Group HR Manager

Industry: Fuel & Retail (including QSR)
Company Size: ±4,200 employees
Location: Head Office – Rosebank, Johannesburg | Satellite Office – Paarl, Western Cape
Reporting to: Managing Director (MD) and Executive Committee (Exco)
Key Partnerships: Training & Development Department

Company Overview

A leading national fuel and retail organisation with operations across South Africa. With over 4,200 employees, the company operates in a dynamic, customer-centric environment, offering an exciting and challenging space for a strategic HR leader to drive transformation, operational excellence, people growth, and a strong, positive company culture.

Purpose of the Role

To lead the national HR strategy and operations, ensuring the company attracts, develops, and retains top talent. This role demands broad business insight, the ability to meaningfully contribute to company's strategic goals, and a holistic, business-wide mindset that goes beyond traditional HR activities.

The Group HR Manager will champion workforce planning, employee relations, transformation, and performance culture while ensuring compliance with labour legislation. A strong people-centric mindset, commitment to employee wellness, and the ability to drive, embody, and nurture a positive company culture are essential.

The role also requires establishing, shaping, and directing the HR department in a way that serves the greater good of the business, while working hand in hand with the Training & Development department to build strong learning, leadership, and talent pipelines.

Key Responsibilities

Custodian of HR Policies and Procedures

• Maintain and update all HR policies in line with Labour Law requirements.
• Develop new policies that support organisational and strategic needs.

Strategic HR Leadership

• Design and implement a national HR strategy aligned with business growth, operational efficiency, transformation targets, and company's long-term strategic goals.
• Act as a strategic advisor to the Managing Director and Exco on people, culture, organisational capability, and broader business matters.
• Lead organisational design and change management initiatives to support business expansion.
• Bring strategic thinking and strong vision, delivering HR solutions that go beyond standard HR services.
• Operate with broad business acumen, offering insights that contribute directly to company's strategic direction.
• Establish, shape, and direct the HR department to drive business-wide value and sustainable growth.

Talent Management & Workforce Planning

• Design and implement wellness strategies and programmes that promote employee wellbeing and a people-first culture.
• Oversee national recruitment and selection, ensuring attraction and retention of high-performing talent.
• Partner closely with Training & Development on leadership development, learnerships, and succession planning.
• Drive impactful talent retention strategies and employee engagement initiatives.
• Manage succession planning for site partners and bookkeepers.

Employee & Industrial Relations

• Ensure full compliance with labour legislation: LRA, BCEA, EE, and Skills Development.
• Manage union relationships, collective bargaining, and dispute resolution.
• Create and sustain a workplace culture rooted in fairness, transparency, and performance.
• Must have experience with MIBCO, Bargaining Councils, Trade Unions, and IR management across multiple sites.

Performance & Reward

• Oversee the performance management system to drive business results and accountability.
• Develop remuneration, incentives, and benefits strategies that attract and retain top talent.
• Ensure payroll compliance and seamless HR–payroll integration.
• Sage 300 People Payroll: Full module experience required to support company's bookkeepers, including training and troubleshooting.
• Develop and manage comprehensive Key Performance Areas (KPA) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

HR Operations & Compliance

• Lead efficient HR administration and HR Information Systems (HRIS), including reporting structures.
• Ensure adherence to B-BBEE, Employment Equity plans, and statutory requirements.
• Draft and enforce HR policies aligned with organisational goals and legal requirements.
• Manage BEE scorecard elements, annual EE submissions, Skills Development submissions, and DMRE compliance requirements.

Culture, Transformation & Diversity

• Champion B-BBEE and Employment Equity initiatives to meet and exceed transformation targets.
• Build and sustain an organisational culture reflecting company's values of service excellence, empowerment, innovation, and wellness.
• Drive and embody a positive company culture, modelling leadership behaviours that inspire trust, unity, and high performance.
• Strengthen internal communications to enhance employee engagement, transparency, and connection across the business.

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree in HR, Industrial Psychology, or related field (postgraduate qualification advantageous).
• 10–15 years' HR experience, including minimum 5 years in a senior HR leadership role in the fuel and retail sector (QSR included) — non-negotiable.
• Experience managing large multi-site operations with 4,000+ employees.
• Strong expertise in labour relations, B-BBEE, and Employment Equity.
• Proven track record in strategic workforce planning, organisational change, and leadership development.
• Advantageous: experience in petroleum or convenience retail environments.
• Essential experience: Sage 300 People Payroll, MIBCO, Bargaining Councils, Trade Unions, EE, Skills Development, Industrial Relations, and BEE.

Key Competencies & Skills

• Strategic Leadership & Business Acumen – Ability to align HR with business goals and contribute meaningfully to company's overarching strategic direction.
• Visionary Thinking – Ability to develop and deliver HR solutions that extend beyond traditional HR functions.
• People-Centric Mindset – Strong commitment to employee wellbeing, wellness programmes, and supportive culture-building.
• Change Management & Transformation – Skilled in leading organisation-wide transformation and cultural evolution.
• Culture Leadership – Ability to drive, shape, and model a positive and unified culture.
• Holistic Business Mindset – Willingness to work beyond HR boundaries and participate broadly in organisational decision-making.
• Employee Relations & Negotiation – Strong union engagement and conflict management skills.
• People Development – Passionate about learning, leadership, and talent development in partnership with Training & Development.
• Influencing & Communication Skills – Effective at executive level with strong written and verbal communication.
• Data-Driven HR – Strong competence in HR systems, analytics, and reporting.