HR Operations Manager

About the Company

Adalat AI is building an end-to-end justice tech stack that automates manual and clerical pain points in courtrooms, giving judges back time to focus on what matters most: decision-making and delivering justice. Our solutions - from AI-powered transcription in Indian languages to case-flow management and document navigation - are now deployed across 9 states, covering nearly 20% of India’s judiciary. Backed by leading technology companies and funders, and incubated at MIT and Oxford, Adalat AI is working to eliminate judicial delays and expand access to timely justice. Founded by a team with backgrounds in law, technology, and economics from Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and IIIT Hyderabad, we are scaling rapidly across India and the Global South.

Role Overview

We're looking for a proactive, process-minded HR Operations Manager to own the people operations infrastructure at Adalat. This is not an administrative role — it's an ownership role. You'll be responsible for building and maintaining the systems, workflows, and policies that make it possible for the team to do their best work.

The ideal candidate operates with high autonomy, surfaces problems before they become crises, and brings a structured mindset to a fast-moving organisation. You should be as comfortable writing a compliance policy as you are coordinating an offsite or handling a sensitive exit conversation.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Lifecycle Management

Own the full employee lifecycle — from offer documentation and onboarding to offboarding and alumni transitions
Prepare Scope of Work, Key Deliverables documents, and employment contracts for all new hires
Run structured onboarding: tool access provisioning (Slack, Gmail, Gather, GitHub, Notion), equipment setup, and culture orientation
Manage offboarding: exit interviews, equipment handover, access revocation, data confidentiality protocols, and full/final settlement coordination

HR Systems & Data

Own and maintain the HRIS — keep employee records accurate, current, and audit-ready
Manage org chart and headcount data in sync with hiring and attrition
Build and run an automated invoice system for consultant and contractor payments
Maintain the shared team holiday calendar; communicate updates proactively

Compliance & Policy

Ensure compliance with Indian labour law: PF, ESIC, gratuity, POSH, and applicable state regulations
Build and maintain an HR policy library: leave policy, travel reimbursement, code of conduct, acceptable use, and others
Track and manage statutory deadlines and filings in coordination with Finance
Own the POSH committee charter and ensure annual compliance obligations are met

Payroll & Finance Coordination

Work with Finance on monthly payroll accuracy — inputs, deductions, reimbursements
Own the travel reimbursement workflow; proactively surface policy gaps or process inefficiencies
Track and report on headcount-related costs (salaries, benefits, contractor payments)

People Programmes & Communication

Plan and coordinate team events: annual offsite (logistics, venue, travel, agenda), celebrations, and culture moments
Run employee engagement touchpoints: pulse surveys, team health checks, milestone recognition
Post team-wide announcements proactively and accurately — holidays, policy updates, benefits news
Coordinate financial wellness sessions and other L&D programmes

Vendor & Logistics Management

Manage relationships with vendors: travel, merchandise, equipment, benefits providers
Own the equipment procurement and depreciation tracking process for all team hardware
Coordinate merch design, ordering, and distribution to team members

Reporting & Metrics

Produce monthly HR dashboards: headcount, attrition, open roles, leave utilisation, compliance status
Proactively flag risks: high attrition signals, compliance gaps, delayed onboarding, unresolved exits
Bring data into regular HR reviews with the Founders Office

Qualifications

Must-Have

5+ years of HR operations or HR generalist experience, ideally at a tech startup or fast-growing organisation
Deep knowledge of Indian employment law and compliance: PF, ESIC, gratuity, POSH
Strong process orientation — you build systems, not workarounds
Experience owning onboarding, offboarding, and employee documentation end-to-end
Comfort with HR tools, spreadsheets, and basic automation (Google Workspace, Notion, or similar)
Discretion and judgment in handling sensitive people situations
High autonomy — you drive things to closure without waiting to be asked

Nice-to-Have

Prior experience in a nonprofit, legal-tech, or mission-driven organisation
Familiarity with payroll systems and finance coordination
Experience running team offsites or large logistics projects
Exposure to international hiring or multi-entity structures

What You Will Achieve in a Year

Build and operationalise a scalable HR infrastructure that supports Adalat AI’s growth across teams, states, and functions
Ensure seamless employee lifecycle management — from onboarding to exits — with strong compliance, documentation, and employee experience standards
Drive operational excellence across payroll, HR systems, policies, and vendor coordination while proactively identifying and resolving process gaps
Create a high-trust, high-accountability people operations culture through structured communication, engagement programmes, and data-driven HR reporting