Jobs / DMC / Noida
Manager - People and Culture
D
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
DMC · Noida
About the role
About FinnDMC:
FinnDMC is a Finland-based Destination Management Company specialising in curated travel experiences across the entire Finnish territory — from Helsinki\'s design culture to Lapland\'s Northern Lights, from midnight sun lake retreats to Arctic wilderness adventures.
We partner with travel agents and tour operators across India, the Gulf, and Germany to deliver exceptional Finland experiences for their clients. FinnDMC is a young, ambitious, founder-led company building a team of talented professionals who take genuine ownership of their work and are excited to help build something meaningful.
About the Role:
This is not a traditional HR role. The Manager – People and Culture at FinnDMC owns the entire human layer of the business — from finding the right people and bringing them in well, to building the policies that protect them, to sustaining the culture that makes FinnDMC a place people want to build their careers. You will be the first dedicated HR hire and will build the function from the ground up.
You serve every team member equally, regardless of their reporting line. You are a horizontal function — both Mr. Piyush Bagga and Mr. Ayush Bagga\'s teams are your stakeholders. Culture is not a side project here — it is considered a core business metric, on par with revenue.
What will you Own:
Recruitment & Onboarding
•Own the end-to-end hiring process: drafting Job Descriptions (with Function Heads), sourcing, screening, coordinating interviews, and issuing offers within defined timelines
•Ensure every new hire joins with a structured 30-60-90 day onboarding plan, a welcome kit, system access, and a Day 1 schedule prepared before they arrive
•Conduct milestone reviews at Day 30, Day 60, and Day 90 for every new team member
•Maintain FinnDMC\'s employer brand — every candidate who interacts with the company, including those who are not selected, receives a professional and respectful experience
Policy Development & Compliance
•Draft, document, and maintain comprehensive company policies covering: leave and attendance, code of conduct, anti-harassment and grievance handling, performance management, data confidentiality, remote working, expense reimbursement, and any other policies required as the company grows
•Ensure all policies are legally compliant with applicable Indian labour laws and, where relevant, Finnish employment regulations for the Finland-based entity
•Communicate all policies clearly to the team, conduct policy onboarding for every new hire, and maintain an accessible, version-controlled policy library
•Monitor adherence to all policies across both entities — flag breaches proactively to the relevant Function Head rather than waiting for incidents to escalate
•Review and update all policies at minimum annually, or when a trigger event (new regulation, team growth, culture issue) makes an earlier review necessary
Performance Management
•Build and run FinnDMC\'s performance review cycle: quarterly check-ins and an annual structured review for every team member against their documented KPIs
•Work with Function Heads to ensure every team member has clear, written KPIs aligned to their role playbook
•Manage performance improvement conversations with empathy and structure — supporting both the team member and the Function Head through the process
•Maintain confidential performance records for all team members
Attendance, Payroll & Administration
•Maintain the monthly attendance log for all employees and deliver it to Function Heads by the 25th of each month
•Compile and submit payroll inputs to the Accounts team by the 26th of every month without exception
•Coordinate with the Accounts Manager on salary processing, reimbursements, and any payroll queries
•Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records for both FinnDMC India and 2DS Finland entities
Grievance Handling
•Provide a safe, confidential channel for all team members to raise concerns, complaints, or grievances
•Acknowledge every grievance within 24 hours; investigate and resolve within 5 working days
•Maintain absolute confidentiality of the grievance-raiser\'s identity — disclosure only with their explicit consent
•Report findings and resolutions to Mr. Ayush Bagga, maintaining full documentation in a restricted-access file
Learning, Development & Training
•Design and deliver a quarterly training calendar covering: Sembark (CRM/ERP) proficiency, Finland destination knowledge, sales communication, and function-specific skills
•Ensure every team member completes a minimum of 10 training hours per quarter; track and report completion
