Senior Specialist: Employee Relations, HR Governance and Risk

Introduction

Telkom is one of South Africa’s leading information and communications technology (ICT) companies, delivering communication, information and digital services to millions of consumers and businesses. With a diverse workforce across multiple business units, Telkom is committed to building a high-performance organisation founded on ethical leadership, sound governance and inclusive people practices.

About the Role

Telkom’s Consumer Small Business (CSB) division is seeking an exceptional Senior Specialist: Employee Relations, HR Governance and Risk to provide strategic leadership across Employee Relations, labour law compliance, HR governance and people risk.

Reporting to Executive Management, this high-impact role will serve as a senior subject matter expert within a complex and highly unionised environment, providing trusted advice on high-risk ER matters, union engagement, collective bargaining, CCMA and Labour Court proceedings, employment equity, HR governance and people-related risk.

The successful candidate will bring strong labour law and ER expertise, sound judgement and the ability to influence senior stakeholders while ensuring fair, consistent and legally defensible people practices.

If you are an experienced Employee Relations, Labour Relations, labour law or HR governance professional who can operate confidently at executive level and thrive in complex, high-pressure environments, Telkom wants to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations Leadership

• Provide specialist oversight of complex and high-risk Employee Relations matters, including disciplinary hearings, grievances, incapacity processes, misconduct investigations and organisational restructures.
• Oversee and manage matters involving the CCMA, arbitration and Labour Court, ensuring legally sound and defensible outcomes.
• Develop and maintain constructive relationships with trade unions, shop stewards and organised labour.
• Provide strategic guidance on collective bargaining, consultation processes and dispute resolution.
• Develop proactive Employee Relations strategies to minimise conflict and promote consistent application of ER policies and procedures.
• Provide expert advice to executives, senior management and HR Business Partners on complex and precedent-setting ER matters.
• Identify emerging employee relations risks and implement appropriate interventions before matters escalated.

HR Governance and Policy

• Own and maintain the HR governance framework, including policies, standards, procedures and controls.
• Lead HR policy reviews, approval processes, delegated authorities and document governance.
• Ensure HR practices comply with South African legislation, including the Labour Relations Act (LRA), Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), Employment Equity Act (EEA), Skills Development Act (SDA) and POPIA.
• Partner with Legal, Risk, Compliance and Internal Audit to address control weaknesses and audit findings.
• Promote ethical, consistent and compliant people practices across the organisation.
• Ensure appropriate governance structures and controls are in place for high-risk people-related decisions.

HR Data Governance

• Establish and maintain HR data governance standards, processes and controls.
• Define HR data ownership, accountability and data standards.
• Monitor data accuracy, completeness, privacy and security.
• Ensure appropriate access controls and compliance withPOPIA and applicable data protection requirements.
• Oversee HR data lifecycle management and identify risks relating to the handling of employee information.
• Develop awareness and training initiatives relating to HR data governance, privacy and accountability.
• Ensure appropriate controls are maintained over sensitive employee and ER information.

Employment Equity and DEI

• Develop and implement the Employment Equity (EE) strategy, including identifying gaps and establishing appropriate targets.
• Monitor and report on Employment Equity progress.
• Ensure accurate and timely statutory reporting to the Department of Employment and Labour.
• Maintain appropriate EE documentation and records.
• Drive awareness and training initiatives relating to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
• Ensure ongoing compliance with the Employment Equity Act.
• Provide strategic insight into workforce demographic trends and associated people risks.

HR Risk and Compliance

• Develop, implement and maintain the HR Risk Register.
• Identify, assess, monitor and mitigate people-related risks.
• Integrate HR risks into the broader Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework.
• Conduct root-cause analysis on recurring Employee Relations trends and implement proactive mitigation strategies.
• Identify early warning indicators and develop appropriate risk controls.
• Provide risk and contingency support during workforce restructures, organisational change and collective disputes.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and assess their potential impact on HR practices.
• Provide management with clear reporting on significant people-related risks and recommended mitigation actions.

Strategic Advisory and Stakeholder Management

• Act as a trusted advisor to Human Capital Executives, EXCO and senior management on complex and sensitive Employee Relations and labour matters.
• Provide strategic advice on high-risk and precedent-setting employee relations cases.
• Influence senior stakeholders and provide balanced, legally defensible recommendations.
• Prepare reports, briefing notes, risk assessments and insights for senior management and governance forums.
• Build effective relationships across HR, Legal, Risk, Compliance, Operations and other business functions.
• Engage confidently with trade unions, shop stewards, external legal counsel and regulatory bodies.
• Represent the HR function in relevant governance and risk forums.

Capability Building and Reporting

• Develop and facilitate training for line managers and HR Business Partners ongrievancemanagement, disciplinary processes, investigations, progressive discipline, ethics and HR risk.
• Develop and monitor Employee Relations and HR risk dashboards.
• Analyse ER trends and case data to identify systemic issues and improvement opportunities.
• Strengthen and streamline ER, governance and risk processes.
• Provide regular management reporting and actionable insights.
• Build ER capability across management and HR teams to promote consistent and legally compliant practices.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• NQF Level 7 qualification in Law, Labour Relations, Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, Business Administration or a related field
• Admitted Attorney in South Africa
• Bachelor’s degree or Advanced Diploma in Law preferred
• LLB, BCom Law or Labour Law qualification advantageous
• Postgraduate qualification in Labour Law, Employment Relations, Governance or Risk advantageous

Experience

• Minimum 7 years’ relevant experience in Employee Relations, Labour Relations, HR Governance or HR Risk
• At least 2 years’ experience at management level
• Minimum 3 years’ senior specialist or leadership experience within a large, complex, unionised or regulated organisation
• At least 1 year’s experience consulting at executive level on Employee Relations processes and matters
• Proven experience managing complex Employee Relations matters, union negotiations, collective bargaining, CCMA and arbitration proceedings
• Strong experience in South African labour law, HR governance, risk and compliance
• Demonstrated experience working with organised labour in a highly unionised environment

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong knowledge of South African labour legislation and employment practices
• Employee and Labour Relations expertise
• Collective bargaining, union engagement and dispute resolution
• CCMA, arbitration and Labour Court processes
• HR governance, policy development and compliance
• HR risk management and organisational change
• Employment equity and DEI principles
• HR data governance and POPIA
• Strong investigation, analytical and legal drafting skills
• Strategic advisory and stakeholder management capability

Competencies

• Strategic and analytical thinking
• Sound judgement and decision-making
• Strong influencing, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills
• Executive-level communication and stakeholder management
• Ethical leadership and high levels of confidentiality
• Resilience and ability to operate effectively in high-pressure and adversarial environments
• Ability to translate complex employment matters into practical business solutions

Special Requirements

• Willingness to travel as required
• Ability to manage urgent and high-risk Employee Relations matters
• Comfortable operating in a highly unionised and adversarial environment

Why Join Us?

• Play a strategic role in strengthening Employee Relations, HR governance and people risk within a leading South African ICT organisation
• Gain exposure to Executive Management, EXCO, organised labour and key governance forums
• Work on complex, high-impact employment and labour matters
• Partner with Legal, Risk, Compliance and senior business leadership
• Contribute to fair, consistent and legally defensible people practices
• Be part of a dynamic organisation shaping the future of South Africa’s digital and telecommunications landscape

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