General Manager: Human Resources – IT, Engineering & Digital

Boardroom Appointments; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 500 000; Full time

Job summary

A strategic consultancy in Cape Town is seeking a General Manager: HR to lead HR initiatives across IT, engineering, and digital sectors. The ideal candidate will provide strategic HR leadership, partner with senior management to align people strategy with business objectives, and drive talent management for critical skills. This role demands a minimum of 8 years of HR leadership experience and a strong understanding of relevant labour legislation. The position offers an opportunity to influence HR practices in a dynamic, innovation-driven environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years experience in a senior HR leadership role, preferably within IT, engineering, technology, or digital environments.
• Proven experience partnering with senior leadership in complex, fast-paced organisations.
• Demonstrated experience in organisational design, change management, and talent management.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leadership to shape and execute a people strategy aligned to the digital and technology roadmap.
• Drive end-to-end talent management strategies for IT, engineering, and digital roles.
• Build a high-performance, inclusive culture within technology and digital teams.

Skills

HR practices within IT

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving skills

Experience with South African labour law

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources

Postgraduate qualification (Honours / Masters / MBA)

Job description

Role Purpose

The General Manager: HR – IT, Engineering & Digital will provide strategic and operational HR leadership to technology, engineering, and digital business units. The role is responsible for aligning people strategy with business objectives, enabling digital transformation, and building high-performing, future-fit teams within a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Leadership

• Partner with executive and senior technology leadership to shape and execute a people strategy aligned to the digital and technology roadmap.
• Provide strategic input on organisational design, workforce planning, and talent capability for IT, engineering, and digital functions.
• Lead change management initiatives linked to digital transformation, systems implementation, and new ways of working.

Talent Management & Workforce Planning

• Drive end-to-end talent management, including attraction, retention, succession planning, and leadership development for scarce and critical skills.
• Oversee recruitment strategies for IT, engineering, and digital roles, ensuring access to top-tier and diverse talent.
• Implement robust performance management and career progression frameworks tailored to technical and digital roles.

Employee Relations & Culture

• Build a high-performance, inclusive, and values-driven culture within technology and digital teams.
• Provide guidance on employee relations, labour legislation, and dispute resolution in line with South African labour law.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on people, culture, and organisational matters.

Learning, Development & Capability Building

• Identify current and future skills requirements within IT, engineering, and digital environments.
• Partner with Learning & Development to design upskilling, reskilling, and leadership programmes.
• Support agile ways of working, innovation, and continuous improvement through targeted capability development.

HR Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure HR policies, practices, and processes comply with labour legislation, internal governance, and organisational standards.
• Monitor and manage people-related risks within technology and digital environments.
• Ensure effective use of HR metrics, analytics, and reporting to inform decision-making.

Transformation & B-BBEE

• Support employment equity, transformation, and diversity initiatives within technical and digital teams.
• Partner with leadership to ensure alignment with B-BBEE and transformation objectives.

Key Stakeholders

• Executive and Senior Management
• IT, Engineering, and Digital Leadership Teams
• Group HR and Centres of Excellence
• External recruitment and talent partners

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Postgraduate qualification (Honours / Masters / MBA) will be advantageous.

Experience

• Minimum 8 years experience in a senior HR leadership role, preferably within IT, engineering, technology, or digital environments.
• Proven experience partnering with senior leadership in complex, fast-paced organisations.
• Demonstrated experience in organisational design, change management, and talent management within technical or digital teams.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong understanding of HR practices within IT, engineering, and digital ecosystems.
• Solid knowledge of South African labour legislation and HR governance.
• Experience supporting agile, product, or project-based teams.
• Strong strategic thinking, business acumen, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
• Data-driven approach with experience using HR metrics and analytics.

Key Competencies

• Strategic partnering
• Leadership and influence
• Change agility
• Talent and capability development
• Commercial and digital mindset
• Integrity and professionalism

Success Measures

• Effective alignment of people strategy with digital and technology objectives.
• Improved attraction, retention, and development of critical IT and digital talent.
• Strong leadership capability and succession pipelines.
• Positive employee engagement and culture outcomes within technology and digital teams.
• This role is critical in enabling continued innovation and digital growth through strong, strategic people leadership.