HR Associate – Talent Acquisition & Operations

Combustion Research Associates (CRA) designs, engineers and manufactures custom-engineered systems for the Energy and Defence sectors. Headquartered in Noida, CRA delivers high-precision, mission-critical equipment where engineering excellence, quality and reliability are non-negotiable.

As the organization continues to scale, the Human Resources team plays a central role in building the talent, processes and workplace culture that support this growth — across our shopfloor and corporate teams alike.

The purpose of this role is to drive end-to-end recruitment and day-to-day HR operations for CRA, partnering closely with hiring managers and the HR Lead to build a strong, compliant and engaged workforce across blue-collar and white-collar teams.

Reporting to the HR Lead, you will manage full-cycle hiring, employee documentation, attendance and statutory compliance, and support the broader people agenda as CRA continues to grow. The ideal candidate is comfortable working in a fast-paced engineering/manufacturing environment and brings strong coordination, communication, Excel and execution skills.

• Partner with hiring managers to understand manpower requirements and define job descriptions and candidate requirements.
  
• Manage end-to-end recruitment for junior, mid-level and senior positions, across both blue-collar and white-collar hiring.
  
• Lead recruitment for technical and shopfloor roles, including Project Engineers, Applications Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Production Engineers, Design Engineers, Technicians, Operators and other shopfloor positions.
  
• Source candidates through job portals, recruitment platforms, referrals, consultants, social media and other relevant channels.
  
• Screen and shortlist candidates, and coordinate interviews, assessments, technical rounds and managerial discussions.
  
• Manage candidate communication throughout the recruitment process, and coordinate offer roll-out, documentation and pre-joining formalities.
  
• Support onboarding and joining formalities for new employees.
  

• Manage day-to-day HR operations and employee queries, maintaining accurate and updated employee records and documentation.
  
• Coordinate employee joining, transfers, confirmations, promotions and separation-related processes, and maintain personnel files.
  
• Coordinate employee lifecycle activities from joining to exit, and support preparation of HR letters, certificates and other documentation.
  
• Manage and monitor daily employee attendance, coordinating with employees and managers on attendance-related requirements.
  
• Support and manage employee enrolment under EPF and ESIC, and maintain accurate PF/ESIC records.
  
• Keep track of applicable labour law and statutory requirements, escalating compliance gaps where required.
  
• Prepare monthly and periodic HR reports for management review.
  
• Plan and coordinate employee engagement activities, including celebrations, events, festivals and team-building initiatives.
  

• Strong recruitment and candidate-handling skills, with experience across both blue-collar and white-collar hiring preferred.
  
• Minimum of 1 year of core HR (HR Generalist) experience required.
  
• Good understanding of basic HR operations and statutory compliance, particularly PF and ESIC.
  
• Strong knowledge of MS Excel, with the ability to work with large datasets, trackers and HR MIS.
  
• Hands-on experience with HR and recruitment platforms such as Keka, Zoho and WorkIndia preferred.
  
• Good understanding of attendance and leave management.
  
• Strong coordination and follow-up skills, with good written and verbal communication.
  
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy, with the ability to maintain confidentiality of employee and HR information.
  
• A proactive, organized and execution-oriented approach, comfortable working in an engineering/manufacturing and shopfloor environment.
  
• MBA/PGDM in Human Resources or equivalent qualification preferred.
  
• A graduate with relevant HR experience may also be considered.
  

• Competitive compensation package
  
• Comprehensive group medical insurance
  
• Generous leave policy
  
• Mentorship from experienced HR professionals
  
• Front-row seat to building HR systems in a high-growth engineering business
  
• Clear path for advancement as our company grows
  
• Collaborative and dynamic work environment