Senior Employee Relations Specialist

About the role

Provide specialist, Group‑level Employee Relations expertise that enables fair, consistent and legally compliant labour relations practices and interventions, supporting organisational stability, workforce discipline and execution within a complex, unionised environment. The role involves designing employee‑relations frameworks, managing complex disputes and supporting collective bargaining across the Group.

Key responsibilities

• Design and support implementation of Group‑wide employee‑relations policies, procedures and standards aligned with legislation.
• Manage and resolve complex disciplinary, grievance, incapacity and dispute matters, ensuring procedural and substantive fairness.
• Support collective bargaining processes, wage‑negotiation preparations and industrial‑relations interventions to minimise industrial‑action risk.
• Build and maintain constructive relationships with organised labour and facilitate structured engagement and consultation.
• Ensure compliance with labour legislation, collective agreements and internal governance while mitigating risk.
• Provide specialist guidance on disciplinary, incapacity, grievance and performance‑related interventions.
• Facilitate proactive workplace conflict‑management and labour‑relations interventions to strengthen workforce stability.
• Support restructuring, Section 189 processes and organisational change, ensuring legal compliance and procedural fairness.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Labour Relations, Human Resources, Law or a related field.
• 7–10 years of employee‑relations or industrial‑relations experience in a complex, unionised or regulated environment.
• Postgraduate qualification in Labour Law, Industrial Relations or Employment Relations is advantageous.
• Professional registration with the South African Board for People Practices or a related body is advantageous.