Durban: Head of Talent posted by K2 Recruit

About the Role

A leading BPO organisation is seeking an experienced and strategic Head of Talent to lead all aspects of talent acquisition, learning & development, and talent management across the business.

This is a senior, hands-on leadership role responsible for shaping and delivering end-to-end Recruitment and Training strategies that support high-volume operations, leadership pipelines, and long-term workforce sustainability in a fast-paced, international BPO environment.

You will work closely with executive leadership and key stakeholders to design scalable talent solutions and lead delivery through direct reports, including Recruitment and Learning & Development Leads.

This is a hands on Recruitment and Talent Acquisition focussed role, the candidate must be willing to do, the do!

Key Responsibilities

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Develop and deliver cost-effective, scalable recruitment strategies across bulk hiring, specialist, and leadership roles.
• Optimise recruitment pipelines to meet client contract and operational timelines.
• Drive digital attraction strategies, employer branding, and agency partnerships.
• Oversee end-to-end hiring processes, from sourcing through to offer stage.
• Use data and analytics to identify talent gaps and prioritise recruitment activity.

Learning, Development & Training

• Define and lead the organisations Learning & Development strategy.
• Design and deliver blended learning solutions (classroom, online, face-to-face).
• Build and evolve skills development programmes aligned to operational performance.
• Ensure effective Training Needs Analyses (TNAs) and continuous content optimisation.
• Coach and develop facilitators to maximise delivery quality and impact.
• Partner with QA and operational teams to target performance-improvement training.

Performance Management & Talent Development

• Implement and manage performance management frameworks for own teams.
• Identify high-potential talent and build structured development and succession plans.
• Design performance-based incentive and engagement initiatives.

Stakeholder, Client & Supplier Management

• Partner with senior business leaders to align talent strategies to business objectives.
• Collaborate with Group HR to ensure compliance with labour legislation and policy.
• Engage directly with clients (within scope) to support workforce planning and delivery.
• Manage and optimise recruitment suppliers and training vendors.

Talent Analytics & Reporting

• Track and report on key metrics including time-to-hire, attrition, engagement, and training effectiveness.
• Provide insights and recommendations to leadership to support workforce planning and succession.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential:

• Proven experience operating at Head of Talent / Head of L&D / Head of Recruitment level within a BPO environment.
• Strong background in high-volume recruitment and training delivery, ideally in an international BPO.
• Demonstrated experience translating strategy into operational execution.
• Experience managing budgets, forecasting, and cost controls.
• 35+ years experience leading recruitment and/or training functions.
• Strong leadership capability with experience managing specialist teams.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree in Human Resources, Education, Training, or related field.
• EDTP / SDF / Assessor / Moderator certification advantageous.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic and commercially astute thinker
• Strong stakeholder and matrix-management capability
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Data-driven, analytical decision-maker
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure
• Passion for continuous improvement and people development
• High levels of accountability, ownership, and resilience

Working Hours

Due to the nature of supporting international clients (USA, UK, Australia) and local campaigns, flexibility is required. Wherever possible, alignment to preferred working patterns is supported.