Head – Employee Relations Full Time

Voltas is the No. 1* Room Air Conditioner Brand in India. Apart from ACs, Voltas offers a wide range of cooling products including Air Coolers, Commercial Refrigeration, Water Coolers and Water Dispensers. Apart from being the leader in consumer products, Voltas is also one of the world’s premier engineering solutions providers and project specialists. We offer engineering solutions for a wide spectrum of industries such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, electro-mechanical projects, water management, mining, construction & textile.

POSITION/ ROLE

Head – Employee Relations

LOCATION

Mumbai

OBJECTIVE

To lead, govern, and continuously strengthen the Employee and Industrial Relations ecosystem across the organization’s India operations, ensuring industrial harmony, robust employee engagement, fair and consistent people practices, and full compliance with labour laws and corporate standards. The role will anchor union relationships, complex negotiations, and conflict resolution, while embedding strong ER frameworks aligned to business priorities.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Industrial & Employee Relations Strategy

• Own and drive the Employee and Industrial Relations strategy for India, aligned to business priorities, statutory requirements, and organizational values.
• Embed robust ER frameworks, policies, and procedures to ensure consistent, fair, and compliant application across all locations.

Union & Collective Engagement

• Lead all relationships with recognized unions, and employee representative bodies across operations.
• Serve as the principal negotiator for wage settlements, productivity agreements, long-term settlements, and charter of demands.
• Anticipate industrial risks through continuous assessment of union climate and employee sentiment; implement preventive interventions to ensure business continuity.
• Partner closely with Plant and Operations leadership to balance productivity, cost, and employee outcomes.

Negotiations, Disputes & Conflict Resolution

• Act as the primary liaison with panel advocates, labour authorities, and regulatory bodies to ensure effective case management.
• Lead the resolution of complex IR matters including disputes, conciliation, strikes, lockouts, and adjudication.
• Oversee and manage labour law–related litigation, including cases arising under existing statutes and the new Labour Codes, in collaboration with Legal.
• Represent the organization before labour authorities, tribunals, and courts, in coordination with Legal.
• Act as a strategic advisor to leadership during organizational changes such as restructuring, manpower rationalization, and productivity initiatives.

Case Investigations & Discipline Management

• Oversee investigations, grievances, and disciplinary actions, ensuring due process.
• Advise disciplinary committees and governance forums, ensuring decisions align with company policy, labour laws, and global standards.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure end-to-end compliance with Indian labour laws, standing orders, settlements, and statutory obligations (including POSH and allied legislation).
• Provide strategic oversight on contract labour management across factories, ensuring compliance with contract labour laws, vendor governance, and workforce continuity.
• Regularly review and strengthen ER policies to address regulatory changes, evolving business needs, and people risks.
• Maintain strong governance, documentation and audit readiness across all ER and IR processes.

Stakeholder Partnership & Capability Building

• Build strong partnerships with HR, Business Leaders, Legal and Ethics & Compliance to drive effective ER outcomes.
• Build ER capability across HR and leadership teams through focused training on POSH, discipline management, conflict resolution and effective people practices.

Essential Attributes

• Demonstrated credibility and gravitas to engage with senior union leadership, labour authorities and top management.
• Strong negotiation, mediation, and conflict-resolution skills with a proven track record in unionised environments.
• High emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and the ability to remain composed under pressure and ambiguity.
• Deep understanding of shop-floor dynamics, workforce behavior, and operational constraints.
• Strong ethical compass with commitment to fairness, consistency, and procedural discipline.

REPORTING

Head – People & Culture