Head, Human Resources South Africa (Johannesburg, ZA)

Job Summary

The Head, Human Resources (HR), South Africa will partner with business and functional leaders to deliver the country People Plan, aligned to the relevant global People Plans and the Group People Strategy.

The role provides strategic HR leadership, drives organisational effectiveness, supports talent and succession priorities, and ensures people-related decisions contribute to business performance, culture and sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy

• Partner with business leaders to shape and deliver the South Africa People Plan.
• Provide local market insights and guidance to Global Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs) to support effective implementation of global people initiatives.
• Identify, prioritise and build organisational capabilities and behaviours required for a future-ready workforce.

Business

• Influence and challenge business leaders on key people decisions, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), employee wellbeing, talent and organisational effectiveness.
• Champion culture transformation and lead local and global change initiatives.
• Lead South Africa People Forums and drive delivery of key People Plan priorities.
• Partner with Global HRBPs and Human Resources Advisory (HRA) teams to deliver an agile, efficient and productive operating model.
• Advise on country-specific Organisational Design (OD) considerations and workforce optimisation initiatives.

Processes

• Identify opportunities to enhance Human Resources processes and employee experience.
• Provide feedback and escalate process issues to relevant Centres of Excellence (CoEs) where required to improve efficiency and service delivery.

People and Talent

• Develop and implement talent strategies to ensure strong succession pipelines for critical leadership and Country Management Team (CMT) roles.
• Play an active role in senior talent and hiring decisions.
• Partner with HR colleagues globally to facilitate the movement and development of key talent.

Risk Management

• Support the effective management of people-related operational and reputational risks in line with Group Standards.
• Provide oversight and guidance on complex employee relations matters, significant litigation and high-profile workforce issues.

Governance

• Promote the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct, ensuring the highest standards of ethics, governance and compliance are embedded across the business.
• Ensure adherence to relevant policies, regulations and regulatory requirements.

Regulatory & Business Conduct

• Demonstrate exemplary conduct and uphold the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
• Embed the highest standards of ethics, regulatory compliance and business conduct across Standard Chartered Bank.
• Lead initiatives that support the Bank’s Conduct Principles and foster the right working environment.
• Proactively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.

Key Stakeholders

Internal

• Business Leaders in South Africa
• Country Management Team (CMT)
• Human Resources Centres of Excellence (HR CoE) Teams
• Human Resources Business Advisors (HRBAs)
• Employee Relations (ER) Specialists
• Human Resources Delivery Specialists
• Global Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs)
• Human Resources Advisory (HRA)

External

• Regulators

•