•Identify development needs proactively — from performance reviews, eNPS feedback, and observations — and build targeted learning responses
Culture & Engagement
•Own FinnDMC\'s culture as a strategic priority: build practices, rituals, and norms that make FinnDMC a place where talented people choose to stay and grow
•Run a quarterly anonymous eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) survey; analyse results and present findings with specific action recommendations to both Function Heads within 5 days
•Plan and execute at minimum one meaningful team engagement activity per month
•Act as a trusted confidant to team members — someone who listens without judgment and advocates for people\'s wellbeing and fairness
•Proactively identify early signs of disengagement, conflict, or culture drift and address them before they become retention problems
What we are Looking for:
Must-have
•2–4 years of progressive HR experience, ideally including at least 2 years in a standalone or lead HR role
•Proven experience drafting HR policies from scratch in a growing company
•Strong understanding of Indian labour law, PF, ESI, and statutory compliance requirements
•Experience running full-cycle recruitment — not just coordinating, but actively sourcing and closing candidates
•Genuine passion for building workplace culture — you have done this before and can speak specifically about how
•High emotional intelligence: you are trusted with sensitive information and difficult conversations, and you handle both with discretion and maturity
•Excellent written communication — you will draft policies, offer letters, onboarding documents, and communications that represent FinnDMC\'s brand
•Organised and process-oriented: you build systems that run reliably without constant supervision
•Comfortable working in a small, fast-moving team where everyone wears multiple hats
Good to have
•Experience in the travel, hospitality, or tourism industry
•Familiarity with managing employees or contractors across multiple entities / geographies
•Experience with HRIS tools, Google Workspace, and digital HR workflows
•Understanding of Finnish employment regulations (a bonus, not a requirement)
•Prior experience as the first HR hire in a startup or early-stage company
This role is probably not for you if
•You are looking for a large team to manage — this role starts as a team of one
•You need a highly structured corporate environment with established processes to follow — here, you build the processes
•You see HR as primarily an administrative function — at FinnDMC, People and Culture is a strategic role
•You are not comfortable with ambiguity or with defining your own priorities
What we Offer:
•The opportunity to build an HR function from the ground up — every policy, every practice, every cultural ritual will have your fingerprint on it
•Direct access to and trust of both founding Function Heads — you will influence how FinnDMC grows as a company
•A genuinely international working environment — you will be supporting a team that operates across India, Finland, the Gulf, and Germany
•A company that treats culture as a metric, not a talking point — your eNPS results are reviewed at the same level as revenue performance
•Competitive compensation commensurate with experience
•Remote/hybrid flexibility based on candidate location
•A role that grows as FinnDMC grows — as the team expands, so does the scope and impact of this function
FinnDMC is a Finland-based Destination Management Company specialising in curated travel experiences across the entire Finnish territory — from Helsinki\'s design culture to Lapland\'s Northern Lights, from midnight sun lake retreats to Arctic wilderness adventures.
We partner with travel agents and tour operators across India, the Gulf, and Germany to deliver exceptional Finland experiences for their clients. FinnDMC is a young, ambitious, founder-led company building a team of talented professionals who take genuine ownership of their work and are excited to help build something meaningful.
About the Role:
This is not a traditional HR role. The Manager – People and Culture at FinnDMC owns the entire human layer of the business — from finding the right people and bringing them in well, to building the policies that protect them, to sustaining the culture that makes FinnDMC a place people want to build their careers. You will be the first dedicated HR hire and will build the function from the ground up.
You serve every team member equally, regardless of their reporting line. You are a horizontal function — both Mr. Piyush Bagga and Mr. Ayush Bagga\'s teams are your stakeholders. Culture is not a side project here — it is considered a core business metric, on par with revenue.
