JOB DESCRIPTION
HR MANAGER – FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURING
Position Title
HR Manager
Department
Human Resources & Administration
Industry
Footwear Manufacturing and Footwear Trading
Location
Kerala, India
Reports To
Director / CBO (as applicable)
Team Size Managed
HR & Admin executives / officers (site-dependent)
Employment Type
Full-time, Permanent
Compensation Budget
(CTC, negotiable within band based on experience)
Experience Required
8–12+ years in HR, with a significant portion in footwear / leather / apparel manufacturing
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are seeking an experienced and hands-on HR Manager with a strong background in the footwear manufacturing industry to lead HR and administrative operations at our Kerala facility. The ideal candidate will have deep, working knowledge of factory-floor HR practices, Kerala-specific labour compliance, and the operational rhythms of a footwear production environment — including manning norms, shift-based workforce management, incentive-linked production wages, and high-volume workforce administration. This is a plant-level leadership role requiring someone who can balance strategic HR initiatives with day-to-day shop-floor realities.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Statutory Compliance & Labour Law
- Ensure full compliance with the Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1960, the Factories Act, 1948, and applicable provisions under the evolving Central Labour Codes (Wages, Industrial Relations, Social Security, and Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions).
- Manage statutory registrations, renewals, and filings related to PF, ESI, Bonus, Gratuity, Professional Tax, Labour Welfare Fund, and Factory Licence.
- Liaise with Labour Department, ESI/PF authorities, and other government offices for inspections, audits, and approvals.
- Maintain statutory registers and records as mandated for factories and ensure audit-readiness at all times.
2. Recruitment & Workforce Planning
- Drive end-to-end recruitment for shop-floor workers (cutting, stitching/closing, lasting, finishing), supervisory staff, and support functions, in line with production targets and manning norms specific to footwear manufacturing.
- Build sourcing pipelines through local ITIs, employment exchanges, contractor networks, and government schemes such as NAPS (National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme) and PMKVY.
- Forecast manpower requirements against production planning and seasonal order volumes, and manage contract/temporary labour requirements accordingly.
- Oversee onboarding, induction, and documentation for new joinees, including factory-specific safety orientation.
3. Payroll, Wages & Compensation
- Administer monthly payroll for factory and office staff, including piece-rate/incentive-linked wage components common to footwear production lines.
- Ensure timely and accurate computation of overtime, attendance-linked deductions, and statutory contributions.
- Support wage settlement negotiations, minimum wage notifications applicable in Kerala, and periodic wage revisions.
- Coordinate with finance for salary disbursement, Form 16 processing, and tax-related queries from employees.
4. Employee Relations & Industrial Relations
- Serve as the primary point of contact for grievance handling, disciplinary proceedings, and conflict resolution on the shop floor.
- Maintain a stable industrial relations climate; liaise with worker representatives / unions where applicable, and support management in negotiations.
- Drive employee engagement initiatives suited to a factory workforce — attendance incentives, welfare facilities, canteen and transport management, and festival/cultural programs.
- Monitor attrition trends specific to production roles and design retention strategies for skilled operators (e.g., stitchers, cutters).
5. Health, Safety & Welfare
- Ensure implementation of occupational health and safety practices mandated under the Factories Act, including fire safety, first-aid, and PPE compliance.
- Oversee statutory welfare amenities — canteen, crèche (where applicable), restrooms, drinking water, and rest rooms — as required for factory premises.
- Coordinate periodic medical check-ups and maintain accident/incident registers as per statutory requirements.
6. Policy, Systems & Administration
- Develop, review, and implement HR policies (leave policy, code of conduct, POSH policy, disciplinary framework) aligned with Kerala's regulatory environment and factory operations.
- Drive HRMS/biometric attendance systems and ensure data accuracy for payroll and compliance reporting.
- Oversee general administration functions — housekeeping, security, vendor management, transport, and facility upkeep at the factory premises.
- Prepare and present HR MIS reports (headcount, attrition, absenteeism, compliance status) to management on a periodic basis.
7. Training & Development
- Coordinate skill-upgradation and on-the-job training programs for production staff, including apprenticeship-linked training under NAPS/PMKVY.
- Support supervisory and managerial capability building through structured training calendars.
CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
Educational Qualification
- MBA / PGDM in Human Resource Management, or equivalent postgraduate qualification. A background in Labour Law / Industrial Relations is an added advantage.
Experience
- 8–12+ years of progressive HR experience, with a minimum of 4–5 years specifically within footwear, leather goods, or a comparable labour-intensive manufacturing/export environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing HR for a factory workforce of 200+ employees, including contract labour.
- Prior exposure to Kerala's labour compliance landscape is strongly preferred.
Functional Skills
- Strong working knowledge of the Factories Act, Kerala Shops & Establishments Act, PF/ESI regulations, and the Labour Codes.
- Hands-on experience with payroll processing (including piece-rate/incentive wage structures) and HRMS tools.
- Practical understanding of manning norms, line balancing implications on manpower, and productivity-linked HR metrics used in footwear manufacturing.
- Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); working knowledge of HRMS/payroll software.
Behavioural Competencies
- Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills to manage a diverse, largely blue-collar workforce.
- Ability to work independently on the shop floor and handle sensitive employee matters with discretion.
- Fluency in Malayalam is essential; working proficiency in English required; Tamil/Hindi is an advantage given cross-location coordination.
- High integrity, ownership mindset, and ability to manage compliance-heavy responsibilities under regulatory scrutiny.
COMPENSATION
Budgeted CTC: structured as per statutory and tax-efficient components (Basic, HRA, allowances, PF, and applicable statutory benefits). Final structuring will be aligned with the candidate's experience and current compensation, within the approved budget.
LOCATION & WORK CONDITIONS
- Based at the factory/plant location in Kerala; role requires regular presence on the shop floor.
- Standard factory working hours as per the Factories Act, with flexibility required during peak production/order cycles.
- Occasional travel to other company locations or government offices for compliance-related matters.
Pay: ₹15,634.79 - ₹54,616.23 per month
Work Location: In person
