Head of HR - South Africa

Overview

People. Passion. Pride. This is what has driven our teams since 1833.

Since that time, we have developed to become a critical partner in the global aviation industry, delivering time-critical logistics services at 350 locations in more than 65 countries, across six continents.    

But at the heart of our business is our people.

Role Purpose

The Head of HR – South Africa is responsible for aligning HR strategies with business objectives while fostering a culture of engagement, inclusivity, and compliance. The role encompasses the full employee lifecycle — including recruitment, payroll, performance management, and compensation & benefits — with a strong focus on enhancing employee engagement, maintaining constructive relationships with the Labour Commissioner and unions, and ensuring full compliance with BBBEE and local labour regulations.

The current Head of HR – South Africa will be continuing in his role until the right candidate is recruited and will ensure a smooth handover with the new appointee. Following the transition, he will continue supporting the business. 

What you will be doing

• Lead and develop the HR function to deliver effective people strategies across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, engagement, performance management, payroll, and compliance.
• Serve as the key liaison with the Department of Labour, trade unions, and other regulatory bodies, ensuring open communication, compliance with labour laws, and proactive resolution of disputes.
• Ensure continuous compliance with BBBEE & Employment Equity legislation, partnering with internal and external stakeholders to maintain and enhance the company's BBBEE status.
• Monitor disciplinary and grievance processes, ensuring fair, timely, and well-documented outcomes in line with company policy and legal requirements.
• Develop, implement, and update HR policies, SOPs, and reporting tools that promote consistency and operational excellence.

Would you like to see more detail on the accountabilities of the role? Please see the attached job description for further information.

Safety, Security, Wellbeing and Compliance:

You will have a responsibility and duty whilst at work to take reasonable care of the health, safety and wellbeing of yourself and others in accordance with provided information, training, and workplace health and safety rules or procedures. The company is committed to providing a safe working environment for all staff members. In all areas of our business there is a potential risk to the health, safety and welfare to everyone on our sites through the misuse of alcohol and drugs. As such the Company prohibits such misuse and carries out regular testing to enforce our Substance Misuse Policy.

Please see the attached job description for further details on safety, security, wellbeing & compliance.

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor's degree required; An additional qualification in Labour Law or a MBA will be advantageous
• 5 years of progressive HR leadership experience in a senior capacity, ideally within the aviation or service industry on a national level.
• Proven experience in union and collective bargaining practices, employee engagement strategies and labour law compliance in South Africa.
• Strong understanding of BBBEE frameworks and reporting requirements.
• Experience overseeing payroll, recruitment, performance management, job evaluation and compensation & benefit functions.

Diversity:

Menzies Aviation are a committed equal opportunity employer and encourage applications for suitably qualified and eligible applicants regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, and maternity. We strive to create an inclusive working environment, where the different knowledge, perspectives, experiences, and approaches of our global workforce are represented. Where everyone feels valued and can reach their full potential.

Please be aware that as part of our recruitment process, we may look to use a variety of resourcing tools to help us understand your skills and experience in relation to the role. Please feel free to contact to recruiter below, if there are any reasonable adjustments to our process that you would like us to consider.

As part of our recruitment process, we will always consider how candidates fit with our values which you can learn more about here.

Application Instructions

Is this role ticking all the boxes for you? If so, please click apply now!