HR & Admin Associate

HR & Admin Associate Hiring, onboarding, records, and the running of the Gurgaon office About My Safe Spaces My Safe Spaces is more than a startup, it's a movement to make mental wellbeing accessible, measurable, and human. My Safe Spaces builds certification infrastructure and digital tools for psychological safety across four verticals: Schools (SWISS: Student Wellness and Institutional Safety Standards), Personal, Workplace (CREW), and Professional development (ELEVATE). We combine clinical expertise with technology, applied research through SWISS Labs, and CPD-accredited learning to support students, individuals, working professionals, and the institutions that serve them. The team works across India and the United States. India-based roles are engaged through MSS Services India LLP, Gurugram. The Role We are hiring an HR & Admin Associate to hold the people and office operations of a growing team. This is the person who makes sure a candidate hears back, a new joiner has a laptop and a signed contract on day one, the leave register is accurate, the statutory filings go out on time, and the office runs without anyone having to think about it. The HR function at MSS is being built now. You will work closely with the Founder & CEO until a Head of HR is in place, which means unusual visibility and unusual responsibility for a role at this level. It suits someone who is organised by temperament, precise with documents, and discreet with what they know. The role is full-time and based on-site in Gurgaon. What You'll Own Hiring Support Coordination - Job postings, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, candidate communication, and offer paperwork. Employee Lifecycle Joining to exit - Pre-joining documentation, day-one setup, personnel files, confirmations, and exit formalities. HR Operations & Compliance Records & statutory - Attendance and leave, payroll inputs for review, statutory registers, and employee data handling under DPDPA 2023. Office & Administration Gurgaon base - Supplies, facilities, visitors, vendors, travel and expense paperwork, and meeting coordination across India and US time zones. What You'll Do Hiring support - Post approved roles to job boards, the careers page, and professional networks; keep the applicant record current and de-duplicated. - Screen incoming applications against the role brief and put a shortlist in front of the hiring manager. - Schedule interviews across panels, cities, and time zones; send briefs and joining links; confirm and reconfirm. - Keep every candidate informed of where they stand, including the ones who are not moving forward. - Prepare offer letters, engagement letters, and appointment paperwork from approved templates for review and signature. Onboarding and the employee lifecycle - Run pre-joining documentation: identity and education records, background verification, bank details, PF and UAN, and statutory declarations. - Set up day one: workstation, accounts and access, induction schedule, buddy, and introductions across the verticals. - Maintain personnel files so that contracts, amendments, confirmations, and appraisal records can be produced on request. - Track probation and confirmation dates and prompt managers before they lapse. - Coordinate exits: notice tracking, handover checklist, asset recovery, access revocation, full and final inputs, and relieving documents. HR operations and compliance support - Maintain attendance and leave records; prepare monthly payroll inputs for review and approval by Finance. - Work with the compliance consultant to keep statutory registers and returns current: PF, ESIC, professional tax, and Shops and Establishments. - Support employee data obligations under DPDPA 2023, including consent records, retention schedules, and controlled access to personnel data. - Provide administrative support to the Internal Committee constituted under the POSH Act 2013: scheduling, notices, and secure record-keeping only. - Maintain the policy library and handbook; answer routine policy questions and escalate anything that needs a decision. Office and administration - Run the Gurgaon office: supplies, facilities, seating, visitors, and courier. - Coordinate vendors and service providers; track invoices and raise purchase requests. - Arrange travel, accommodation, and expense paperwork for the team. - Coordinate internal meetings, team events, and all-hands logistics across India and US time zones. Duty of Care & Confidentiality MSS works in mental health. That places obligations on this role that a general HR or admin job does not carry. - Personnel information is confidential. Access it on a need-to-know basis and discuss it with no one outside the process it belongs to. - This role has no access to client, student, or employee clinical records, assessment results, or counselling notes. - Colleagues sometimes disclose distress to whoever handles HR. Listen, do not counsel, and route the person to the clinical duty contact the same day. MSS also points people to Tele-MANAS on 14416, the national mental health helpline, and to 112 in an emergency. - Employee personal data is handled under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023: collect only what is needed, keep it only as long as required, and store it where access is controlled. - Anything relating to a complaint under the POSH Act 2013 stays with the Internal Committee. This role supports scheduling, notices, and secure record-keeping, and does not see or discuss the substance of a complaint. - Records integrity matters. Dates, signatures, and versions get audited, and an HR file that cannot be reconstructed is a liability. What We're Looking For Required - One to three years in HR, HR operations, or office administration, with hands-on HR administration rather than coordination alone. - Working knowledge of Indian employment administration: offer and appointment documentation, attendance and leave, PF and ESIC basics, and statutory