| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Human Resources |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Plant Head |
| Direct reports | Industrial Relations Officer, Time Office Executive, Labour Welfare Officer, HR Executive |
| Experience | 8 to 12 years in HR, with 4 or more years in plant HR or industrial relations |
Plant HR Manager 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: Plant HR Manager
Department: Human Resources
Reports to: Plant Head
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Plant HR Manager runs HR for a single manufacturing plant, whether it makes auto parts, medicines, chemicals or packaged food. The role keeps every shift staffed with permanent, fixed-term and contract workers, runs the time office, maintains industrial relations and welfare, keeps plant compliance clean and supports production and quality with trained people. It reports to the Plant Head with a working line to corporate HR. A good Plant HR Manager makes sure no line stops for want of people.
Key responsibilities
- Plan shift-wise manpower with production heads, covering permanent staff, fixed-term workers, apprentices and contract labour for each line.
- Recruit operators, technicians, supervisors and trainees, and arrange medical checks and induction before they start on the shop floor.
- Run the time office: biometric attendance, shift rosters, overtime records, gate passes and monthly wage inputs.
- Check contractors every month for licence validity, wage payment, PF and ESI deposits, and headcount against the licence.
- Handle industrial relations at the plant, including union meetings, the grievance committee, discipline and domestic inquiries.
- Arrange safety induction and plant-specific training such as GMP or food safety, and keep training records ready for audits.
- Manage welfare facilities including canteen, transport, first-aid, restrooms, health check-ups and creche where applicable.
- Prepare for labour, factory, customer and certification audits by keeping registers, licences and HR records current.
- Track absenteeism, overtime and attrition by department and shift, and work with production managers to bring them down.
- Run shop-floor engagement such as safety weeks, suggestion schemes, festival celebrations and family days.
Requirements
- MSW, MPM or MBA in HR
- Graduate in science, commerce or arts
- Working knowledge of contract labour, factory and standing orders requirements
- 8 to 12 years in HR, with 4 or more years in plant HR or industrial relations
KRAs and KPIs for a Plant HR Manager
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 |
|---|---|
| Shift manpower | No production loss caused by manpower shortage in any shift during the month |
| Absenteeism | Unplanned absenteeism below 5 percent of scheduled shifts each month |
| Overtime control | Overtime hours within the monthly limit agreed with the Plant Head |
| Contractor compliance | Wage, PF and ESI proof received from every contractor before their monthly bill is cleared |
| Audit readiness | No major HR finding in customer, certification or statutory audits |
| Safety induction | Every new worker completes safety induction before starting on the shop floor |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: HRMS, Biometric attendance devices, MS Excel, EPFO and ESIC portals, SAP or another ERP, Gate pass system.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: DGM HR, General Manager HR, Senior HR Manager
Interview questions for a Plant HR Manager
- Line 3 is short of 12 operators on tonight's night shift. What do you do?
- How do you verify that a contractor pays its workers the right wages and PF?
- Absenteeism jumps every year after Diwali. How would you plan for it?
- A worker refuses a shift change and the union backs him. How do you handle it?
- Which HR records would a GMP or food safety auditor ask to see?
- A production manager wants more overtime to meet targets. How do you discuss cost and limits with him?
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What does a plant HR manager do?
A plant HR manager handles all HR work at a manufacturing plant: shift manpower planning, recruitment of operators and supervisors, the time office, contract labour, industrial relations, welfare facilities, statutory compliance, training records and audits. The job is to keep production running with the right people in every shift.
What is the difference between plant HR and corporate HR?
Plant HR deals with workmen, shifts, contract labour, the time office, unions, welfare and factory compliance, and works on the shop floor every day. Corporate HR sets company-wide policies, rewards, senior hiring and leadership development, and supports several plants and offices. Plant HR managers usually report locally to the plant head and functionally to corporate HR.
What qualifications are needed for a plant HR manager?
Most plant HR managers hold an MSW, MPM or MBA in HR and have 8 to 12 years of experience, much of it in plants. Employers look for hands-on knowledge of contract labour, time office, standing orders and industrial relations, plus fluency in the language spoken on the shop floor.