Human Resources Manager

Company Description:

Cedar is a Forbes ranked global management consulting firm whose heritage includes being part of the founded by the creators of the Balanced Scorecard. Since 1985, Cedar's teams have been assisting clients in areas of strategy, process, strategic human capital, and technology, with a strong focus on the financial services sector www.cedar-consulting.com will tell you more.

Cedar's group unit, IBS Intelligence (www.ibsintelligence.com), based in the UK has been the definitive source for research, news-analysis and advisory specialized in Financial Technology markets, for over 30 years. Cedar Hill Capital is an independent $20mn FinTech venture capital fund with a sharp lens on B2B FinTech and Financial Services-infrastructure companies. The Cedar FinTech Innovation Lab in Dubai and Mumbai brings banks & technology companies together with an opportunity to access the relevant Middle East and India market opportunity.

Title/ Role:Director - Human Resources Manager

Job Summary:

The HR Manager will serve as the anchor of Cedar's internal people function, working within a small, agile HR team to build and run best-in-class HR practices across Cedar Consulting and the Cedar Group. This is a hands-on, broad role suited to someone who is equally comfortable designing a framework and executing the day-to-day.

You will be the primary HR partner to leadership and staff across the firm, covering the full employee lifecycle. Given Cedar's consulting context, this role also carries responsibilities that are distinct to professional services — including consultant career development, utilisation and staffing, performance calibration, and the particular dynamics of retaining high-performing advisory talent.

Key responsibilities/ deliverables: 

-Performance Management

• Own and continuously improve Cedar's performance review process — goal setting, mid-year check-ins, and year-end appraisals
• Support managers in calibration discussions and in delivering high-quality, developmental feedback
• Maintain fairness, consistency, and rigour in performance ratings and consequence management
• Identify high performers and manage acceleration pathways in coordination with leadership
• Manage underperformance processes with appropriate documentation and support

-Consultant Career Development

• Design and manage structured career frameworks and progression pathways for consulting staff
• Coordinate staffing and project allocation in partnership with practice leads, balancing utilisation and development
• Support consultant capability building — identifying training needs, curating learning interventions, and tracking development
• Run mentoring and buddy programmes to support junior consultant growth
• Advise leadership on succession planning and readiness for promotion decisions

-Compensation & Benefits

• Manage the annual compensation review cycle, including benchmarking, budgeting, and communication
• Maintain market competitiveness through regular benchmarking against consulting sector peers
• Administer employee benefits and ensure awareness and uptake across the firm
• Support leadership on compensation structuring for senior and specialised hires

-Employee Relations & Culture

• Serve as a trusted, confidential point of contact for employee concerns, grievances, and conflict resolution
• Manage disciplinary and grievance processes in line with policy and applicable labour law
• Champion a culture of high performance, inclusion, and professional excellence
• Run employee engagement surveys, analyse results, and work with leadership on follow-through
• Organise firm events, team rituals, and culture-building initiatives that reflect Cedar's identity

-HR Operations & Compliance

• Maintain accurate employee records, contracts, and HR documentation across all entities
• Ensure compliance with applicable labour laws, statutory requirements, and internal policies
• Own the HR policy manual — maintaining, updating, and communicating policies as needed
• Manage payroll inputs in coordination with Finance, ensuring accuracy and timeliness
• Administer HRIS and reporting, providing people data and insights to leadership as needed

Candidate profile:

-Experience & Background

• At least 8-10 years of HR experience, with meaningful exposure to the full HR generalist remit
• Prior experience in a professional services, consulting, or knowledge-intensive firm strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple HR workstreams simultaneously in a lean team environment
• Familiarity with Indian labour law and statutory compliance requirements
• Experience working with or reporting to senior leadership in a high-expectations environment

-Skills & Attributes

• High degree of professional maturity — discreet, balanced, and trusted by both leadership and staff
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; able to influence without authority
• Detail-oriented and process-driven, with the ability to also think structurally about people systems
• Comfortable operating in a lean, agile team where ownership is broad and pace is high
• Genuine interest in the consulting industry and in building HR practices that match its rigour