People Partner

SolarAfrica Energy Pty Ltd; Irene; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

SolarAfrica Energy Pty Ltd is seeking a skilled People Partner to support managers and staff across business areas in South Africa. The role focuses on providing practical guidance on policies, employee lifecycle matters, and performance practices to strengthen engagement and retention.

Ideal candidates will have 5+ years in HR/People Operations, solid knowledge of SA employment law, and experience coaching managers on ER and performance processes. Willingness to travel may be required.

Qualifications

• At least five years’ experience in a broad HR/People Operations/HR generalist or People Partnering role.

Responsibilities

• Build credible relationships with managers and employees in assigned areas.

Job description

Partner with managers and employees across assigned business areas to provide practical, consistent and commercially sound people guidance, strengthen manager capability, support effective employee relations and performance practices, and improve engagement, retention and organisational effectiveness.

Position in the organisation

The People Partner reports directly to the Head of People and forms part of the People Operations team.

Principal responsibilities

People partnering and manager support

• Build credible and trusted relationships with managers and employees in assigned business areas.
• Conduct regular manager alignment meetings covering team priorities, people risks, performance, development, engagement and employee experience.
• Provide practical guidance on policies, procedures and employee lifecycle matters.
• Support fair, consistent and well-informed people decisions.
• Escalate high-risk, legally complex or precedent-setting matters while retaining responsibility for coordination and follow-through.

Employee relations, performance and manager capability

• Support and progressively lead disciplinary, grievance, incapacity, investigation and performance processes, gathering and reviewing relevant facts before recommending action.
• Prepare and review warnings, notices, minutes, outcome letters and performance documentation, while maintaining accurate, confidential case records and action trackers.
• Identify legal, employee relations, reputational and cultural risks, elevate appropriately, and help managers distinguish between performance, misconduct, capability, conduct and wellbeing concerns.
• Coach managers on clear expectations, timely feedback and evidence-based performance conversations, including probation reviews, quarterly reviews, performance improvement plans and documented follow-up.
• Support IDP follow-up with managers and Learning and Development, identify recurring manager capability gaps, and recommend practical interventions.

Engagement, retention and employee experience

• Conduct stay interviews and support agreed retention actions for priority talent and critical roles.
• Identify retention risks and employee-experience themes.
• Support onboarding, probation check-ins and respectful offboarding.
• Translate engagement feedback into practical team actions and track completion.
• Contribute to wellness, recognition, culture and employee-experience initiatives.

Culture, organisational effectiveness and continuous improvement

• Reinforce SolarAfrica’s values through consistent advice and decision-making.
• Support managers in building accountable and high-performing teams.
• Identify unclear roles, ineffective practices, capability gaps and relationship concerns.
• Support organisational and team changes by preparing, communicating, and implementing them.
• Provide practical People input into workforce and team-structure discussions.

People data, systems and continuous improvement

• Maintain accurate employee, case, performance, and engagement records.
• Use People data and portfolio insights to identify trends and support decisions.
• Prepare concise portfolio updates on themes, risks, and required actions.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise or automate People processes.
• Use AI and digital tools responsibly, with appropriate confidentiality, access controls and verification.

Experience and skills

• At least five years’ experience in a broad HR, People Operations, HR generalist or People Partnering role.
• Practical experience advising and coaching managers on employee relations and performance matters.
• Working knowledge of South African employment legislation and fair employment procedures.
• Experience supporting disciplinary, grievance, incapacity, investigation and performance processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication, judgement, confidentiality, organisation and follow-through.
• Experience using HR information and performance-management systems and interpreting people information.
• Strong digital capability, including Microsoft 365; ERP or Microsoft Dynamics exposure is advantageous.
• Valid South African working rights and willingness to travel when required.

Qualifications

• Relevant diploma or bachelor's degree in human resources, Industrial Psychology, Labour Relations, Business Management or a related field.

Advantageous experience

• Renewable energy, infrastructure, engineering, technical services or another high-growth environment.
• Multi-site or multi-function partnering experience.
• Organisational change, workforce planning or team-effectiveness exposure.
• BambooHR, Lattice, PaySpace or comparable HR platforms.
• Learning and development, succession, career development or IDP exposure.

Specific attributes

• Approachable and able to build trust across organisational levels.
• Confident to challenge constructively and communicate candidly.
• Fair, consistent and aware of precedent.
• Calm and objective in sensitive matters.
• Commercially aware and able to balance employee and business needs.
• Discreet, proactive, accountable and adaptable.
• Strong attention to detail, with a focus on accuracy and high-quality documentation.
• Able to work independently and recognise when escalation is required.

What does success look like?

By month 3

• Understands the business structure, policies, values, systems and People rhythms.
• Builds constructive relationships and establishes manager alignment meetings.
• Provides day-to-day guidance with appropriate oversight.
• Supports ER and performance cases with accurate documentation.
• Identifies initial themes, risks and priority actions.

By month 6

• Independently manages routine ER and performance matters.
• Conducts effective manager alignment meetings and provides consistent advice.
• Supports probation, quarterly reviews, PIPs and development processes.
• Conducts stay interviews and coordinates agreed actions.
• Provides clear portfolio insights and demonstrates sound escalation judgement.

By month 12

• Independently owns an assigned People Partner portfolio.
• Is recognised as a trusted, fair and practical adviser.
• Consistently delivers well-managed ER and performance processes.
• Demonstrates measurable follow-through on engagement and retention actions.
• Contributes to manager capability, role clarity, team effectiveness and continuous improvement.

Core values

• We are passionate and proud of what we do.
• We communicate candidly, especially when it is difficult.
• We take the initiative, share our mistakes, and grow together.
• We are dependable and take accountability.
• No one person is bigger than the solution - no egos.

We are currently considering candidates based in South Africa with valid working rights. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applications from outside the country at this time.