Group Chief People Officer

Jean Fowlds Consultancy; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1 500 000 - 2 000 000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent consultancy firm in Johannesburg is seeking a Chief People Officer (CPO) to lead their human capital strategy and drive business performance. The ideal candidate will shape the company culture while overseeing talent management, organizational effectiveness, and employee experience. This executive role requires over 10 years of HR leadership experience, a strategic mindset, and a passion for developing exceptional teams. Competitive compensation and the opportunity to influence a dynamic workplace culture are offered.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of executive-level HR leadership experience.
• Proven track record in transforming culture and leading large-scale people initiatives.
• Experience in a complex, multi-site or multinational environment is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a people strategy aligned to business goals.
• Lead culture evolution to support innovation, accountability, inclusion, and engagement.
• Oversee workforce planning, talent acquisition, succession planning, and leadership pipelines.
• Ensure efficient, compliant HR operations, policies, and systems.
• Lead organisational restructuring from a people perspective.
• Embed a performance-based culture with fair, transparent metrics.
• Lead all BEE-aligned initiatives related to skills development.
• Manage Payroll team and implement a new Group Payroll system.
• Ensure HR practices meet legal and ethical standards.

Skills

Strategic Business Acumen

Exceptional Leadership

Change Leadership

Emotional Intelligence

Stakeholder Management

Strong Financial Analysis

HR Technology Expertise

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business, or related field

Master's degree

Job description

Role Specification : Chief People Officer Position Title : Chief People Officer (CPO)

Reports To : Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / Group Executive Committee

Location : Bryanston

Direct Reports : HR Directors / Managers, Talent & OD, Employee Relations, Total Rewards, HR Operations, Learning & Development, HR Technology

Role Purpose

The Group Chief People Officer is a strategic executive responsible for shaping and delivering the organisations people agenda to drive business performance, culture, and long-term sustainability.

This role leads the full human capital strategy including talent management, culture transformation, leadership development, organisational effectiveness, and employee experience to ensure the company attracts, develops, and retains exceptional people.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership

  Develop and execute a people strategy aligned to business goals.

  Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, contributing to strategic decision-making.

  Promote a high-performance, purpose-driven culture.

• Organisational Culture & Transformation

  Lead culture evolution to support innovation, accountability, inclusion, and engagement.

  Act as custodian of organisational values and employee experience.

  Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives.

• Talent Management & Leadership Development

  Oversee workforce planning, talent acquisition, succession planning, and leadership pipelines.

  Implement strategies for leadership and skills development at every level.

  Drive internal mobility, high-potential programs, and executive coaching frameworks.

• People Operations & HR Excellence

  Ensure efficient, compliant HR operations, policies, and systems.

  Lead digital transformation within HR to improve analytics, employee selfservice, and automation.

  Oversee compensation and benefits strategies that are competitive and aligned to performance.

• Change Management & Organisational Design

  Lead organisational restructuring, mergers, or integrations from a people perspective.

  Implement change management solutions to support strategic initiatives.

  Drive workforce optimisation and future-of-work initiatives.

• Performance & Employee Engagement

  Embed a performance-based culture with fair, transparent metrics.

  Monitor employee engagement and implement initiatives to improve retention.

  Ensure effective communication and collaboration across all business units.

• Skills and Employment Equity

  Lead all BEE-aligned initiatives related to skills development and Employment Equity

  Oversee and ensure accuracy of reporting

  Develop strategies to increase effectiveness in this space.

• Payroll

  Manage Payroll team

  Lead the implementation of a new Group Payroll system and drive the adoption thereof

• Risk, Governance & Compliance

  Ensure HR practices meet legal and ethical standards across jurisdictions.

  Oversee industrial relations and manage stakeholder relationships (including unions if applicable).

  Mitigate people-related risks through proactive planning and compliance management.

Key Skills & Competencies

Strategic Business Acumen Exceptional Leadership & Influencing Skills Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Emotional Intelligence & Stakeholder Management Strong Financial & Analytical Capability Expertise in HR Technology and Future-of-Work Trends

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelors degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business, or related field (Masters preferred).

10+ years of executive-level HR leadership experience.

Proven track record in transforming culture and leading large-scale people initiatives.

Experience in a complex, multi-site or multinational environment is advantageous.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Employee Engagement & Retention Rates
• Leadership Bench Strength & Succession Readiness
• Diversity & Inclusion Metrics
• Time-to-Fill & Quality-of-Hire Improvements
• Productivity & Organisational Health Index
• Culture and Change Adoption Rates
• HR Cost Efficiency and ROI

Personal Attributes

• Visionary and people-centered leader
• Strong communicator and culture shaper
• Integrity, emotional resilience, and executive presence
• Innovative thinker with a passion for people and performance