Group Chief People Officer

SUMMARY:
Group CPO, shaping organisation’s people agenda driving business performance, culture, sustainability. Leading full HC capacity, strategy, talent management, culture transformation, leadership development, organisational effectiveness, ensuring the company attracts, develops, retains exceptional people. Manufacturing industry preferred.

POSITION INFO:

Role Specification: Chief People Officer Position Title: Chief People Officer (CPO)
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / Group Executive Committee
Location: Bryanston
Direct Reports: HR Directors/Managers, Talent & OD, Employee Relations, Total
Rewards, HR Operations, Learning & Development, HR Technology

Role Purpose
The Group Chief People Officer is a strategic executive responsible for shaping and delivering the organisation’s people agenda to drive business performance, culture, and long-term sustainability. This role leads the full human capital strategy—including talent management, culture transformation, leadership development, organisational effectiveness, and employee experience—to ensure the company attracts, develops, and retains exceptional people.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a people strategy aligned to business goals.
• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, contributing to strategic decision-making.
• Promote a high-performance, purpose-driven culture.
• Being actively involved applicable to the organisational procedures.

2. Organisational Culture & Transformation
• Lead culture evolution to support innovation, accountability, inclusion, and engagement.
• Act as custodian of organisational values and employee experience.
• Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives.

3. Talent Management & Leadership Development

• Oversee workforce planning, talent acquisition, succession planning, and leadership pipelines.
• Implement strategies for leadership and skills development at every level.
• Drive internal mobility, high-potential programs, and executive coaching frameworks.

4. People Operations & HR Excellence

• Ensure efficient, compliant HR operations, policies, and systems.
• Lead digital transformation within HR to improve analytics, employee selfservice, and automation.
• Oversee compensation and benefits strategies that are competitive and aligned to performance.

5. Change Management & Organisational Design
• Lead organisational restructuring, mergers, or integrations from a people perspective.
• Implement change management solutions to support strategic initiatives.
• Drive workforce optimisation and future-of-work initiatives.

6. Performance & Employee Engagement
• Embed a performance-based culture with fair, transparent metrics.
• Monitor employee engagement and implement initiatives to improve retention.
• Ensure effective communication and collaboration across all business units.

7. Skills and Employment Equity
• Lead all BEE-aligned initiatives related to skills development and Employment Equity
• Oversee and ensure accuracy of reporting
• Develop strategies to increase effectiveness in this space.

8. Payroll
• Manage Payroll team
• Lead the implementation of a new Group Payroll system and drive the adoption thereof

9. Risk, Governance & Compliance
• Ensure HR practices meet legal and ethical standards across jurisdictions.
• Oversee industrial relations and manage stakeholder relationships (including unions if applicable).
• Mitigate people-related risks through proactive planning and compliance management.

Key Skills & Competencies
• Strategic Business Acumen • Exceptional Leadership & Influencing Skills • Change Leadership & Culture Transformation • Emotional Intelligence & Stakeholder Management • Strong Financial & Analytical Capability • Expertise in HR Technology and Future-of-Work Trends

Qualifications & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 10+ years of executive-level HR leadership experience.
• Proven track record in transforming culture and leading large-scale people initiatives.
• Experience in a complex, multi-site or multinational environment is advantageous.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Employee Engagement & Retention Rates
• Leadership Bench Strength & Succession Readiness
• Diversity & Inclusion Metrics
• Time-to-Fill & Quality-of-Hire Improvements
• Productivity & Organisational Health Index
• Culture and Change Adoption Rates
• HR Cost Efficiency and ROI

Personal Attributes
• Visionary and people-centered leader
• Strong communicator and culture shaper
• Integrity, emotional resilience, and executive presence
• Innovative thinker with a passion for people and performance