People Partner - South Africa

Unilever; Durban; On-site; ZAR 400,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a People Partner to support HR processes and maintain employee relations. This role involves advising on complex HR cases and collaborating with line managers to ensure a positive work environment. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree, significant HR experience, and strong problem-solving skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in HR as an HR Advisor, Generalist, or HRBP.
• Excellent negotiation skills with Employee/Industrial Relations.
• Strong organization skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead employee relations activities and ensure compliance with HR policies.
• Resolve complex HR inquiries and provide hire-to-retire support.
• Coach line managers and drive proactive employee relations.

Skills

Stakeholder Management

Collaboration

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

JOB PURPOSE

A People Partner is a crucial role within PEX in markets where line managers and employees are supported in critical employee moments. They work with various teams within the HR network, leading and maintaining Employee Excellence and delivering relevant care for Tier 2 of our service delivery model.

In this capacity, a successful People Partner will lead two broad areas. The first is end-to-end leadership on all matters related to employee relations and conflict resolution, with the goal of maintaining a positive work environment and minimizing reputational and compliance risks. The second area involves driving ‘Tier 2 Care’ within our Service Delivery model, where you will advise on and resolve complex local policy, regulatory or legal escalations and handle complex cases requiring market intervention or decisions.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

End-to-End Employee Excellence Responsibilities :

• Employee Relations:
  • Serve as the first point of contact for employees and line managers on employee relations matters.
  • Lead all employee relations activities with line managers, ensuring compliance and correct interpretation of all relevant employment legislation, HR policies and HR practices.
  • Provide leadership and expert guidance on performance improvement, disciplinary actions, grievance handling, collective and individual consultation and redundancy processes.
  • Offer hands-on support, including writing scripts, collating investigation reports, and drafting outcome letters to support cases through to completion.
  • Assist with the resolution of conflicts or disputes, instilling confidence in managers and employees by being unbiased and neutral in facilitating resolutions. You will also play a key role in upholding Unilever’s standards of behaviour and company’s code of business principles.

• Proactive Employee Relations and Manager Support:
  • Identify ER trends and coach line managers, recommending solutions to address root causes of issues. This will include building leader and organisation capability where required, to reduce employee relations incidents/issues.
  • Take proactive steps to tackle problems early.
  • Coach and support line managers on an individual basis, advising on individual employee relation cases (e.g., performance, grievance, disciplinary, conflict).
  • Stay up to date with changes in employment legislation and HR practices.

Enabling Tier 2 Care in our Service Delivery Model :

• Complex HR Case management
  • Ensure consistent application of HR policies and practices on all matters and decisions across the business. This is enabled by an end to end understanding of HR processes.
  • Work side-by-side with relevant experts and decision makers in HR (HRBPs, Payroll, Reward, Talent etc), providing support and subject matter expertise to recommend appropriate decisions / actions to address complex HR queries or problems.
  • Provide hire-to-retire support where there is a legal, fiscal, or regulatory requirement.
  • Be accountable for resolving complex policy cases, including areas such as absence management, family leave and flexible working cases.
  • Lead restructuring efforts at the employee level, including conducting severance conversations (as per consultation and process requirements).

• Liaison & Country Contact
  • Relevant input and support on knowledge management requirements to enable our Service Delivery Model.

Experiences & Qualifications

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Minimum 4 years’ experience in HR (e.g. HR Advisor, HR Generalist, HRBP)
• Excellent negotiation Skills with Employee/Industrial Relations is preferred.
• Has a genuine passion for People Needs/Partnership, Problem Solving, that drive people & business performance
• Strong organization skills as well as attention to detail and diligence
• Ability to work independently and in a matrix teamwork environment

Skills

• Stakeholder Management
• Collaboration
• Problem Solving

Unilever Behaviours

• Care deeply
• Focus on what counts
• Stay three steps ahead
• Deliver with excellence

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bring ing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.