People & Culture Manager

SUMMARY:
The People & Culture Manager is responsible for providing generalist HR leadership, expertise and operational support to the collaboration team, consisting of company employed staff. This role delivers integrated, people solutions that drive organizational performance, workforce alignment and cohesion within a dual-governance environment. Operating as a trusted advisor to employees, teams and managers, the incumbent will input into HR planning and implementation, ensuring that recruitment, performance management, employee relations, talent development, reward and recognition initiatives are aligned with long-term objectives. This role is pivotal in embedding organizational values, strengthening workforce integration and enabling company to achieve its operational goals. Working within a dual reporting context will require the ability to balance priorities, align strategies, influence across two governance structures and deliver HR support compliant with relevant policies and procedures.

POSITION INFO:
JOB DESCRIPTION 

• Support the development and execution of people plans that align with organisational priorities.
• Partner with managers to understand workforce needs and develop proactive talent strategies to achieve those.
• Provide thought leadership on organisational design, workforce planning, and future skills requirements.
• Support transformation programmes and ensure measurable progress against KPIs.
• Drive a high-performance culture by embedding accountability and continuous improvement.
• Guide objective setting, mid-and-performance appraisal processes and implementing performance improvement initiatives where needed.
• Ensure training and development plans are aligned with long-term organisational capability needs and support the roll-out of development programmes.
• Implement workforce and succession plans, talent and pipeline development strategies ensuring equitable access to development and clear career paths.
• Lead workforce planning processes to ensure optimal resource allocation.
• Forecast future workforce demand, identify supply risks and capability gaps.
• Deliver recruitment strategies, ensuring alignment with employment equity and transformation objectives.
• Ensure onboarding, induction, performance, recognition and development programmes reinforce collaborative and inclusive culture.
• Drive and embed a positive employee relations culture, ensuring proactive resolution of workplace issues.
• Act as an expert advisor on complex ER matters, providing guidance on case law and policy interpretation.
• Work with managers and employees to prevent risks from escalating, manage and resolve issues and grievances timely.
• Support initiatives to strengthen organisational culture, including staff surveys, engagement programmes and recognition strategies.
• Ensure compliance with labour legislation, employment equity. BBBEE and organisational policies and process.
• Identify and report on risks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Present workforce analytics and insights enabling data-driven decision-making.

• Postgraduate degree in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, or related field
• 8 years HR generalist experience, with at least 5 years at Manager level.

• Proven track record in matrixed, dual-governance, or multi-stakeholder environments.
• Experience in large-scale projects, research institutions, or technical/engineering sectors.
• Skilled at managing complex employee relations matters.

• Expert knowledge of HR practices, South African Labour Law.
• Extensive experience of resourcing, talent and performance management, remuneration and benefits in a technical industry.
• Advanced proficiency in HRIS platforms and workforce analytics.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to influence organisational strategy, policy and process.
• Demonstrated ability to engage across cultural and linguistic diversities.
• Resilience, adaptability, and the ability to drive change in complex environments.