ZAF HR Help Desk Assistant Manager US

TP Group; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

TP Group is seeking a mature HR Help Desk Assistant Manager to join our Human Resources Operations team in South Africa. This role focuses on delivering professional, accurate and timely HR, payroll and benefits support while handling sensitive employee matters.

As the primary contact for staff queries, you’ll own cases from first engagement through resolution, collaborating with HR, Payroll, Operations and Workforce Management to improve the employee experience and service delivery.

Qualifications

• Experience within an HR, Payroll, HR Shared Services, Employee Relations, HR Help Desk or employee-facing operational environment
• Sound understanding of HR operations and employee lifecycle processes
• Working knowledge of payroll processes, leave administration, employee benefits and HR policies
• Proven ability to investigate issues, analyse information and drive queries through to resolution
• Experience managing employee escalations and sensitive enquiries
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship-management skills
• Strong administrative discipline and attention to detail
• Matric is essential; a tertiary qualification in HR, Business, or a related field is preferred

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted point of contact for employee HR and payroll-related enquiries
• Take ownership of employee queries from initial contact through to resolution
• Investigate issues, identify root causes and coordinate appropriate solutions
• Manage escalations professionally, ensuring employees receive regular communication and follow-up
• Provide clear guidance on HR policies, benefits, leave, payroll processes and employee lifecycle matters
• Maintain accurate records of employee interactions, actions and outcomes
• Identify recurring themes and trends to help improve HR service delivery
• Support employees with queries relating to salaries, incentives, overtime, deductions, leave balances, benefits and statutory deductions
• Work closely with Payroll, HR, WFM and Operations to investigate and resolve payroll-related concerns
• Support employee education initiatives to improve understanding of payroll and HR processes
• Identify recurring payroll issues and contribute to root-cause analysis and corrective actions
• Ensure sensitive employee and payroll information is handled with confidentiality
• Build strong relationships with employees through visibility, accessibility and consistent support
• Support employee clinics, floor walks, listening sessions, forums and education initiatives
• Gather employee feedback and identify opportunities to improve the employee experience
• Act as a positive ambassador for HR and promote a service-driven culture
• Help build employee confidence and trust in HR support services
• Build effective relationships with HR, Payroll, Operations, WFM and other stakeholders
• Confidently engage with employees and leaders
• Support client visits, audits, employee forums and reviews
• Provide meaningful insights into employee themes and recurring concerns
• Represent the organisation professionally in stakeholder interactions
• Identify opportunities to improve HR help desk processes and support frameworks
• Identify opportunities to reduce repeat queries and improve first-time resolution
• Share best practice and lessons learned to improve service quality and satisfaction
• Use employee feedback and trends to support continuous improvement

Skills

HR operations

Employee lifecycle

Customer service

Query resolution

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Education

Matric

HR/Business qualification

Job description

Overview

We’re looking for a mature, credible and highly service-oriented HR Help Desk Assistant Manager to join our Human Resources Operations team.

This is a key employee-facing role responsible for ensuring our people receive professional, accurate and timely support across HR, payroll, benefits and employee lifecycle enquiries.

You’ll act as a trusted point of contact for employees, taking ownership of queries from initial engagement through to resolution, while working closely with HR, Payroll, Operations, Workforce Management and other support functions to resolve issues and improve the overall employee experience.

This role requires someone who can operate independently, manage sensitive and sometimes complex employee matters, and confidently represent the HR function across the business.

What we’re looking for -

We’re looking for someone who combines strong HR knowledge with exceptional customer service, maturity and problem-solving ability.

Qualifications

You should bring:

• Experience within an HR, Payroll, HR Shared Services, Employee Relations, HR Help Desk or employee-facing operational environment
• Sound understanding of HR operations and employee lifecycle processes
• Working knowledge of payroll processes, leave administration, employee benefits and HR policies
• Proven ability to investigate issues, analyse information and drive queries through to resolution
• Experience managing employee escalations and sensitive enquiries
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship-management skills
• Strong administrative discipline and attention to detail
• Matric (Essential); a tertiary qualification in HR, Business, or a related field (Preferred)

Responsibilities

What you’ll be responsible for -

Employee Support & Query Resolution

• Act as a trusted point of contact for employee HR and payroll-related enquiries
• Take ownership of employee queries from initial contact through to resolution
• Investigate issues, identify root causes and coordinate appropriate solutions
• Manage escalations professionally, ensuring employees receive regular communication and follow-up
• Provide clear guidance on HR policies, benefits, leave, payroll processes and employee lifecycle matters
• Maintain accurate records of employee interactions, actions and outcomes
• Identify recurring themes and trends to help improve HR service delivery

Payroll & HR Support

• Support employees with queries relating to salaries, incentives, overtime, deductions, leave balances, benefits and statutory deductions
• Work closely with Payroll, HR, WFM and Operations to investigate and resolve payroll-related concerns
• Support employee education initiatives to improve understanding of payroll and HR processes
• Identify recurring payroll issues and contribute to root-cause analysis and corrective actions
• Ensure sensitive employee and payroll information is handled with a high level of confidentiality

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Build strong relationships with employees through visibility, accessibility and consistent support
• Support employee clinics, floor walks, listening sessions, forums and employee education initiatives
• Gather employee feedback and identify opportunities to improve the employee experience
• Act as a positive ambassador for HR and promote a service-driven, solutions-focused culture
• Help build employee confidence and trust in HR support services

Stakeholder & Client Engagement

• Build effective relationships with HR, Payroll, Operations, WFM and other business stakeholders
• Confidently engage with employees and leaders across different levels of the organisation
• Support client visits, audits, employee forums and operational reviews where required
• Provide meaningful insights into employee themes, recurring concerns and support interventions
• Represent the organisation professionally and confidently in all stakeholder interactions

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve HR help desk processes and employee communication
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of HR operational practices and support frameworks
• Identify opportunities to reduce repeat queries and improve first-time resolution
• Share best practice and lessons learned to improve service quality and employee satisfaction
• Use employee feedback and query trends to support continuous improvement