About EssentiallySports
EssentiallySports is a digital sports media platform serving modern fandom. Primarily aimed at serving the American audience, ES is industry leading new-age media that has multiple products and IPs under its portfolio.
Over the years, the company has evolved from a traditional content publisher into a broader media ecosystem that includes editorial coverage, creator-led IPs, newsletters, branded storytelling, and fan-engagement initiatives.
Our work today is driven by one core principle, that of building sustained relationships with audiences, not just generating one-time traffic.
About the Role
The People Experience Partner will own the full employee lifecycle at EssentiallySports — from onboarding through exit, while building the people systems, culture, and processes that enable a high-performance media organisation to operate effectively.
This is a generalist role with broad ownership across HR operations, engagement, performance, compliance, and employee relations. The incumbent will work closely with business leaders and managers, and is expected to operate with a high degree of independence, structure, and ownership.
Minimum Qualifications
- 2–3 years in HR with at least 1 year in a business-facing or generalist role
- MBA in HR from a recognised institute
- Has independently run performance reviews and handled ER cases — PIPs, exits, grievances
- Demonstrated experience managing HR operations without HRMS tools — strong command of Google Sheets, Docs, and Drive as primary systems of record
- Can read people data, form a view, and communicate it clearly to senior stakeholders
- Strong written and verbal communication — concise, direct, no unnecessary complexity
- Has worked in a fast-paced environment and is comfortable building process from scratch
- Working knowledge of Indian labour laws and statutory compliance requirements
- Prior experience in media, content, or a creative organisation is an advantage
Key Responsibilities
Business Partnering
- Work directly with team leads across 2–3 business units to understand people challenges and translate them into practical HR plans
- Support org design, headcount planning, and role clarity discussions as the business grows or changes
- Be present enough with the teams you support that issues surface before they escalate
Performance Management
- Own the performance review cycle — KRA setting, calibration, documentation, and closure
- Coach managers through feedback conversations, rating decisions, and performance improvement plans
- Identify high-potential employees and partner with leadership to build meaningful career development paths and growth opportunities for them
Engagement & Retention
- Run pulse surveys and engagement initiatives; present findings with clear recommendations, not just data
- Stay close to employee sentiment through regular check-ins and use that to flag attrition risk early
- Design and manage the engagement calendar — recognitions, culture initiatives, and team activities
HR Operations & Data
- Maintain people data, trackers, and dashboards that give leadership an accurate view of org health
- Coordinate payroll inputs, leave management, attendance tracking and policy adherence across your business units
- Build or improve HR processes where gaps exist
Employee Relations & Compliance
- Handle employee concerns, grievances, and conflict situations with fairness and proper documentation
- Navigate exits, PIPs, and role changes thoughtfully, ensuring both the manager and employee are guided through the process with clarity and empathy
- Ensure statutory compliance and keep HR documentation audit-ready at all times
Offboarding
- Own the end-to-end exit process — from resignation to full and final settlement — ensuring a smooth experience for both the employee and the organisation
- Conduct exit interviews that go beyond the standard checklist and surface feedback that is actually useful for the business
- Analyse exit trends over time and present attrition insights to leadership on a regular basis
- Coordinate departmental clearances and maintain organised, complete exit records
Attributes We Value
- High ownership and accountability across both strategic and administrative workstreams
- Strong interpersonal judgment — able to build trust quickly and maintain it under pressure
- Structured thinking with the ability to move between execution and problem-solving without loss of quality
- Clear, precise written and verbal communication — no ambiguity, no jargon
- Comfort with ambiguity; ability to build process where none exists
- Discretion and reliability in handling sensitive information
Why EssentiallySports
- One of the fastest-growing digital sports media platforms globally, serving a primary American audience
- High-agency environment with direct exposure to leadership and real influence over how the organisation scales
- Opportunity to build the HR function from the ground up — not maintain an inherited system
- Work at the intersection of media, culture, and people in one of the most dynamic spaces in digital today
