Reporting to: Managing Executives

Location: Cape Town/ Johannesburg/ Vredenburg/ Nelspruit

About the Libstar Select Products Category

The Select Products Category forms part of the Libstar Ambient Products Category, with operations as Rialto, Ambassador Foods and Cape Coastal Honey business sites, based in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Vredenburg, and White River. We are proud to be part of a dynamic, forward-thinking organization committed to innovation, sustainable growth, and a supportive, inclusive work culture.

As part of the broader Libstar team, our focus is on growing high-quality food brands and category solutions in a way that is both profitable and purpose driven. We place a strong emphasis on building trusted relationships with our customers and aspire to be South Africa’s leading producer and distributor in our categories.

Purpose of the role

The Head of People will be responsible for driving and implementing the people strategy within the Libstar Select Products Category, collaborating closely as a strategic business partner with the cluster leadership team. The successful incumbent will foster collaborative, meaningful engagement with stakeholders and is a trusted advisor that enhances performance, builds a positive employee experience and an inclusive organizational culture. Executing people strategies that support both the cluster and wider Libstar business objectives, with a strong emphasis on HR operations, this role will lead a dedicated team of People professionals to deliver impactful solutions that drive business success, cultivate a positive culture, and safeguard fairness and equity across all People-related processes.

Position Responsibilities

Strategic People Leadership:

• Develop and implement the Select Products People strategy aligned to commercial and operational objectives as well as the Group People Strategy.
• Partner with executive and functional leadership teams to drive organisational performance and capability.
• Lead workforce planning initiatives to support growth, productivity, and operational efficiency
• Drive digitalization of People-related process and automate HR administration for efficiency.

Building psychological safety and organisational culture:

• Drives, influences, and champions a culture of trust, inclusion, and open communication across the organisation.
• Embedding psychological safety into leadership practices, through policies, and reinforcing positive workplace interactions.
• Reinforce psychological safety, diversity, and inclusion through established practices and policies

Talent Management, Organisation Development & Design:

• Oversee talent acquisition strategies to attract and retain high-performing employees.
• Manages the Performance and Potential Process, including succession planning, talent conferences, talent retention and leadership and shopfloor development at operational levels.

Compliance and Industrial Relations:

• Advises employees and managers on People-related matters such as conflict management (Grievances), absenteeism, working schedules, and employee assistance programs in line with company policies and disciplinary procedures.
• Direct, prepare and support labour law processes e.g. warnings, disciplinary hearings, S189, S197, CCMA case management.
• Coordinate and advise managers in the misconduct, performance and incapacity management process including enquiries.
• