Cheenta Academy for Olympiad & Research
Website:
cheenta.com
Job details:
Cheenta Academy Pvt. Ltd. 22 Lake Place, Kolkata 700029
Reporting to: Director
Location: Office (Kolkata, full-time, day shift)
Compensation: ₹40,000–₹50,000/month, in-hand, depending on experience;
Probation: Six months
Notice period (post-confirmation): 30 days, mutual
I. About Cheenta
Cheenta Academy is an Olympiad and research-oriented mathematics and science institution, serving approximately 1,000 students globally. The institution runs three converging tracks: Olympiad training (age 6+), research and publication (age 14+), and leadership programs connecting students with real-world problems (age 14+). Cheenta operates an academic management platform, Panini8, built in-house.
The organisation currently has approximately 50 people on payroll across full-time, part-time, and remote arrangements. The HR Generalist will be the first dedicated HR seat at Cheenta. The role is foundational, not maintenance.
II. Role Summary
The HR Generalist owns the human-resources function at Cheenta end-to-end: recruitment and onboarding, employment policy and contracts, statutory compliance, performance management, employee relations, and the operational infrastructure that supports a growing institution. The role reports to the Director and works closely with Finance on payroll and statutory matters.
III. Responsibilities
A. Recruitment and Onboarding
i. Manage the full recruitment cycle for academic, administrative, and technical roles — job description authoring, sourcing, screening, scheduling interviews, reference checks, and offer management.
ii. Conduct first-round HR interviews for shortlisted candidates and coordinate subsequent technical or academic rounds with zone leads.
iii. Manage onboarding for new hires: documentation, equipment provisioning, software access, induction, and first-90-day check-ins.
iv. Maintain the candidate pipeline and recruitment records.
B. Employment Policy, Contracts, and Statutory Compliance
i. Maintain and update standard employment contract templates for full-time employees, part-time employees, professionals, and technical service providers.
ii. Own the employee handbook covering leave, code of conduct, grievance redressal, working conditions, and standard policies.
iii. Ensure compliance with applicable labour laws, including the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 — Internal Complaints Committee formation, training, and annual filing.
iv. Coordinate with the accountant on statutory deductions (PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS) and ensure timely filings.
C. Performance Management
i. Design and run the periodic performance review cycle for all in-office staff.
ii. Maintain performance documentation, including probation reviews at month three and month six for new hires.
iii. Support zone leads in setting performance criteria for their teams and in delivering performance feedback.
iv. Manage promotion, role-change, and exit documentation.
D. Employee Relations and Workplace Culture
i. Act as the first point of contact for employee grievances, queries, and workplace concerns.
ii. Maintain confidentiality and procedural fairness in all grievance and disciplinary matters.
iii. Support the leadership team in handling sensitive employee situations — performance issues, conflicts between team members, separations.
iv. Track and report on employee engagement, retention, and attrition.
E. HR Operations
i. Maintain a single, accurate employee master record across all employment categories.
ii. Manage leave records, attendance summaries, and exit clearances.
iii. Oversee equipment lifecycle — issuance, transfer, return — in coordination with the technology and operations teams.
iv. Generate periodic HR reports for the Director on headcount, hiring pipeline, attrition, and compliance status.
IV. Required Qualifications
i. Bachelor's degree in any discipline. A postgraduate qualification in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, or Management is preferred but not required.
ii. Minimum five years of experience in a generalist HR role, with at least two years of independent ownership of recruitment, performance, and compliance work.
iii. Demonstrated experience setting up or maintaining an Internal Complaints Committee under the POSH Act, 2013.
iv. Demonstrated experience drafting employment contracts and managing standard statutory compliance (PF, ESI, professional tax).
v. Strong written and spoken English. Working comfort in Bengali and Hindi preferred.
vi. Working comfort with HRIS tools, spreadsheets, and document management.
V. Preferred Qualifications
i. Prior HR experience in an education, edtech, or research-oriented institution.
ii. Experience hiring for academic, technical, and administrative roles in the same organisation.
iii. Familiarity with hiring and employment norms for both Indian and international engagements (advisory, consulting, professional).
iv. Experience working with founders or directors of small-to-mid-sized organisations.
VI. Working Conditions
i. Full-time, office-based at 22 Lake Place, Kolkata 700029.
ii. Standard day shift; occasional evening or weekend work for interviews or compliance deadlines, compensated through time-off.
iii. Six-month probation with a structured review at month three and month six.
iv. Equipment, software access, and reference material provided by the organisation.
VII. Scope and Limits of the Role
i. The HR Generalist exercises operational authority over recruitment, onboarding, performance documentation, and policy enforcement. Strategic decisions on compensation philosophy, organisational structure, and senior hires remain with the Director.
iii. Payroll execution and accounting remain with the Finance team. The HR Generalist coordinates with Finance but does not own payroll calculation or statutory filings.
iv. This is not a recruitment-only role. A candidate seeking pure talent-acquisition work would be a poor fit.
VIII. How to Apply
Send the following to talent@cheenta.org:
i. A current CV.
ii. A brief note (300 words or fewer) describing one HR situation you handled end-to-end — preferably involving recruitment, a grievance, or a compliance matter — and what you learned.
iii. References from at least two previous employers, available on request.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a written task, followed by interviews with the Director and a panel member from the senior team.
- Applications without the situational note will not be reviewed.
Click on Apply to know more.