HR Manager – Leadership Hiring & HR Operations (D2C)

Location: Hyderabad (in-office)

Function: People & Talent

Reports to: Vice President

Earthful is a clean-label, plant-based nutrition brand for women's health, backed by Fireside Ventures and V3 Ventures. We are building a leadership team across growth, e-commerce and quick commerce, creative, operations, and product development, and the people we hire next will decide how far the brand goes. This role owns that hiring, and the people operations behind it, for a growing team across our Hyderabad and Mumbai offices.

Role Overview

You will own hiring for Earthful's senior and leadership roles, end to end: from the first conversation with the hiring manager to a signed offer and a joined candidate. You will run a structured process (a role pack, a screening call guide, then two to three interview rounds, references, and an offer) and keep improving it. You will also own people operations: onboarding, leaves and attendance, payroll inputs, performance reviews, engagement, welfare and insurance, exits, and statutory compliance. You will lead and develop the HR team, report to the Vice President, and work closely with the founders and every hiring manager.

What You'll Own

Leadership & Senior Hiring

• Own end-to-end hiring for head-level and manager-level roles across D2C growth, e-commerce and quick commerce, creative, operations and supply chain, R&D and NPD, and finance

• Run the intake with each hiring manager: what the role really needs, the must-haves, the budget, and the title that will attract the right profiles

• Source directly: LinkedIn, referrals, your own network, and search partners where needed. Do not wait for applications

• Run structured screening and shortlisting against written criteria, and keep every candidate's notes and feedback in our hiring system (Binary)

• Negotiate compensation, close offers, check references, and keep candidates warm until they join

• Track and report the funnel for every open role every week

Hiring Process & Team

• Own the standard process: role pack, screening call guide, two to three interview rounds, references, and offer. Coach hiring managers on interview quality and feedback within 24 hours

• Write and improve the hiring packs, screening guides, and shortlisting criteria for every role

• Lead and develop the HR team in Hyderabad and Mumbai: set their KRAs, review their work, and coach them

Employer Brand & Relevance

• Make every posting attract the right people: sharp titles, clear requirements, knockout questions, and honest descriptions

• Track which postings and sources produce relevant candidates, and fix the ones that do not

• Give every candidate a clear, respectful experience, including those we do not move forward

People Operations

• Make sure onboarding, leaves and attendance, payroll inputs, performance reviews, monthly engagement, welfare and medical insurance, and exits all run on time and on process

• Run people systems and records in Zoho People and keep them accurate

• Own statutory compliance (PF, ESIC, professional tax, labour welfare fund, POSH) with Finance, and keep policies and the HR handbook current

Compensation & Reporting

• Benchmark pay for each role, keep offers within approved bands, and bring exceptions to the Vice President before offers go out

• Publish a weekly hiring dashboard and a monthly HR dashboard, with the reasons behind every number

What We're Looking For

Required: all of these

• 6 to 10 years in HR, including at least 3 years hiring senior and leadership roles (function heads, category heads, senior managers) end to end

• A D2C, e-commerce, or consumer brand background. Experience only in IT or ITES staffing is not a fit for this role

• Has hired for non-tech functions: marketing or growth, e-commerce or quick commerce, creative, or operations and supply chain

• At least 2 years running HR operations: onboarding, exits, performance cycles, payroll coordination, statutory compliance, and an HRMS such as Zoho People

• Has built or improved a structured hiring process with scorecards, screening guides, and an applicant tracking system

• Has negotiated compensation and closed offers with senior candidates

• Has led or mentored HR or talent acquisition team members

• Based in Hyderabad, or willing to relocate and work in-office from Hyderabad

Strong plus

• Has hired for a wellness, nutrition, FMCG, or consumer health brand

• Hands-on with an ATS such as Binary, and with LinkedIn Recruiter

• Has done executive search or has a strong network of D2C and e-commerce leaders

• Experience in a lean, fast-growing HR set-up where processes were still being written

• An MBA or PGDM in HR. This is a plus, not a requirement