Role Summary

The Strategic Talent Specialist is the senior, dedicated People leader for the Nepal Team. This role acts as a crucial Strategic Business Partner (HRBP), bridging the people strategy between our Australian Headquarters (HQ) and our technical operations in Kathmandu.

You will be responsible for translating global business objectives into locally relevant HR strategies, leading both Talent Acquisition and Organizational Effectiveness to ensure the Nepal Team is legally compliant, highly productive, and culturally aligned with the global organization.

Job Responsibilities

A. Strategic Workforce & Organizational Design

• Workforce Planning: Partner with Australia and Nepal leadership to forecast future talent needs, ensuring alignment between the development roadmap and the local capacity plan.

• Organizational Design: Advise on and manage organizational structure changes, team scaling, and role definition to optimize clarity and efficiency within the Development Center.

• Budgeting: Contribute to the annual people budget for the Nepal office, tracking FTE costs, talent acquisition spend, and L&D investment to ensure financial health.

B. Talent Acquisition & Total Rewards Management

• Technical Recruiting Leadership: Own the entire recruitment cycle for all technical roles (Engineers, Developers, QA), developing and executing data-driven sourcing and selection strategies to meet quality-of-hire targets.

• Total Rewards Strategy: Conduct regular compensation and benefits benchmarking against the competitive Kathmandu tech market. Advise HQ on local pay structures to ensure internal equity and external competitiveness.

• Employer Branding: Champion the local Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to enhance the company’s reputation as a top employer in the Nepalese IT sector.

C. Performance Management & Capability Development

• PMS Ownership: Lead the implementation, communication, and annual calibration of the global Performance Management System (PMS) across the Nepal team, ensuring fair and consistent application.

• Talent Development & Succession: Identify key talent and skills gaps. Design and coordinate local L&D programs, and actively drive the succession planning strategy for local leadership and critical technical roles.

• Leadership Coaching: Act as a strategic coach to local managers, developing their capability in performance feedback, employee engagement, and effective people management.

D. Compliance, Risk Mitigation & Employee Relations

• Compliance Expert: Serve as the company's primary in-house expert on all aspects of Nepalese Labour Law, Social Security Act, and mandatory employment regulations.

• Policy & Risk Management: Draft, localize, and enforce the employee handbook and all HR policies, ensuring they are legally sound in Nepal while aligning with Australian operational standards.

• Grievance & Conflict Management: Proactively manage complex employee relations issues, disciplinary actions, and grievances with a focus on fair process and minimizing legal exposure.

Job Specifications

Experience and Qualifications

• Minimum 9+ years of dedicated Human Resources experience, with at least 2 years in a strategic HR Business Partner (HRBP) or senior generalist capacity.

• Required Legal Expertise: Deep, current, and verifiable working knowledge of Nepalese Labour Law and local employment compliance.

• Industry Context: Proven experience working within the IT/Software Development sector, preferably for a foreign-owned multinational or offshore development centre.

• Cross-Jurisdictional Experience: Demonstrated success in managing HR functions that require regular liaison internationally.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.

Skills and Competencies

• Strategic Agility: Ability to transition seamlessly between strategic planning (Workforce Planning, OD) and operational execution (Recruiting, Compliance).

• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of how business objectives (e.g., product delivery, profit margins) are impacted by people strategy.

• Influencing & Communication: Exceptional presentation, negotiation, and advisory skills in both English and Nepali, capable of building credibility with both technical staff and executive leadership.

• Analytical Thinking: Proficiency in analyzing HR metrics (e.g., turnover, engagement scores, salary data) to drive data-based decision-making.

Locations

Varicon Nepal Office