Head of People and Culture – Durban

JOB DESCRIPTION

Duties and responsibilities

Strategic business partnering

• Develop and implement people strategies that support business growth and operational excellence
• Partner with senior leaders on resource planning, organisational design, succession planning and talent management
• Provide coaching and guidance to managers on leadership effectiveness and people-related challenges
• Support change initiatives, restructures and transformation projects

Employee / industrial relations

• Lead complex employee relations matters, including disciplinary processes, grievances, investigations and dispute resolution
• Ensure fair, consistent and legally compliant people practices across the organisation
• Maintain constructive relationships with employee representatives, unions and employee committees where applicable
• Monitor trends and identify potential risks affecting employee engagement or retention

Talent acquisition and retention

• Oversee recruitment strategies to attract and retain high-quality talent across operational and corporate roles
• Develop employer branding initiatives that strengthen the company’s reputation as an employer of choice
• Implement and maintain effective onboarding and induction programmes for new employees

Learning, development and performance

• Drive performance management processes and support managers in setting clear expectations and accountability
• Identify capability gaps and implement learning and development initiatives
• Support leadership development programmes to strengthen management capability across the company
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth

HR operations, data and compliance

• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, industry regulations and company policies
• Oversee HR policies, procedures and governance frameworks
• Oversee Payroll across multiple countries and statutory compliance
• Support payroll, benefits administration and HR systems where required
• Manage HR metrics and reporting, providing insights and recommendations to management
• Monitor key people metrics including turnover, absenteeism, recruitment effectiveness, engagement and training outcomes
• Provide regular reports and recommendations to the executive team
• Use data to support strategic decision-making and operational planning
• Work with Group to provide data on compliance metrics for BEE, Employment Equity, WSP / ATR submissions
• Understand legislative requirements linked to the compliance metrics and provide inputs on best practice

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications

• BCom in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology or a related discipline
• Postgraduate or executive leadership development qualification (advantageous)

Experience

• Minimum 5 years senior executive HR leadership experience, ideally operating at or close to Executive level
• Experience as a trusted advisor / partner to the CEO and executive leadership team, with the credibility, judgement and independence to shape strategic decisions rather than simply execute HR policy
• Demonstrated track record as a strategic business partner to executive teams, contributing directly to organisational direction, performance and transformation
• Significant experience leading complex change, including culture, transformation and workforce design
• Exposure to multi-site and geographically dispersed operations, locally and / or internationally
• Evidence of having influenced and challenged executive decision-making constructively, with measurable business impact

Skills, competencies and attributes

• Strong business acumen with the ability to align people strategy to operational outputs
• Ability to influence and challenge constructively, building credibility at all levels
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills with the confidence to challenge assumptions, influence outcomes and engage effectively at Executive and senior stakeholder level
• Demonstrated ability to manage complexity, pressure and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• High levels of integrity, discretion, professionalism and sound judgement
• Strong systems literacy with the ability to leverage HR technology, data and AI-enabled tools
• Resilient, self-directed and outcomes-focused, solutions-oriented approach with a clear focus on organisational performance and value creation
• Willingness to travel – valid driver’s licence essential

Applicants to send their CV’s to the HR Department: recruitment@sturrockgrindrod.com.

Please state the following reference in the subject line of your application:
Head of People and Culture – June 2026