MAM
Majority of hiring in Covid2019 period for niche roles with stringent processes
NEW DELHI: Majority of the organisations which are continuing hiring during the Covid2019 period are hiring for niche roles only, reveals ‘Indian workplaces response to COVID-19’ survey by Times Jobs. The survey highlights that 63 per cent of HR managers are still hiring amidst the pandemic and 65 per cent of them are hiring for only niche roles. The survey was taken by 1145 HR managers from a variety of different sectors.
Twenty per cent of the respondents remarked that they have suspended hiring activities for this year and 15 per cent shared that their companies are hiring employees only on a contractual basis.
Another interesting point highlighted by the survey is that 34 per cent of respondents are aggressively working to fix problems within the business and find new solutions and ensure future business survival.
However, the purpose for recruitment might have become more stringent during the pandemic period as 42 per cent of HR managers said their company has been using skills assessment tests for these niche roles.
Sixty one per cent of HR managers proclaimed that hiring a diverse team was their top priority, even more so than factors such as learning and development and almost a quarter said they’d posted neutral job description to encourage a more diverse array of workers to apply during the crisis.
TimesJobs business head Sanjay Goyal said the fact companies were mainly hiring for niche jobs points to these organisations being “virtual-ready,” the ones who have “restructured/are restructuring their products and processes for customers and employees via technology.” In this vein, 49 per cent of respondents said that their companies were investing in virtual work-ready modules as well as upskilling programs, reported People Matters.
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Boeing appoints Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering function
Seasoned finance leader to steer budgets and strategy across global centres
BENGALURU: Boeing’s finance cockpit has a new pilot, and he is no stranger to turbulence or transformation. Boeing has appointed Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering, placing him at the centre of financial strategy for its worldwide engineering and technology operations.
Based in Bengaluru, Barun steps into a role that is as expansive as it is critical. He will serve as the primary finance lead for Boeing’s Engineering and Technology Centers globally, working closely with executive leadership to shape financial decisions, manage complex budgets, and design scalable finance processes that support the company’s growing engineering footprint.
In a note announcing his move Barun said, “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Boeing Global Engineering. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me not just from a professional standpoint, but also for what Boeing represents globally.” He added that he looks forward to contributing to an organisation that continues to shape the future of aerospace and innovation.
Barun’s mandate spans strategic financial leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement. From directing large-scale budgets and schedules to influencing long-term organisational goals, the role blends financial discipline with business foresight. He will also lead cross-functional teams and partner with finance colleagues worldwide to support engineering programmes across geographies, including India.
The appointment caps a long stint at Juniper Networks, where Barun spent over a decade, most recently as finance senior manager. There, he led FP&A for global product business units and G&A functions, driving budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. He also played a key role in enterprise-wide transformation, including spearheading an Oracle to SAP ERP migration and building advanced analytics capabilities using tools such as Tableau and SAP Analytics Cloud.
His earlier career includes finance leadership roles at Sony India Software Centre, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mphasis, where he focused on financial planning, governance frameworks, and operational efficiency across global delivery centres.
A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Barun brings nearly two decades of experience across financial planning, digital transformation, and analytics-led decision making.
His appointment comes at a time when global engineering operations are becoming increasingly complex and distributed, requiring sharper financial oversight and agile planning. With Barun at the helm of FP&A for engineering, Boeing appears to be tightening its financial playbook as it looks to scale innovation with discipline.
