site]

About the role

Key responsibilities

Agree the yearly hiring plan and HR budget with the founder or MD, and revisit both each quarter as the business changes.
Write and maintain the HR policy manual on leave, attendance, working hours, travel, code of conduct, POSH and exits, using policy templates as a base where useful.
Set up HR processes and systems for attendance, leave, payroll inputs, onboarding and records, and make sure managers actually use them.
Close senior and critical hires personally, and oversee the recruitment team's pipeline for every other open position.
Approve the monthly payroll after checking joiners, exits, arrears and statutory deductions with the payroll owner, so wages are paid by the 7th.
Run the yearly appraisal and increment process, from KRA setting at the start of the year to issuing increment letters.
Handle grievances, disciplinary matters and exits that managers cannot resolve, and keep a written record of every decision taken.
Constitute the POSH Internal Committee, keep its members trained and hold awareness sessions for all employees.
Track PF, ESI, professional tax, labour welfare fund and shop registration compliance with the compliance owner or consultant.
Report monthly to the founder or MD on headcount, attrition, hiring, people cost and open employee issues.

Requirements

MBA or PGDM in HR, or an MSW or MPM
Graduate in any discipline
Working knowledge of the Labour Codes and POSH Act procedures
10 to 15 years in HR, including 3 or more years as the senior HR person for a site or company

KRAs and KPIs for a HR Head

Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.

Key result area	How to measure it
Hiring plan delivery	At least 90 percent of planned positions filled within the quarter they were budgeted for
Payroll and statutory dues	Salaries paid by the 7th of every month and every statutory payment made by its due date
Attrition	Annual attrition within the target set with the MD, with exit reasons reviewed every quarter
Policy awareness	Every employee acknowledges the current HR policy within 30 days of joining or of a policy change
Appraisal cycle	Appraisals completed and increments paid in the month promised to employees
Grievance handling	Grievances acknowledged within 2 working days and closed within 15 working days

Skills and tools

End-to-end HR managementHR policy writingHiring for key rolesPayroll and compliance oversightAppraisal and increment cyclesPOSH procedureHR process and system setupEmployee counsellingDecisivenessPlain communication

Tools used day to day: HRMS, MS Excel, Naukri and LinkedIn Recruiter, EPFO and ESIC portals, Google Workspace or MS Office.

Reporting line and career path

Moves up from: HR Manager, Senior HR Manager, HR Business Partner
Next roles: HR Director, Vice President HR, Chief Human Resources Officer

Interview questions for a HR Head

You join and find no written leave policy. What do you write first, and how do you roll it out?
The founder wants 40 hires next quarter and you have two recruiters. How would you plan it?
An employee says their manager is targeting them after a POSH complaint. What do you do?
You have 30 minutes to check a payroll before approving it. What do you look at?
What would make you tell the MD that a senior hire should not be made?
Which HR work would you outsource in a 300-person company, and which would you keep in house?

Managing a HR Head in ZeniaHR

AttendanceKeep the HR Head on the office General shift, with web punches limited to the office network and mobile app punches on days spent at branches or sites. Holding HR to the same attendance rules as everyone else makes the late mark policy far easier to defend.LeavePlan leave outside the payroll close, the appraisal month and any scheduled audit. The HR Head's own leave goes to the MD as reporting manager, and because the company head can decide any step, no request waits for HR to approve itself.Performance and KRAsSet up an annual review cycle with the KRAs above as weighted KRA goals, and hold a quarterly check-in with the MD on hiring, attrition and payroll accuracy. Using the same cycle design as the rest of the company shows managers that HR follows its own process.

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Frequently asked questions

What does an HR Head do in a company?

An HR Head owns everything to do with people in the company: hiring plans, HR policies, payroll approval, statutory compliance, appraisals, grievances, discipline and exits. In mid-sized companies the HR Head is hands-on, often closing key hires and handling difficult cases personally while leading a small HR team.

What is the difference between HR Head and HR Manager?

The HR Head is accountable for the whole HR function and reports to the founder, MD or CEO. An HR Manager usually runs HR operations for the company or a unit under the HR Head's direction, handling daily hiring, onboarding, attendance, leave and employee queries. In small companies one person may hold both roles.

Who does the HR Head report to?

The HR Head normally reports directly to the founder, Managing Director or CEO. In family-run businesses the line may go to a whole-time director, and in a group company the HR Head may also have a working line to the group HR function for policy and senior appointments.