Chief People Officer — Manufacturing-Technology Programme

The mandate

A semiconductor manufacturing-technology programme must reconfigure access to certain design data, equipment information and external tools after an export-control review. Current teams were assembled around expertise and programme need, not the new access perimeter. Managers are uncertain how to staff work without creating discriminatory assumptions, breaching confidentiality or losing scarce specialists. An urgent new Chief People Officer will build a lawful workforce response with legal, security and programme leaders.

The scope covers approximately 575 employees and material partners across engineering, programme management, supplier interfaces and functions. The CPO owns organisation design, workforce planning, talent, mobility, employee relations, reward, learning and HR operations. Legal specialists determine control requirements; the people leader converts approved role-based restrictions into fair, documented work arrangements.

Nationality cannot become a proxy for legal analysis. Access decisions must address the technology, activity, location, authorisation and person’s specific status under expert advice. The CPO will ensure managers use an approved process, protect sensitive personal information and provide an escalation route. Informal exclusion or broad lists are unacceptable.

Work should be redesigned before people are moved. Controlled tasks can sometimes be separated from unrestricted testing, documentation or programme activity while preserving technical coherence. Other programmes may require licensed access, reassignment or location change. The CPO will map tasks and dependencies so that compliance does not create unsafe hand-offs or unproductive roles.

Affected employees deserve clear individual communication, meaningful work and fair career consideration. Where reassignment is needed, selection, pay and progression should remain transparent. Employees must be able to raise concerns without being asked to reveal protected information publicly. Retention payments alone cannot repair a loss of dignity or technical purpose.

Recruitment, mobility and vendors need consistent controls. Job advertisements should describe role requirements without implying unlawful preference. External workers require the same access and data discipline as employees. Immigration, remote work and travel decisions must reconcile to approved programme arrangements.

Performance management cannot punish employees for an access boundary they did not choose. Objectives and calibration will reflect the work a person is legally authorised and organisationally assigned to perform. The CPO will monitor promotion, pay and development outcomes for affected groups and investigate material disparities rather than assume a compliant staffing decision is automatically equitable.

Leaders also need crisis support. Sudden programme separation can isolate specialists from long-standing teams and create fear about employability. Confidential counselling, manager coaching and clear grievance routes will accompany operational change. Communication will state when decisions remain provisional and will not solicit employees to speculate about colleagues’ citizenship or clearance.

The role is unplanned because the review revealed no executive owner spanning people and programme design. The onsite Pune appointment will sit in the response steering group and build the small HR leadership team rapidly.

What you will own

• Translate approved access rules into task, role and organisation design.
• Establish fair individual assessment, reassignment, mobility and communication.
• Protect sensitive personal and programme information within HR processes.
• Retain scarce capability and create meaningful alternative career paths.
• Align recruitment, vendors, travel and remote work to access requirements.
• Train managers to handle decisions without discriminatory shortcuts.
• Maintain employee relations, reward, payroll and statutory compliance.
• Report workforce readiness and people risk to the executive sponsor.

The first 12 months

In the first 30 days, stop informal staffing restrictions, map controlled tasks and identify employees facing immediate uncertainty. Establish expert review, confidential case handling and manager guidance. Confirm delivery risks and interim access arrangements with programme leaders.

By month six, implement redesigned teams, complete fair case decisions and create reskilling or mobility pathways. Audit recruitment and vendor processes and resolve high-risk data access. Leaders should understand which restriction applies to each role and how an employee can challenge an error.

At twelve months, place 100% of controlled roles under documented expert-approved access, fill 95% of critical programme positions and retain 90% of scarce eligible talent. No substantiated discrimination, privacy breach or unauthorised access should arise from the response. Affected employees should receive decisions within agreed service times and every critical task have qualified cover.

What the sponsor will measure

• Access decisions tied to specific lawfully approved tasks.
• Employees treated fairly and privately through uncertainty.
• Programme delivery protected through thoughtful work redesign.
• Managers avoiding nationality or identity-based shortcuts.
• Vendors and mobility governed consistently with employees.
• Scarce capability retained without compromising compliance.

The person

You bring 22–28 years in senior HR for semiconductors, technology, aerospace or another controlled environment. You have led workforce response to export controls, security restrictions or complex cross-border access and can show fair individual outcomes alongside delivery.

Your prior perimeter should include at least 400 employees and partners across scarce technical roles. Evidence must include task-based access design, a reassignment handled without discrimination and confidential people-data governance. Indian employment expertise and confidence with international counsel are required.

Compensation and terms

Fixed compensation is ₹2.2–3.0 crore plus performance variable linked to lawful readiness, retention, delivery, employee trust and leadership. This permanent onsite Pune role reports to the Group Chief Executive or designated sponsor. The active response requires prompt availability.

Confidentiality

The programme, technologies, legal advice, employees and access cases are strictly confidential. Individual information follows need-to-know controls after suitability and signed confidentiality. Applicants must not contact employees, vendors or authorities to identify the organisation.