Chief Human Resources Officer - Professional Services Firm

About the Role: We are looking for an accomplished Chief Human Resources Officer to lead the people and organization agenda for a leading professional services firm. The CHRO will work closely with the senior leadership, and will be responsible for shaping a high-performing, inclusive and future-ready organization. The role requires a strong combination of strategic HR leadership, stakeholder management and hands-on understanding of the people dynamics within a professional services environment. Key Responsibilities: - Define and drive the overall people strategy in alignment with the firms growth and business priorities. - Partner closely with senior leadership on workforce planning, organization design, talent strategy and succession planning. - Lead the Talent Acquisition and Talent Management agenda, including leadership hiring, lateral hiring, campus engagement and employer branding. - Build robust leadership development, capability-building, reskilling and upskilling programs. - Drive performance management, employee engagement, retention and culture-building initiatives. - Own the Compensation & Benefits philosophy, including pay structures, benchmarking and alignment of rewards with performance and contribution. - Lead employee relations, grievance management, compliance and sensitive people matters, partnering closely with senior stakeholders. - Drive organization-wide change and transformation initiatives, including technology adoption, practice integration and cultural change. - Strengthen HR operations, policies, processes, HRIS/ATS and people analytics to create a scalable and effective HR function. Ideal Candidate Profile: - 20+ years of progressive HR experience, with significant experience in senior HR leadership roles. - Prior leadership experience within a professional services and/or legal environment is strongly preferred. - Strong experience across HR strategy, talent management, performance, compensation, employee relations, culture and HR operations. - Demonstrated ability to influence Partners, CXOs and senior business leaders and build consensus across complex stakeholder groups. - Strong understanding of employment regulations, HR governance and best practices. - High degree of maturity, discretion and judgement in handling confidential and sensitive people matters. - MBA in Human Resources from a premier institute such as IIM, XLRI, ISB or equivalent.