Pawan Bhateja

HR professional with rich global experience of 16 years with history of success leading strategic and operational HR initiatives within fast-paced organizations with evolving culture. Hands-on in the entire gamut of Human Resources with continuous zeal for enriching the HR Function. Core areas of work experience include HR Business Partnering, Talent Acquisition, Employee Engagement, Performance Management, Policy Planning & Implementation, Manager Coaching and Development, Inclusivity.

HRBP – Dept/Services and Head of Recruitment - Kinet Railway Solutions Limited

(2025-12)

• Collaborated with Project, Finance, and Operations leaders to architect a strategic workforce plan for 4 major facilities, managing staffing requirements for a workforce of 1500 skilled.
• Monitored and reported on weekly workforce metrics, identifying critical capacity gaps and streamlining resource planning to ensure 100% operational uptime across all units.
• Acted as a Strategic Talent Advisor to departmental heads, providing expert guidance on complex employee relations, performance interventions, and the interpretation of workplace policies.
• Launched a full-lifecycle Recruitment Management System (RMS) to automate the tracking of current vacancies, candidate offers, and key performance metrics including time-to-hire.
• Coordinated with Project and Operations leads to align workforce competencies with production demands, overseeing the delivery of specialized training to ensure operational readiness.
• Developed and operationalized a comprehensive suite of HR policies, including Performance Management Systems (PMS), talent acquisition protocols, and onboarding frameworks to standardize organizational culture.
• Orchestrated the cascading of corporate KPIs across the organization; mentored leadership teams in developing SMART goals to drive peak performance and align individual outputs with business milestones.
• Solely managed the design and execution of performance evaluation frameworks for 300+ employees, streamlining feedback loops and aligning individual KPIs with organizational goals.
• Optimized the performance tracking process via HRMS automation, delivering high-level executive summaries and weekly status updates to functional heads to drive timely appraisal completion.
• Led a C&B market parity study to align internal pay scales with industry trends, resulting in a restructured benefits package that enhanced the company's employer value proposition (EVP).
• Ensured 100% statutory compliance across factory and corporate office operations by proactively monitoring evolving labor laws and regulations, maintaining a zero-deviation record.
• Acted as the primary liaison with government authorities and labor departments; proactively interpreted and implemented new Labor Code amendments to safeguard the organization against legal and financial liabilities.
• Managed the end-to-end lifecycle of third-party service providers, leveraging quarterly compliance reports to track statutory filings (PF/ESI/LWF) and ensure seamless audit readiness.
• Acted as a strategic talent advisor to C-suite leadership and department heads, providing market intelligence and competitive benchmarking to align workforce planning with long-term business objectives and ensure 100% statutory compliance in hiring.
• Spearheaded the organizational transition and gap analysis for the New Labour Codes (2020), aligning internal policies with upcoming mandates in Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions.

Talent Acquisition Manager - Sotech Development India Private Limited

(2024-03 - 2025-12)

TA Lead – Industrial & Services - Alstom Transport India Limited - Bengaluru

(2017-05 - 2024-03)

• Led a team of 4 members.
• Led a high-performing talent acquisition team to execute end-to-end recruitment for 600+ roles, streamlining sourcing, screening, and onboarding workflows to ensure consistent quality of hire across all organizational levels.
• Orchestrated the full-lifecycle recruitment for 5 industrial manufacturing sites and 2 major service depots across India, managing high-volume hiring and specialized technical staffing for Saharanpur, Madhepura, and 5 other key locations.
• Exceeded annual hiring targets by independently filling 600+ vacancies, supporting the rapid scale-up of manufacturing plants and service depots while optimizing the cost-per-hire.
• Orchestrated candidate experience surveys to gather actionable insights, utilizing data to refine the recruitment journey and improve candidate satisfaction scores.
• Recognized as 'Key Talent of the Year' for two consecutive years, receiving monetary excellence awards for outstanding contributions to organizational growth and recruitment efficiency.
• Successfully headhunted top-tier talent in a highly competitive industrial market, leveraging targeted sourcing strategies to secure specialized engineering, manufacturing, and technical profiles.
• Championed DEI-focused talent acquisition, delivering a 90% success rate against a 20% KPI, significantly enhancing the company's market reputation as an inclusive employer of choice.
• Spearheaded digital employer branding across LinkedIn and other social platforms.
• Exercised full budgetary oversight for the Talent Acquisition function, optimizing resource allocation to achieve a 15% reduction in cost-per-hire while scaling to 600+ annual placements.
• Manage full recruitment cycle at site level, including sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, and issuing offer letters.
• Completed site HC ramp up from 30 headcount to 350 headcount in 6 months period.
• 30% of recruitment budget is saved with established internal recruitment.
• Coordinated smooth induction of new hires.
• Managed full lifecycle of employees from hire to retirement.
• Employee grievance handled, such as conflicts resolutions, conducted internal investigations, addressed general queries, and served as first responders in any situation.
• Coordinated payroll and provided accurate inputs for payroll processing.
• Handled labour compliance for the site and responsible for vendor compliance.
• Assisted managers with performance appraisal cycle, and individual development plan.
• Served as member of Canteen forum and Works committee.

Production Supervision Specialist - GE Power - Ahmedabad

(2015-11 - 2017-05)

Master of Arts - Labour Welfare & Personnel Management - DAVV, Indore (2005-07 - 2007)

Bachelor's - Commerce - Bikaner University (2005)