Head of Employee Engagement and Activation

Talent Evolution (Pty) Ltd; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 446,000 - 558,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent Evolution (Pty) Ltd is seeking a Head of Employee Engagement and Activation in Stellenbosch to drive adoption and ongoing usage of Paymenow and its services across client workforces.

The role combines strategy, change management and field activation for large, deskless populations, coordinating with clients and internal teams to deliver measurable engagement outcomes monthly.

Qualifications

• Senior-level experience in a highly engaging, client-facing environment.
• Proven experience in onboarding, change management, internal communications, employee engagement or field activation.
• Experience working with large employer environments and/or deskless workforces.
• Experience within retail, logistics, manufacturing or similarly distributed workforce environments will be advantageous.
• Strong project management and stakeholder coordination capabilities.
• Commercially minded with the ability to translate engagement initiatives into measurable business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Employee Activation & Adoption: Develop and implement activation strategies following client go-live; drive adoption and habitual usage of Paymenow and its services.
• Client Go-Live & Onboarding: Lead the employee-facing activation component of new client implementations; develop onboarding and activation plans.
• Change Management & Internal Engagement: Develop and implement change management approaches; translate product benefits into simple messaging.
• Field Activation & Workforce Engagement: Develop activation strategies for large deskless workforces; leverage digital channels to drive engagement at scale.
• Data, Reporting & Optimisation: Monitor activation and usage metrics; develop reports and insights for senior management; test and optimise strategies.
• Function Development: Build activation processes and scalable approaches across multiple clients; establish best practices for onboarding, activation, engagement and adoption.

Skills

Senior-level experience

Client-facing

CRM experience

Project management

Stakeholder coordination

Data analysis

Communication skills

Change management

Strategy development

WhatsApp communications

Education

Business/Comms/Marketing degree

Psychology degree

HR degree

Change Management qualification

Tools

Monday.com

Salesforce

Job description

Head of Employee Engagement and Activation – Stellenbosch.

This is a senior, head-of-function role operating at the commercial intersection of the business when a client goes live. The role is responsible for driving employee adoption, engagement and habitual use of Paymenow and its value-added services across client employee bases.

The role will develop and execute strategies that move employees from initial onboarding and awareness to sustained usage, working closely with clients and internal stakeholders to ensure successful activation and ongoing engagement.

This is not a traditional marketing or client service role. It requires a commercially minded individual who understands employee behaviour, change management, engagement and activation within large, often deskless, workforces.

Salary: R40 000 CTC – R50 000 per month.

Key Responsibilities:

• Employee Activation & Adoption
  • Develop and implement employee activation strategies following client go-live.
  • Drive awareness, adoption and habitual usage of Paymenow and its value-added services.
  • Develop targeted engagement initiatives to increase employee participation and ongoing utilisation.
  • Identify barriers to adoption and implement strategies to address them.
  • Monitor employee engagement and usage trends and use insights to improve activation strategies.
  • Develop approaches that encourage employees to move from initial awareness to sustained product usage.
• Client Go-Live & Onboarding
  • Lead the employee-facing activation component of new client implementations.
  • Work closely with internal teams and client stakeholders to ensure employees are effectively introduced to Paymenow.
  • Develop onboarding and activation plans aligned to each client’s workforce and operating environment.
  • Coordinate communication and engagement activities throughout the implementation and post-launch lifecycle.
  • Ensure activation plans are practical and effective for large and geographically dispersed employee populations.
• Change Management & Internal Engagement
  • Develop and implement change management approaches that support product adoption.
  • Translate product benefits into simple, relevant employee messaging.
  • Design engagement initiatives suited to different workforce demographics and environments.
  • Work with employer stakeholders to facilitate employee participation and adoption.
  • Identify opportunities to improve the employee experience and strengthen product engagement.
• Field Activation & Workforce Engagement
  • Develop activation strategies for large deskless workforces across sectors such as retail, logistics and manufacturing.
  • Support or coordinate field-based activation initiatives where required.
  • Develop practical engagement approaches for employees who may have limited access to traditional workplace communication channels.
  • Leverage digital and mobile communication channels, including WhatsApp, to drive engagement at scale.
• Data, Reporting & Optimisation
  • Monitor activation, engagement and usage metrics across client employee populations.
  • Use data and feedback to identify trends, gaps and opportunities.
  • Develop reports and insights for senior management and relevant stakeholders.
  • Continuously test and optimise activation strategies based on employee behaviour and performance.
  • Maintain accurate project and engagement information using CRM and project management systems.
• Function Development
  • Build and establish effective employee activation processes and frameworks.
  • Develop scalable approaches that can be replicated across multiple clients and workforce environments.
  • Identify opportunities to improve processes, systems and ways of working.
  • Establish best practices for employee onboarding, activation, engagement and adoption.
  • Contribute to the strategic development of the function as the business scales.

Role Requirements:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Communications, Marketing, Psychology, Human Resources, Change Management or a related field will be advantageous.
• Senior-level experience in a highly engaging, client-facing environment.
• Proven experience in onboarding, change management, internal communications, employee engagement or field activation.
• Experience working with large employer environments and/or deskless workforces.
• Experience within retail, logistics, manufacturing or similarly distributed workforce environments will be advantageous.
• Strong understanding of the South African workforce context and the financial pressures experienced by low-to-middle income employees.
• Experience using CRM or project management platforms such as Monday.com, Salesforce or similar.
• Strong project management and stakeholder coordination capabilities.
• Commercially minded with the ability to translate engagement initiatives into measurable business outcomes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to drive decisions.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Ability to build engagement strategies that work across diverse employee populations.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment and building processes from the ground up.
• Advantageous Experience
  • Experience in fintech, financial wellness or Earned Wage Access (EWA).
  • Experience building a function, process or operating model from scratch.
  • Experience using WhatsApp-based communications at scale.
  • Experience driving behavioural change or sustained product adoption.
  • Experience working with large-scale employee engagement or activation programmes.