Role overview
An HR manager leads a company's people function — recruitment, employee relations, performance, policy and culture. In India they typically oversee hiring and onboarding, handle grievances, manage payroll and compliance, drive engagement and retention, and shape HR policy — balancing the needs of employees and the business to keep the workforce productive, fairly treated and aligned with company goals.
A hr manager usually has around 4–12 yrs of experience and earns typically ₹6L–₹22L/yr in India. The day-to-day blends Recruitment, Employee relations, Performance management and more — this page gives you a ready-to-use hr manager job description template you can copy, plus the exact skills and salary employers expect.
Key responsibilities
A hr manager is typically responsible for:
- Oversee end-to-end recruitment, onboarding and offboarding
- Develop and enforce HR policies and ensure labour-law compliance
- Manage employee relations, grievances and conflict resolution
- Run performance-management cycles and appraisals
- Drive employee engagement, retention and culture initiatives
- Oversee compensation, benefits and payroll coordination
- Advise managers on people decisions and organisational structure
- Track HR metrics like attrition, time-to-hire and engagement
Requirements & qualifications
To succeed as a hr manager, candidates usually need:
- Proven HR generalist or HR business-partner experience
- Knowledge of Indian labour laws, compliance and HR best practices
- Strong interpersonal, conflict-resolution and communication skills
- Experience with HRMS tools and HR metrics
- Bachelor's/Master's in HR or a related field (MBA-HR preferred)
HR Manager skills
The most in-demand hr manager skills on listings today:
Not sure which of these you're missing? A free OnJob profile runs your CV against every live hr manager job and shows the exact skill gaps standing between you and a 100% match.
Typical salary & experience
Typical salary (India)
typically ₹6L–₹22L/yr
Experience range
4–12 yrs
These are typical ranges and vary by city, company and skills. For live, role-specific pay data, see the OnJob salary guide.
HR Manager job description — FAQs
What does an HR manager do?
An HR manager leads a company's people function — recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, policy and compliance, and culture. They balance employee and business needs to keep the workforce engaged, fairly treated and productive.
What is the difference between an HR manager and an HR recruiter?
An HR recruiter focuses specifically on sourcing and hiring candidates, while an HR manager oversees the broader people function including recruitment, employee relations, performance, policy and compliance. The manager role is broader and more strategic.
What qualifications do you need to become an HR manager in India?
An MBA in HR or a master's in human resources is commonly preferred, along with several years of HR generalist experience and knowledge of Indian labour laws and HR best practices.
How much does an HR manager earn in India?
HR managers typically earn ₹6L–₹12L per year at mid level, with senior HR managers and HR business partners earning ₹15L+, and HR heads earning considerably more. See our salary guide for current ranges.