Director, Human Resources - India and UAE

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.

Responsibilities

Serve as HR Leader for India and UAE, acting as a strategic partner to regional and global leadership; Integrate local market perspectives into global People strategy; Lead continuous improvement of employee handbooks and policies across India; Translate complex regulatory requirements into pragmatic, user-friendly guidance; Partner with Legal to monitor evolving employment law landscape; Own end-to-end employee relations lifecycle; Partner with Legal to design risk-mitigation protocols and litigation prevention initiatives

Requirements

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; 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; 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

Nice to have

Master's degree certification strongly preferred; advanced India employment law knowledge; Demonstrated success in transforming dense regulatory requirements into user-friendly, high-performance policy frameworks