HR Business Partner

Job Description

Position : HR Business Partner (HRBP)

Location:  Gauteng or Cape Town (but willing to travel between offices occasionally)

Salary: Negotiable based on experience.
Reports to: Head of Finance

Function: Partner to line managers across the business to drive people processes and development

This role is ideal for a mid level HRBP that wants to grow with a fast expanding company.  Any cross-border HR regulation experience would be advantageous (mostly Africa at this stage)

Must bring great energy and personality to the team 😊

Role Purpose

Provide strategic and hands-on HR partnership to managers, with a direct reporting line to the Head of Finance. The HRBP will enable effective people management, compliant HR operations, and targeted talent development that support the company’s commercial and operational goals.

Key Responsibilities

Business partnership

• Serve as the primary HR advisor to managers across operations, commercial, and support teams.
• Translate business plans and financial cycles into workforce plans, organisation design updates, and capability builds.
• Use people data and manager feedback to diagnose issues and co-create practical solutions.

Employee relations and compliance

• Advise managers on disciplinary, incapacity, grievance, and absenteeism cases aligned to South African legislation (LRA, BCEA, EEA, POPIA) and company policies.
• Prepare/quality-check documentation; coordinate with legal/ER specialists as needed.
• Support investigations and hearings; maintain accurate, auditable case records.

Performance and development

• Coach managers to run effective goal-setting, check-ins, and reviews; drive completion and quality.
• Enable Individual Development Plans (IDPs), career pathways, and targeted learning with L&D or external providers.
• Facilitate talent reviews, succession planning, and mobility actions for critical roles.

Talent acquisition support

• Partner with hiring managers and any TA providers to define requisitions, competencies, and interview plans.
• Support fair, consistent selection and onboarding; track probation outcomes and early performance.

Rewards, workforce, and finance alignment

• Coordinate annual reward cycles (merit, bonus, promotions) with strong linkage to the company budget and financial targets.
• Advise on job evaluation, grading, and offers using market benchmarks; ensure internal equity and pay-for-performance.
• Provide headcount, vacancy, overtime, and absenteeism insights to Finance; support forecast vs. actual variance analysis for people costs.

Culture, engagement, and DEI

• Interpret engagement results; build and track action plans with managers.
• Champion inclusion and employment equity; support EE committee activities and reporting inputs.

Change and projects

• Support org changes, restructures, and change communications with clear risk and compliance controls.
• Lead/participate in HR projects for the company (policy refresh, HRIS/process enhancements, well-being).

HR operations and analytics

• Ensure accurate HR data and approvals in HRIS; uphold process, audit readiness, and data privacy.
• Track and present people KPIs to the Head of Finance and leadership, with recommendations and action plans.

Qualifications and Experience

• Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Industrial/Organisational Psychology, or related field.
• 3–5+ years’ HR experience, with at least 2 years in an HRBP/advisory or generalist role supporting managers in South Africa.
• Solid working knowledge of SA labour legislation and HR processes (LRA, BCEA, EEA, POPIA), with practical exposure to ER cases.
• Experience supporting performance management, development planning, and basic talent/succession conversations.
• Comfortable using HRIS and HR analytics for reporting and insights.

Candidate Profile

• Intermediate, but dynamic and growth-oriented: proactive, resourceful, and eager to learn.
• Confident communicator and coach to line managers; able to simplify complex HR topics.
• Bias to action with strong follow-through; able to juggle multiple priorities and deliver on time.
• Analytical mindset; uses data to inform decisions and recommendations.
• High integrity, discretion, and cultural sensitivity; collaborative team player.

Nice-to-Have

• Exposure to reward cycles (merit/bonus), job grading, and market benchmarking.
• SABPP registration or progress toward professional accreditation.
• Experience in fast-paced operational/industrial or logistics environments.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Performance cycle and IDP completion/quality; healthier ratings distributions.
• ER case cycle time, compliance quality, and risk mitigation.
• Succession coverage and internal mobility for company critical roles.
• Engagement action delivery and improvement in targeted drivers.
• Hiring quality: probation success rates; time-to-fill support metrics.
• Budget adherence for people costs; accuracy of headcount and vacancy reporting.
• Data quality, audit readiness, and on-time execution of reward processes.

Working Model

• Hybrid with periodic on-site visits to company teams; occasional travel within South Africa.