Vijaikumar Sukumaran

Specialist - Resource Management – North America – USA – 2022 – Till present.

Led end-to-end staffing across the US for MFG, CMI, Utilities, and Public Services, overseeing strategy, workforce planning, demand forecasting and fulfillment, bench management, project coordination, vendor Management, and performance metrics.

Head - Resources Management Group UK & Germany MFG – 2020 – 2022

· Extensive experience in resource management strategy, demand forecasting and fulfillment, workforce planning, bench and vendor management, project coordination, and building performance metrics and data systems.

· Ramped up accounts with large requirements. The best effort has been up to 150 FTE in 3 months

· Delivered staffing support for high-priority projects across onshore and offshore locations, meeting tight deadlines and budget constraints.

· Led workforce planning in collaboration with business leads to align staffing with strategic goals.

· Provided daily status reports on fulfillment and unallocated resources to business leads and supervisors.

· Partnered with L&D teams to develop competency plans for current and bench associates, aligned with business needs.

· Conducted weekly reviews on critical requirements across TCS India.

Lead - Resources Manager – ANI MFG – 2018 – 2020

· Developed and shared annual and quarterly workforce plans aligned with business objectives.

· Created staffing strategies based on demand forecasts, leveraging internal rotations, external hiring, trainee absorption, contract staffing, and competency development.

· Engaged with associates to understand career aspirations and aligned them with suitable roles to support personal and professional growth.

· Conducted national-level reviews to map unallocated associates to open roles and ensure timely staffing.

· Collaborated with recruitment, talent engagement, and L&D teams to address training and hiring needs.

· Minimized allocation lead time by planning new hire and trainee deployment in advance, boosting overall utilization.

· Facilitated domestic and international deployments, optimizing visa usage.

· Utilized TCS proprietary tools (iWMS, RGS, GBaMS, iEvolve, Best Fit) to manage end-to-end staffing needs.

· Participated in regular leadership reviews, presenting unit performance against key resource management metrics.

Strategic Resources Manager MFG – 2017 – 2018

As strategic Resource Manager (SRM) I played a pivotal role in partnering with both the Business Unit and Resource Management teams. This role involves strategically planning and fulfilling staffing needs for the Manufacturing, Auto, and Industrial sectors by mobilizing talent through internal and external channels. On the business side, the SRM analyzes, measures, and reports on resource requirements based on actual demand, working closely with stakeholders such as unit heads, delivery managers, and project/account managers.

Talent Acquisition Lead – Banking and Financial Services – Chennai – 2015 – 2017

· Managed end-to-end recruitment lifecycle including sourcing, skill assessment, interviews, technical screening, negotiation, and offer rollout.

· Specialized in mass hiring, technical recruitment, and international recruitment initiatives.

· Proficient in global recruitment tools for generating offer letters and managing candidate workflows.

· Hands-on experience with both on-campus and off-campus hiring drives.

· Strong background in talent planning, market analysis, and competitive sourcing strategies.

· Accountable for team performance, strategic planning, career development, and ensuring client and candidate satisfaction.

· Successfully led lateral hiring strategies focused on delivering high-quality, timely, and cost-effective talent.

· Organized and led multiple recruitment drives and walk-ins across various locations, meeting hiring targets within defined SLAs.

Resource Manager - Banking and Financial Services / Assurance Unit – Chennai – 2013 – 2015

· Provided staffing support for critical projects across onshore and offshore locations, meeting tight deadlines and budget constraints.

· Participated in regular bench reviews with regional teams to optimize unallocated resources.

· Collaborated with business leads on workforce planning and resource forecasting.

· Delivered daily reports on fulfillment status and unallocated associates to business leads and supervisors.

· Partnered with the L&D team to create competency development plans for deployed and bench associates, aligned with business needs.

· Led weekly calls to track and review critical requirements across TCS India.

· Oversaw internal transfers and deputations to ensure optimal resource deployment.

· Ensured timely fulfillment of project staffing needs through efficient resource mobilization.

· Managed associate releases into and out of resource pools within the respective branch.

Talent Engagement Partner – Banking and Financial Services – Chennai - 2007-2013

· As a Talent Engagement Officer, I possess expert knowledge in performance appraisal and talent management activities, including career planning, succession planning, and the annual rationalization process. I manage appraisals, rationalization, and promotions using the GSPEED (Global System for Performance Evaluation & Employee Development) tool.

· I am responsible for mentoring high performers through the iConnect (TCS Mentoring Tool) platform.

· I have strong knowledge of the background verification process, which enables me to monitor and record BGC (Background Check) reports for employees using iTalent, our internal processing tool.

· I conducted a focused intervention training program for leading accounts, helping associates meet challenging requirements within a 4-week training under the PROPEL session.

· In my initial role as a Talent Engagement Officer, I gained a deep understanding of company policies and processes. I completed several modules on Employment Laws via the TCS learning platform (iEvolve). In this role, I handled various tasks such as managing associate grievances, understanding their career aspirations, facilitating mentorship connections to guide career choices, conducting group learning activities, organizing fun events to engage associates, and facilitating sessions on health, safety, and infrastructure security compliance. These experiences allowed me to closely work with the workforce, understand their aspirations, and ensure the right person is in the right role while adhering to defined processes.

Campus & Experience Professionalize HR – Chennai – 2005 – 2007

As a Recruitment Executive, I was responsible for recruiting experienced professionals across various technologies for TCS Chennai Branch, focusing on both campus and off-campus recruitment drives from engineering colleges. I also managed the induction process for new joiners.