Director Human Resources - India And UAE

What Cognite is: Relentless to achieve

Cognite operates at the forefront of industrial digitalization, building AI, and data solutions that solve the world’s hardest, highest-impact problems. With unmatched industrial heritage and a comprehensive suite of AI capabilities, including low-code AI agents, Cognite accelerates the digital transformation to drive operational improvements.

We thrive in challenges. We challenge assumptions. We execute with speed and ownership. If you view obstacles as signals to step forward - not backwards - you’ll feel right at home here.

Our Moonshot is bold: Unlock $100B in customer value by 2035, and redefine how global industry works. Join us in this venture where AI and data meet ingenuity, and together, we will forge the path to a smarter, more connected industrial future.

How you’ll demonstrate Ownership

Cognite is seeking a Human Resources Director for India and UAE. Based in Bengaluru, this hybrid-role four days per week in office and reporting into the global People Operations team. You will act as both trusted advisor and hands-on operator across employee relations, compliance, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, and policy infrastructure. In parallel, you will partner closely with global People Business Partners and HR counterparts in Norway and the US to support entity growth, compliance readiness, and people strategy in India and the UAE. This is a role for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategic thinking and tactical execution—someone who can design pragmatic, locally compliant policies and frameworks. You balance deep expertise in complex Indian employment law with the ability to translate regulatory complexity into clear, actionable guidance.

Strategic Advisory and Partnership

• Serve as the HR Leader for India and the UAE, acting as a strategic partner to regional and global leadership. You will integrate local market perspectives into the global People strategy to drive organizational effectiveness, leadership development, and compliant, scalable practices across a global footprint, driven in partnership with People Business Partners and People Operations
  
  

Policy Development & Infrastructure

• Regional People Infrastructure: Lead the continuous improvement of employee handbooks and policies across India. You will translate complex regulatory requirements (including Labor Codes, Gratuity, PF, ESI) into pragmatic, user-friendly guidance that balances legal rigor with Cognite’s high-performance culture.
• Proactive Compliance Governance: Partner with Legal to monitor the evolving employment law landscape, proactively updating policies and manager guidance to mitigate risk while ensuring consistency and scalability across jurisdictions.
  
  

Employee Relations & Compliance

• Champion Regional Employee Relations: Own the end-to-end ER lifecycle—from complex investigations and performance management to sensitive exits. You will execute these interventions with composure and discretion, ensuring every action is fair, consistent, and strictly aligned with local legislation in each country.
• Build Protective Frameworks: Partner strategically with Legal to design and refine risk-mitigation protocols and litigation prevention initiatives. You will proactively address compliance risks across diverse jurisdictions and entity structures to safeguard the organization while supporting business goals.
  
  

The Impact you bring to Cognite

The ideal candidate brings the credibility, judgment, and perspective of a senior HR leader, paired with the agility and curiosity of a practitioner who values being close to the work. This individual will play a pivotal role in shaping and scaling the HR foundation for India, strengthening alignment with Cognite’s global People strategy, and supporting the continued growth of our UAE presence.

• Trusted Strategic Counsel: You become a high-credibility partner to the Country Manager and global leaders, providing the sound judgment required to solve complex people challenges with practical, business-first solutions.
• Operational & Compliance Excellence: You establish a "gold standard" HR foundation, characterized by reduced risk, seamless process execution, and a modernized policy suite that managers find easy to navigate.
• Global-Local Synergy: You are recognized by peers in Norway and the US as a key collaborator who successfully bridges global standards with regional realities, ensuring India and the UAE are drivers of—not exceptions to—global strategy.
• Cultural & Leadership Elevation: You translate Cognite’s values of Impact, Ownership, and Relentlessness into the local context, directly improving the employee experience and building stronger leadership capabilities through targeted coaching and partnership.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Senior Leadership Pedigree: 15+ years of progressive HR experience, including 5+ years as a Director or Senior PBP overseeing multi-country environments within the SaaS or high-tech sector.
• Regional Legal Mastery: Deep, hands-on expertise in India’s multi-state regulatory landscape (including Gratuity, PF, ESI, and Labor Code reforms) and the ability to navigate UAE labor laws and sponsorship rules.
• Scale & Complexity Expert: Proven track record of building HR infrastructure in hyper-growth environments, with the ability to manage complex investigations and organizational design independently across a matrixed global structure.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree certification strongly preferred; advanced India employment law knowledge a plus.
• The "Simplifier" Mindset: Demonstrated success in transforming dense regulatory requirements into user-friendly, high-performance policy frameworks.
  
  

Learn More About Us

• Impact 2025
• Cognite's Industrial AI: Moonshot
• We’re globally recognized domain experts with an international presence that spans Phoenix, Houston, Oslo Tokyo, Bengaluru, and Abu Dhabi.
  
  

Equal Opportunity

Cognite is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment at work and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive the same level of consideration for employment.

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