Johannesburg: Group HR Manager posted by OttoBauthentic

About the Role

OttoBauthentic, a leading national fuel and retail organisation, is seeking an experienced Group HR Manager to lead our national HR strategy and operations. The successful candidate will champion workforce planning, employee relations, transformation, and performance culture while ensuring compliance with labour legislation. This role demands broad business insight, the ability to contribute meaningfully to company’s strategic goals, and a holistic, business-wide mindset that goes beyond traditional HR activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Custodian of HR Policies and Procedures:
• Maintain and update all HR policies in line with Labour Law requirements.
• Develop new policies that support organisational and strategic needs.

• Strategic HR Leadership:
• Design and implement a national HR strategy aligned with business growth, operational efficiency, transformation targets, and company’s long-term strategic goals.
• Act as a strategic advisor to the Managing Director and Exco on people, culture, organisational capability, and broader business matters.
• Lead organisational design and change management initiatives to support business expansion.
• Bring strategic thinking and strong vision, delivering HR solutions that go beyond standard HR services.
• Operate with broad business acumen, offering insights that contribute directly to company’s strategic direction.

• Talent Management & Workforce Planning:
• Design and implement wellness strategies and programmes that promote employee wellbeing and a people-first culture.
• Oversee national recruitment and selection, ensuring attraction and retention of high-performing talent.
• Partner closely with Training & Development on leadership development, learnerships, and succession planning.
• Drive impactful talent retention strategies and employee engagement initiatives.
• Manage succession planning for site partners and bookkeepers.

• Employee & Industrial Relations:
• Ensure full compliance with labour legislation: LRA, BCEA, EE, and Skills Development.
• Manage union relationships, collective bargaining, and dispute resolution.
• Create and sustain a workplace culture rooted in fairness, transparency, and performance.
• Must have experience with MIBCO, Bargaining Councils, Trade Unions, and IR management across multiple sites.

• Performance & Reward:
• Oversee the performance management system to drive business results and accountability.
• Develop remuneration, incentives, and benefits strategies that attract and retain top talent.
• Ensure payroll compliance and seamless HRpayroll integration.
• Sage 300 People Payroll: Full module experience required to support company’s bookkeepers, including training and troubleshooting.
• Develop and manage comprehensive Key Performance Areas (KPA) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

• HR Operations & Compliance:
• Lead efficient HR administration and HR Information Systems (HRIS), including reporting structures.
• Ensure adherence to B-BBEE, Employment Equity plans, and statutory requirements.
• Draft and enforce HR policies aligned with organisational goals and legal requirements.
• Manage BEE scorecard elements, annual EE submissions, Skills Development submissions, and DMRE compliance requirements.

• Culture, Transformation & Diversity:
• Champion B-BBEE and Employment Equity initiatives to meet and exceed transformation targets.
• Build and sustain an organisational culture reflecting company’s values of service excellence, empowerment, innovation, and wellness.
• Drive and embody a positive company culture, modelling leadership behaviours that inspire trust, unity, and high performance.
• Strengthen internal communications to enhance employee engagement, transparency, and connection across the business.

Requirements

• Degree in HR, Industrial Psychology, or related field (postgraduate qualification advantageous).
• 1015 years HR experience, including minimum 5 years in a senior HR leadership role in the fuel and retail sector (QSR included) non-negotiable.
• Experience managing large multi-site operations with 4,000+ employees.
• Strong expertise in labour relations, B-BBEE, and Employment Equity.

Qualifications

No formal education/certifications mentioned.