Human Resources Lead

Job description Total Rewards Lead Senior Leadership, Human Resources A high-impact Global Capability Center (GCC) in Chennai, and we are looking for a Total Rewards Lead to shape and drive our rewards strategy in India. In this role, you will lead the design and delivery of compensation, benefits, wellbeing, and recognition programs that enable us to attract and retain top talent while building a differentiated employee experience at scale. You will partner closely with business leaders, HR leadership, and global rewards teams across India and the U.S. to establish market-leading rewards practices, scalable governance frameworks, and data-driven decision-making capabilities aligned to enterprise priorities. This role is ideal for a hands-on builder who thrives in a fast-paced, “startup-within-a-global” environment and enjoys solving complex rewards and talent challenges. You will play a critical role in building a future-ready GCC rewards model while influencing employee experience, talent competitiveness, and long-term organizational growth. Job Responsibilities Strategy and Planning:

• Partner with global HR, finance, and business leadership teams to establish market-leading compensation, benefits, wellbeing, and recognition programs that strengthen the GCC employee value proposition
• Lead rewards benchmarking, market intelligence, and competitive analysis across the India GCC ecosystem, with specific focus on retail, healthcare, digital, analytics, and shared services talent segments
• Drive strategic design and governance of executive compensation, leadership rewards, incentive programs, retention frameworks, and long-term talent strategies for critical GCC leadership hires Delivery and Execution
• Lead annual compensation cycles including salary reviews, incentive planning, promotion frameworks, market corrections, and rewards budgeting in partnership with finance and global COEs
• Oversee vendor partnerships and benefits administration across insurance, wellness, retirement, and employee wellbeing programs while ensuring operational excellence and employee satisfaction
• Ensure compliance with all applicable labour laws, statutory regulations, governance requirements, and global rewards policies across India operations Support and Enablement
• Develop rewards analytics, dashboards, and insights to support data-driven decision-making, workforce planning, and talent competitiveness across the GCC
• Support employer branding and talent attraction initiatives by helping articulate Walgreens’ differentiated rewards philosophy, wellbeing approach, and employee experience proposition in the GCC market People Leadership
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing Total Rewards team within the GCC while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement Education & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related discipline
• 12+ years of progressive experience in Total Rewards, Compensation & Benefits, or Rewards Consulting within multinational organizations
• Proven experience managing compensation and benefits programs for large-scale GCCs, shared services organizations, or global enterprises (preferably US based GCCs)
• Strong understanding of India compensation practices, rewards governance, benefits administration, labour regulations, and market benchmarking
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with senior leadership and manage complex stakeholder environments across global teams Preferred Qualifications & Interests (PQIs)
• MBA or postgraduate qualification in Human Resources, Compensation & Benefits, or related field
• Experience in retail, healthcare, pharmacy, consumer, or large matrixed multinational organizations
• Prior experience in setting up or scaling Total Rewards frameworks within a GCC or transformation environment
• Strong analytical and strategic problem-solving skills with exposure to rewards analytics, workforce insights, and HR technologies
• Passion for building inclusive, people-centric, and future-ready rewards practices that enhance employee experience and organizational growth