Senior HR Manager (Strategic HR Generalist)

The Focus Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

The Focus Group is seeking a Senior HR Manager (Strategic HR Generalist) to translate business strategy into integrated people plans across the full employee lifecycle. You will partner with executive leadership to shape workforce strategy and organizational design while driving DEIB and performance initiatives.

You will ensure compliant, efficient HR operations, lead talent development, and coach a high-performing HR team to support business growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HRM or related field required (NQF7).
• Postgraduate qualification (Honors or Master's) preferred.
• 5–10 years HR experience, including senior generalist or strategic HR roles.
• Experience partnering with senior leadership on workforce and organizational strategy.

Responsibilities

• Translate business strategy into a coherent people strategy and workforce plan across the full employee lifecycle.
• Partner with executives to develop workforce strategy, organizational design, and leadership pipeline.
• Drive end-to-end talent management, succession planning, and learning initiatives.
• Lead DEIB strategy and embedding inclusive practices across the employee lifecycle.
• Ensure HR policies, governance, and compliance, with strong data-driven insights for decision making.
• Oversee HR operations, reporting, and budgeting, plus development of the HR team.

Skills

Strategic HR

Stakeholder management

Workforce analytics

Change management

Education

Bachelor's in HRM

Postgraduate qualification

Tools

HRIS platforms

HR analytics tools

Job description

Title

Senior HR Manager (Strategic HR Generalist)

Purpose

The Senior HR Manager is a seasoned, strategically minded generalist accountable for translating business strategy into integrated people strategy and plans across the full employee lifecycle. The successful incumbent will partner with the clients' executives and senior leadership to develop workforce strategy, organizational design, talent and performance optimization, employee engagement and retention management, employee growth and development, employee relations, remuneration and reward, diversity-equity-inclusion-and belonging (DEIB), and organizational culture. The Senior HR Manager is responsible for ensuring that the HR function operates efficiently, compliantly, and in a manner that enables optimal business and employee performance. This is a hands-on generalist role. The incumbent will be expected to operate comfortably at both strategic and operational levels, moving fluidly between boardroom-level workforce planning and the practical resolution of day-to-day HR matters.

Key Performance Areas

Strategic HR Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, translating business strategy and objectives into a coherent people strategy and workforce plan.

• Provide data-driven insight and workforce analytics to inform business decisions on structure, capability, capacity, and cost.

• Lead or contribute to organizational design and restructuring initiatives, ensuring structures align with strategic priorities.

• Anticipate future workforce needs and proactively design interventions to close capability and capacity gaps.

Talent Management and Organizational Development

• Drive end-to-end talent management, including workforce planning, succession planning, and leadership pipeline development.

• Partner with business leaders on talent acquisition strategy to attract, select, and onboard the right skills at the right time.

• Design and oversee learning and development interventions that build organizational capability and support career development. This includes but not limited to translating the organizational learning and development strategy into annual Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Reports as contemplated in the Skills Development Act and Skills Development Levies Act and ensures the clients full participation in mandatory and discretionary SETA funding.

• Drive organizational performance by championing strategically aligned performance management processes, coaching leaders on setting objectives, giving feedback, and managing underperformance.

• Lead or support change management and culture-building initiatives aligned to organizational values and strategic goals.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

• Develop and lead execution of an annual DEIB strategy and action plan aligned to overall business and people strategy, with clear goals, owners, and timelines.

• Design and embed inclusive practices across the employee lifecycle, including sourcing, selection, onboarding, promotion, and succession planning, to reduce bias and broaden representation at all levels.

• Track, analyze, and report workforce diversity metrics in line with the clients employment equity plan, and present findings and recommendations to senior leadership on a regular basis.

• Conduct or commission periodic pay equity and promotion equity analyses and drive corrective action plans where gaps are identified.

• Design and deliver DEIB training and awareness interventions for leaders and employees, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, and cultural competence.

• Establish, support, and sponsor Employee DEIB forum or similar employee-led networks, providing governance, resourcing, and a link to leadership.

• Ensure workplace accessibility and reasonable accommodation practices are in place for employees with disabilities, in line with legal requirements and best practice.

Employee Relations and Compliance

• Provide expert guidance on employee relations matters, including grievances, disciplinary processes, and dispute resolution, ensuring fair and consistent application of policy.

• Ensure full compliance with applicable labor legislation, regulatory requirements, and internal policies, escalating and managing risk appropriately.

• Maintain and continuously improve HR policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.

• Act as a point of escalation for complex or sensitive HR matters, exercising sound judgment and discretion.

Reward, Recognition, and Wellbeing

• Contribute to the design and administration of remuneration, benefits, and recognition frameworks that support retention and internal equity.

• Support benchmarking and job evaluation processes in partnership with reward specialists.

• Champion employee wellbeing and engagement initiatives, using engagement data to inform action plans.

HR Operations and Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of HR professionals, setting clear priorities and building generalist and specialist capabilities within the team.

• Oversee HR service delivery standards, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and responsiveness across the employee lifecycle.

• Own HR reporting and metrics (e.g., turnover, time-to-hire, engagement, absenteeism), presenting insights and recommendations to leadership.

• Manage HR budgets and resources within the area of responsibility.

• Drive continuous improvement of HR systems, processes, and ways of working.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Business Administration, or a related field (required) at NQF 7.

• Postgraduate qualification (Honors or Master's) in a related field (preferred/advantageous).

Experience

• A minimum of 5-10 years' progressive HR experience, including at least 3-5 years in a senior generalist or strategic HR role.

• Demonstrated experience in partnering with senior leadership on workforce and organizational strategy.

• Solid working knowledge of employment legislation and demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters.

• Proven experience leading and developing an HR team.

• Experience working within a large, complex, or multi-site organization is advantageous.

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies

• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect people strategy to organizational performance and outcomes.

• Sound knowledge of the full HR value chain: workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management, learning and development, reward, and employee relations.

• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and consulting skills at all levels, including executive level.

• Strong analytical and data-interpretation skills, with the ability to translate HR metrics into actionable insight.

• High level of discretion, integrity, and sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential information.

• Strong leadership, coaching, and people development capability.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to adapt style and message to different audiences.

• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable operating in ambiguity and managing competing priorities.

• Proficiency with HRIS platforms, and HR analytics tools.

Key Relationships

• Internal: Executive leadership, line managers and supervisors, HR team members, employees, employee representative structures

• External: recruitment and talent partners, benefits/reward providers, statutory/regulatory bodies, and industry HR forums.

Working Conditions

• Standard office-based role with regular travel between sites as required.

• May require availability outside standard hours to manage urgent employee relations matters.