The Senior People Officer is the experienced HR generalist within NagaEd, responsible for managing the applicant tracking system (ATS) pipeline, maintaining HR documentation and policies, administering compliance filings, and supporting the full employee lifecycle with growing independence. This role bridges the gap between administrative HR execution and strategic people operations — handling complex HR processes that require judgement, accuracy, and a working knowledge of Indian employment practice. Reporting to the Operations Manager, the Senior People Officer takes ownership of HR processes rather than simply executing them. Where the People Officer handles coordination and data entry, this role manages the ATS pipeline end-to-end, drafts and maintains HR policy documents, prepares compliance filings, conducts initial screening of candidates, supports performance  review administration, and serves as a knowledgeable resource on HR processes for the wider team. The Senior People Officer also provides task-level guidance to the People Officer and People Associate on shared workflows. Success in this role is measured by the quality and currency of HR documentation, the integrity of recruitment and employee data, the timeliness of compliance filings, and the ability to manage HR processes independently while knowing when to escalate.

1. ATS Pipeline & Recruitment Management
   • Manage the applicant tracking system — maintaining pipeline stages, updating candidate statuses, and ensuring data integrity throughout the recruitment cycle.
   • Conduct initial CV screening and shortlisting against position description criteria, preparing shortlist recommendations for the hiring manager and Operations Manager.
   • Coordinate and support interview processes — scheduling panels, preparing assessment materials, collecting interviewer scorecards, and compiling evaluation summaries.
   • Draft offer letters, employment contracts, and pre-employment correspondence for the Operations Manager’s review and approval.
   • Maintain recruitment analytics — time-to-fill, pipeline conversion rates, and source effectiveness — and surface insights to the Operations Manager.
   • Ensure a professional, timely, and consistent candidate experience across all touchpoints.
2. HR Documentation & Policy Administration
   • Maintain, update, and version-control NagaEd’s HR policy documents, SOPs, the Employee Handbook, and associated templates.
   • Draft new HR policies and SOP updates as directed by the Operations Manager researching best practice and ensuring alignment with Indian employment law requirements.
   • Ensure all employees have signed and acknowledged current versions of key HR documents — employment contracts, NDAs, handbook acknowledgements, and code-of-conduct agreements.
   • Manage the HR documentation lifecycle — drafting, review routing, approval tracking, distribution, and archiving — maintaining a clear audit trail.
   • Prepare HR correspondence — confirmation letters, role change notifications, warning letters, and other employee communications — for the Operations Manager’s review.
3.  Compliance Filing & Statutory Administration
   • Prepare and coordinate statutory compliance filings — POSH annual returns, Shops and Establishments Act returns, Professional Tax, and other applicable filings — in coordination with the Operations Manager and external advisors.
   • Maintain compliance calendars and trackers, ensuring all filing deadlines are surfaced to the Operations Manager at least two weeks in advance.• Support POSH compliance administration —maintaining the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) register, scheduling mandatory awareness training, and tracking completion.
   • Coordinate with the Senior Finance Officer on employee-related statutory matters — EPF, ESIC, and TDS records — ensuring consistency between HR and finance records.
   • Prepare documentation for labour inspections, audits, and regulatory queries as required.
4.  Employee Lifecycle & Records Management
   • Manage the HRIS (Zoho People or equivalent) — employee master data, employment history, contract records, probation dates, and lifecycle milestones.
   • Administer the probation review cycle — tracking probation end dates, sending reminders to reviewing managers, compiling review documentation, and preparing confirmation or extension letters.
   • Process employee changes — promotions, transfers, reporting line updates, and salary revisions — ensuring all changes are documented, filed, and reflected in HR systems.
   • Maintain accurate and complete personnel files for all employees, ensuring audit readiness at all times.
   • Administer the offboarding process — exit checklists, knowledge transfer coordination, access revocation, final settlement documentation, and exit interview scheduling.
5. . Performance Management & Engagement Support
   • Support performance review cycles — distributing review templates, tracking submission deadlines, compiling completed reviews, and maintaining performance records.
   • Administer the goal-setting and OKR/KPI tracking process, ensuring all employees have current documented goals and that review cadences are maintained.
   • Support the Operations Manager in running engagement initiatives — pulse surveys, recognition programmes, team events, and feedback mechanisms.
   • Compile and analyse HR data for engagement reporting — participation rates, survey results, and  trend tracking — presenting summaries to the Operations Manager.
6.  Leave, Attendance & Payroll Coordination
   • Oversee leave and attendance management — reviewing leave records for accuracy, resolving discrepancies, and maintaining up-to-date leave balances.
   • Prepare monthly payroll inputs — attendance summaries, leave adjustments, new joiner and leaver details, and variable components — for handoff to the finance function.
   • Respond to employee queries on leave policy, entitlements, and attendance with accuracy and in a timely manner.
7.  Team Coordination & Task Guidance
   • Provide day-to-day task-level guidance and quality checks to the People Officer and People Associate on recruitment coordination, data entry, filing, and onboarding logistics.
   • Serve as the first escalation point for HR process queries from NagaEd staff before matters reach the Operations Manager.
   • Ensure continuity of people operations during the Operations Manager’s absence by maintaining standing HR processes and escalation protocols.

This role reports directly to the Operations Manager. The Senior People Officer works with all NagaEd staff and managers on HR processes, coordinates with external advisors on compliance matters, and collaborates with the finance function on payroll and statutory employee contributions. The role does not hold formal line-management authority but provides task-level guidance to the People Officer and People Associate.

This role requires an experienced HR generalist who can manage multiple HR processes with accuracy and growing independence. The Senior People Officer must have a working knowledge of Indian employment practice, be comfortable drafting HR documents, and be able to exercise judgement on routine HR matters while knowing when to escalate.

•  Minimum 2–3 years of experience in HR generalist, HR administration, or people operations roles.
•  Working knowledge of Indian employment law fundamentals — leave entitlements, POSH obligations, statutory filings, employment contract requirements.
•  Experience managing an ATS or structured recruitment pipeline.
• Strong documentation and writing skills — able to draft policies, SOPs, employment letters, and HR correspondence to a professional standard.
•  Proficiency with HRIS platforms (Zoho People, GreytHR, or equivalent) and Google Workspace.
•  Accurate, methodical approach to data management and record-keeping.
•  Ability to handle confidential and sensitive employee information with absolute discretion.
•  Clear, professional written and verbal communication in English.
•  Based in or willing to be based in Kohima, Nagaland.

•  Experience in a startup, NGO, or education-sector organisation.
•  Familiarity with performance management systems (OKRs, KPIs, goal-tracking tools).
•  Experience supporting compliance audits or statutory filing processes.
•  Relevant qualification or certification in HR management (MBA-HR, SHRM, CIPD, or
  equivalent).
•  Experience with engagement tools (pulse surveys, recognition platforms).

Performance in this role will be reviewed by the Operations Manager on a quarterly basis
against the following indicators:

As the Senior People Officer demonstrates sustained high performance and deepens their expertise across the full scope of people operations, the natural progression — subject to organisational need, demonstrated capability, and available headcount — is toward a People & Culture Manager or equivalent people-leadership position. Growth opportunities in this role include taking ownership of specific HR domains (engagement strategy, learning and development programme design, employer branding), leading policy development initiatives, building expertise in employment law compliance, and
developing the people-management skills required for a leadership role within the function.