Manager: People & Culture (Animal Welfare)

ABOUT SARVOHAM:

At Sarvoham, we believe every animal deserves to live without fear, pain and neglect. We rescue, treat, rehabilitate and rehome animals. We work towards a world where compassion extends to every living being.

Since 2017, our journey has been shaped by people who care deeply about animals and are willing to do the hard work it takes to make a difference. Our team includes veterinarians, rescuers, animal caregivers, volunteers and people who support our work behind the scenes. Our mission extends across India and the United States, through our work in India and through Sarvoham Animal Foundation in the USA.

Why we are hiring for this role:

Animals heal because people show up for them, day after day, in all weathers and on the hardest days. We believe an organisation that asks so much of its people owes them something in return: to be hired well, treated fairly, supported when the work weighs heavily, and proud to belong.

We want someone to give that belief a shape. Hunt for animal liberationists to join a real animal welfare movement, shaping practices that people can trust, design and operate systems that run efficiently and build the culture that feels the same in the shelter, the office and across time zones.

That is where you come in.

What you will be doing:

This role asks you to wear many hats. These are the ones we expect you to wear most often. Some days will be orchestrated, others will be impromptu, we want a go-getter who can adapt with ease, think clearly under pressure, live our values, go beyond the role and deliver expected outcomes and with this, if you have been working for animal welfare voluntarily, we absolutely want to connect with you.

THE ARCHITECT

1. You will be building the foundations our people stand on.

We are on a mission to provide injured, lost, physically challenged and abandoned animals a second chance at happiness.

You will be:

• Shaping our organisation structure, role definitions, grades and reporting lines as our shelter, veterinary, fundraising, operations and office teams.
• Drafting and refining our employee policies and handbook for India and the USA (aligned with US requirements), written in plain, humane language that our teams not just read but embrace.
• Constructing job roles, screening and assessment frameworks. Competency and career pathways that inspire employees to discover their potential.

THE DESIGNER

2. You will be designing how it feels to work with us, from first hello to fond farewell.

We are on a mission to provide injured, lost, physically challenged and abandoned animals a second chance at happiness.

You will be:

• Designing the employee journey: recruitment experience, offers, onboarding across the first 30, 60 and 90 days, probation, confirmation, role changes, feedback and exits.
• Crafting learning and development, from induction for new rescuers and caregivers to manager capability, mentoring and cross-skilling.
• Nurturing performance conversations, goals and appraisal cycles that are simple, fair and linked to our mission.
• Shaping recognition, rewards and benefits that make sense for a non-profit and mean something to the people receiving them.

THE ENGINEER

3. You will be engineering the systems that keep our operations simpler and effective.

Good intentions need good plumbing. We want people processes that work without anyone having to pursue them.

You will be:

• Configuring, installing and operating our HR systems (Zoho People or similar) from scratch across the journey of an employee at Sarvoham.
• Collaborating inwards to resolving employee requests and provide entitlements within defined turnarounds.
• Building reliable & accurate dashboards on headcount, hiring, attrition, leave and engagement, so that leaders decide with facts rather than hunches.
• Documenting SOPs and checklists so that nothing important depends on one person’s memory.

THE ALCHEMIST

4. You will be turning compassion into culture, and hard days into resilience.

Our values are easy to put on a wall and harder to live on a difficult Tuesday. This is the heart of the role.

You will be:

• Framing our values of compassion, sincerity, proactiveness and transparency into a powerful, transformative formula that gives life, energy, and chemistry to everyday workplace behaviors.
• Caring for the wellbeing of people who do emotionally demanding work, by creating check-ins, rituals, rest and access to support for compassion fatigue, burnout and grief.
• Coagulating listening sessions, pulse surveys, town halls and team gatherings, then turning what you hear into action and telling people what changed.
• Conjoining the shelter-office, between India-USA and between long-serving team members and new ones.

THE GUARDIAN

5. You will be the guardian of our ethics, trust, fairness and compliance.

People trust us and we owe them absolute fairness.

You will be:

• Safeguarding confidential employee information and keeping our personnel records organised, accurate and secure.
• Steward for our employment obligations in India and the USA, including statutory registrations, contributions, filings, workplace safety and harassment-prevention requirements and distinction between employees and contractors.
• Steering grievances, concerns and disciplinary matters with empathy, impartiality and proper process and knowing when to ask for help.
• Conserve a calendar of people-related compliance deadlines across both countries, and flagging risks early with solutions in hand.

THE OWNER

6. You will be the owner of how we find and welcome our people.

When someone is in the position they were meant for, everyone wins, including the team and the animals.

You will be:

• Owning recruitment from start to finish: workforce plans with decision makers, honest job descriptions, sourcing, screening, assessments, reference checks and offers.
• Locating people who genuinely care, including veterinary professionals, caregivers, rescuers, fundraisers and operations and office colleagues and being transparent with them about the difficult parts of the work.
• Synchronising volunteers, interns and contract or fractional talent with clear and fair terms of engagement.
• Nurturing relationships with colleges, veterinary schools and animal welfare networks so that like-minded people know we exist.

THE MAESTRO

7. You will be the conductor of our people rhythm across two countries.

People work has a heartbeat of cycles, reviews and conversations, and it needs someone who can tune it perfectly.

You will be:

• Orchestrating the annual people calendar: appraisals, policy reviews, onboarding waves, engagement surveys and celebrations.
• Tutoring managers through difficult conversations and helping leaders make people decisions they can stand behind.
• Intermediary between our USA team across time zones so that India and USA colleagues have a consistent experience.
• Chronicling to the CHRO and the Founder on how our people are doing, honestly and with ideas for what to do next.

A note on boundaries: veterinary and clinical decisions will always stay with our qualified veterinary team and formal legal, tax and financial advice stays with the right professionals. Your role is to make sure people matters are handled with care, clarity and followed-through.

Who we are looking for:

• We would prefer if you have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in HR.
• We would also prefer if you are articulate in English and Hindi.
• You have at least 7 (seven) years of experience in HR or people and culture, including time spent managing people processes independently or leading a small team.
• You have hands-on working knowledge of Indian employment law and compliance and familiarity with US employment practices is a real advantage.
• You have implemented an HR technology platform such as Zoho People and is at ease with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, dashboarding and people analytics.
• You have significant experience designing policies, onboarding, performance cycles and engagement initiatives.
• You are of sound judgement, discretion and have the ability to handle confidential matters responsibly.
• You are confident to take ownership and honest to ask when you need help.

An advantage:

experience in an animal welfare organisation, nonprofit, healthcare or other social impact setting and in leading a small frontline workforce.

What success looks like:

Our people know what is expected of them and feel supported. Policies are live and understood, records are in order and compliance deadlines are met. Hiring brings us people who stay and grow. Our culture is visible in everyday moments and risks are flagged early.

You build systems, and you build trust.

Working at Sarvoham

Based in Bengaluru, this role includes a 6 day working week with office work, regular shelter visits, travel and events and support USA-time-zone meetings. Flexibility and extra hours are expected. Expect animal noise, fur, smells and difficult days. We value teamwork, respect and sensible planning.

If you believe that caring for animals begins with caring for people, we would love to connect. Please share your resume along with a short note on why this work resonates with you at

careers@sarvoham.org