What will you Own:
Recruitment & Onboarding
•Own the end-to-end hiring process: drafting Job Descriptions (with Function Heads), sourcing, screening, coordinating interviews, and issuing offers within defined timelines
•Ensure every new hire joins with a structured 30-60-90 day onboarding plan, a welcome kit, system access, and a Day 1 schedule prepared before they arrive
•Conduct milestone reviews at Day 30, Day 60, and Day 90 for every new team member
•Maintain FinnDMC\'s employer brand — every candidate who interacts with the company, including those who are not selected, receives a professional and respectful experience
Policy Development & Compliance
•Draft, document, and maintain comprehensive company policies covering: leave and attendance, code of conduct, anti-harassment and grievance handling, performance management, data confidentiality, remote working, expense reimbursement, and any other policies required as the company grows
•Ensure all policies are legally compliant with applicable Indian labour laws and, where relevant, Finnish employment regulations for the Finland-based entity
•Communicate all policies clearly to the team, conduct policy onboarding for every new hire, and maintain an accessible, version-controlled policy library
•Monitor adherence to all policies across both entities — flag breaches proactively to the relevant Function Head rather than waiting for incidents to escalate
•Review and update all policies at minimum annually, or when a trigger event (new regulation, team growth, culture issue) makes an earlier review necessary
Performance Management
•Build and run FinnDMC\'s performance review cycle: quarterly check-ins and an annual structured review for every team member against their documented KPIs
•Work with Function Heads to ensure every team member has clear, written KPIs aligned to their role playbook
•Manage performance improvement conversations with empathy and structure — supporting both the team member and the Function Head through the process
•Maintain confidential performance records for all team members
Attendance, Payroll & Administration
•Maintain the monthly attendance log for all employees and deliver it to Function Heads by the 25th of each month
•Compile and submit payroll inputs to the Accounts team by the 26th of every month without exception
•Coordinate with the Accounts Manager on salary processing, reimbursements, and any payroll queries
•Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records for both FinnDMC India and 2DS Finland entities
Grievance Handling
•Provide a safe, confidential channel for all team members to raise concerns, complaints, or grievances
•Acknowledge every grievance within 24 hours; investigate and resolve within 5 working days
•Maintain absolute confidentiality of the grievance-raiser\'s identity — disclosure only with their explicit consent
•Report findings and resolutions to Mr. Ayush Bagga, maintaining full documentation in a restricted-access file
Learning, Development & Training
•Design and deliver a quarterly training calendar covering: Sembark (CRM/ERP) proficiency, Finland destination knowledge, sales communication, and function-specific skills
•Ensure every team member completes a minimum of 10 training hours per quarter; track and report completion
•Identify development needs proactively — from performance reviews, eNPS feedback, and observations — and build targeted learning responses
Culture & Engagement
•Own FinnDMC\'s culture as a strategic priority: build practices, rituals, and norms that make FinnDMC a place where talented people choose to stay and grow
•Run a quarterly anonymous eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) survey; analyse results and present findings with specific action recommendations to both Function Heads within 5 days
•Plan and execute at minimum one meaningful team engagement activity per month
•Act as a trusted confidant to team members — someone who listens without judgment and advocates for people\'s wellbeing and fairness
•Proactively identify early signs of disengagement, conflict, or culture drift and address them before they become retention problems
What we are Looking for:
Must-have
•2–4 years of progressive HR experience, ideally including at least 2 years in a standalone or lead HR role
•Proven experience drafting HR policies from scratch in a growing company
•Strong understanding of Indian labour law, PF, ESI, and statutory compliance requirements
•Experience running full-cycle recruitment — not just coordinating, but actively sourcing and closing candidates
•Genuine passion for building workplace culture — you have done this before and can speak specifically about how
•High emotional intelligence: you are trusted with sensitive information and difficult conversations, and you handle both with discretion and maturity
•Excellent written communication — you will draft policies, offer letters, onboarding documents, and communications that represent FinnDMC\'s brand
•Organised and process-oriented: you build systems that run reliably without constant supervision
•Comfortable working in a small, fast-moving team where everyone wears multiple hats
Good to have
•Experience in the travel, hospitality, or tourism industry
•Familiarity with managing employees or contractors across multiple entities / geographies
•Experience with HRIS tools, Google Workspace, and digital HR workflows
•Understanding of Finnish employment regulations (a bonus, not a requirement)
•Prior experience as the first HR hire in a startup or early-stage company
This role is probably not for you if
•You are looking for a large team to manage — this role starts as a team of one
•You need a highly structured corporate environment with established processes to follow — here, you build the processes
•You see HR as primarily an administrative function — at FinnDMC, People and Culture is a strategic role
•You are not comfortable with ambiguity or with defining your own priorities
What we Offer:
•The opportunity to build an HR function from the ground up — every policy, every practice, every cultural ritual will have your fingerprint on it
•Direct access to and trust of both founding Function Heads — you will influence how FinnDMC grows as a company
•A genuinely international working environment — you will be supporting a team that operates across India, Finland, the Gulf, and Germany
•A company that treats culture as a metric, not a talking point — your eNPS results are reviewed at the same level as revenue performance
•Competitive compensation commensurate with experience
•Remote/hybrid flexibility based on candidate location
•A role that grows as FinnDMC grows — as the team expands, so does the scope and impact of this function
Posted 4 months ago on KREW18, India's travel industry hiring network.