HR Business Partner - Cape Town (Contract)

The Focus Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 480,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

The Focus Group seeks an experienced HR Business Partner in Sandton, Gauteng. This role involves being a trusted advisor to leadership, delivering comprehensive HR solutions, managing employee relations, and promoting talent management. Candidates should possess a Bachelor’s Degree and 3–5 years of HR Generalist experience. Key responsibilities include partnering with management to implement effective people strategies and ensuring compliance with South African labour legislation.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years’ experience in an HR Generalist or HR Business Partner role.
• Proven experience independently managing employee relations cases.
• Exposure to performance management and talent management processes.

Responsibilities

• Partner with line management to translate business strategy into effective people plans.
• Deliver full-spectrum HR support across the employee lifecycle.
• Act as a trusted advisor on talent and performance management.
• Independently manage employee relations matters including grievances and conflicts.
• Support organisational change initiatives and monitor people and culture risks.

Skills

Building Partnerships

Earning Trust

Independent Thinking and Accountability

Learning Agility

Forward Thinking and Problem Solving

Resilience and Strong Work Ethic

Facilitating Change

Conflict Resolution

Business Acumen

Professional and Technical Excellence

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, or related field

Honours Degree in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, or related discipline

Tools

SuccessFactors

Job description

Our client is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to partner with business leaders in delivering end-to-end human resources support that drives business performance, talent optimisation, and a positive employee experience.

The HR Business Partner will act as a trusted advisor to leadership, delivering practical, commercially sound HR solutions across the full HR value chain. This role has a strong focus on talent management, performance management, employee relations, and organisational effectiveness, operating with a high level of independence and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

Business & Strategic Partnership

• Partner with line management to understand business strategy and translate it into effective people plans, initiatives, and interventions.
• Proactively anticipate people-related risks and opportunities, addressing issues before they escalated.
• Build strong, credible relationships with stakeholders at all levels through proactive engagement and consistent follow-through.

End-to-End HR Generalist Support

• Deliver full-spectrum HR support across the employee lifecycle, ensuring alignment with company policies, procedures, and South African labour legislation.
• Ensure accurate and timely execution of daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly HR activities.
• Collaborate closely with HR specialist teams (Remuneration, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, HR Operations) to deliver integrated HR solutions.

Talent & Performance Management

• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders on talent management, succession planning, performance management, and employee engagement.
• Facilitate performance management processes including goal setting, mid-year and year-end reviews, calibration sessions, and performance-related discussions.
• Lead or support talent reviews, succession planning discussions, and development planning sessions.
• Promote learning agility and continuous capability building through targeted development initiatives.

Employee Relations & Labour Compliance

• Independently manage employee relations matters including misconduct, poor performance, grievances, incapacity, and workplace conflict.
• Provide sound advice on South African labour legislation and internal HR policies.
• Ensure fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes across all employee relations cases.

Organisational Effectiveness & Change

• Support organisational change initiatives such as restructuring, role changes, onboarding, and integration.
• Contribute to a positive, high-performance culture by reinforcing organisational values, accountability, and constructive leadership behaviours.
• Monitor people and culture risks, including Employment Equity and compliance considerations.

People Data & Insights

• Use people data and trends (e.g., headcount, turnover, performance outcomes, EE data) to inform decision-making and highlight risks and opportunities.
• Provide insights to leadership that enable better workforce and talent decisions.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• Bachelor’s Degree (NQF Level 7) in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, Labour Relations, or a related field
• 3–5 years’ experience in an HR Generalist or HR Business Partner role
• Proven experience independently managing employee relations cases
• Exposure to performance management and talent management processes

Preferred

• Honours Degree in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, or related discipline
• SABPP registration
• Change Management certification
• Coaching certification
• Enneagram or Insights accreditation
• Experience within financial services and/or asset management environments

Technical & Professional Knowledge

• South African labour legislation and employment relations practices
• Talent management and succession planning methodologies
• Performance management frameworks and calibration processes
• Employee engagement and culture interventions
• HR systems and reporting (e.g. SuccessFactors)
• Employment Equity legislation and people-risk management
• Business and financial acumen in a regulated environment
• Strong written communication and facilitation skills

Behavioural Competencies

• Building Partnerships
• Earning Trust
• Independent Thinking and Accountability
• Learning Agility
• Forward Thinking and Problem Solving
• Resilience and Strong Work Ethic
• Facilitating Change
• Conflict Resolution
• Business Acumen
• Professional and Technical Excellence