Lead Employee Relations Partner

Why UKG:

At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That’s what we do.

We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you’ll get flexibility that’s real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters—and so do you.

The Senior ER Partner – HR Compliance, People Practices & Governance is responsible for leading and governing the organization's HR regulatory compliance framework across India while driving consistent, legally compliant, and business-aligned people practices. The role serves as the central point of coordination for HR compliance, policy governance, workplace accommodations, and employment-related regulatory initiatives, ensuring adherence to applicable Central and State labour laws and organizational standards.

The position partners extensively with HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, Legal, Global Compliance, HR Centres of Excellence, Internal Audit, Payroll, Facilities, Finance, Procurement, and external compliance partners to strengthen governance, mitigate employment risks, and implement sustainable compliance practices across all India operations.

Ultimately, this role enables the organization to maintain a strong culture of compliance, governance, fairness, and operational excellence while supporting business growth, protecting the organization from employment-related risks, and enhancing the employee experience through consistent and legally compliant people practices.

Key Responsibilities

HR Regulatory Compliance & Governance

• Lead and govern the organization's HR regulatory compliance framework across all India operations, ensuring adherence to applicable Central and State labour laws.
• Establish and continuously improve governance frameworks, compliance controls, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure sustainable compliance.
• Develop and maintain annual compliance calendars, statutory obligation trackers, governance dashboards, and compliance scorecards.
• Monitor legislative developments and evaluate their impact on HR policies, processes, and business operations.
• Drive implementation of regulatory changes through cross-functional collaboration and change management.
• Conduct periodic compliance health checks, gap assessments, and risk reviews, and oversee timely closure of corrective actions.

People Practices & Policy Governance

• Own the end-to-end governance of HR and Employee Relations policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures.
• Draft, review, update, and implement HR / ER policies to ensure compliance with applicable laws and alignment with global standards and business objectives.
• Lead periodic policy reviews and governance processes, including stakeholder consultation, legal review, approvals, communication, and implementation.
• Ensure consistent interpretation and application of people practice across the organization.
• Develop policy toolkits, guidance documents, FAQs, and manager resources to promote consistent and compliant decision-making.

Employee Relations Support

• Lead governance of workplace accommodation programs, ensuring compliance with applicable legal requirements relating to disability, pregnancy, religion, gender identity, and other protected characteristics.
• Partner with HR Business Partners, Employee Relations Leads, Legal, Facilities, Occupational Health, and business leaders to evaluate accommodation requests and recommend appropriate workplace solutions.
• Develop and maintain accommodation frameworks, guidelines, approval processes, and documentation standards.
• Review and advise on Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), disciplinary actions, grievance handling, misconduct matters, and separation processes to ensure legal compliance and consistency.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Communication

• Serve as the central point of coordination for HR compliance and governance initiatives across HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Payroll, HR Operations, Facilities, Finance, Procurement, Security, Internal Audit, and Legal.
• Facilitate cross-functional governance meetings, working groups, and steering committees to drive accountability and execution of compliance initiatives.
• Manage relationships with external statutory compliance vendors, consultants, and regulatory service providers.
• Coordinate statutory compliance audits, inspections, regulatory filings, and documentation with external partners.
• Develop executive dashboards and reports providing visibility into HR compliance health, regulatory risks, policy governance, audit findings, accommodation trends, and Employee Relations risks.
• Prepare and deliver presentations and compliance updates for HR Leadership, Executive Leadership, Legal, and Governance Committees.
• Partner with Global Legal, Global Compliance, Global HR, and Centres of Excellence to ensure India-specific legal and regulatory requirements are incorporated into global people practices.
• Represent India in global governance forums, policy reviews, and compliance initiatives.

Required Skills

Compliance

• Employment & Labor Law Compliance
• Regulatory Compliance & Internal Controls

Risk Management

• Risk Assessment & Compliance Audits
• Documentation Management & Corrective Actions

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Stakeholder & Executive Communication
• Negotiation, Coaching & Presentation Skills

Analytical Skills

• Data Analysis & Trend Identification
• Reporting, Problem Solving & Decision Making

Why Join Us

This role offers the opportunity to lead and strengthen the organization's Employee Relations and Compliance function by driving regulatory excellence, enhancing governance practices, and fostering a fair, ethical, and compliant workplace. The Employee Relations Compliance Lead will work closely with HR, Legal, Compliance, and business leaders to influence strategic decisions, mitigate organizational risk, and contribute to a culture of integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate is a proactive, detail-oriented professional with strong expertise in employee relations, employment law, compliance governance, and workplace investigations, who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and is passionate about delivering compliant and employee-centric solutions.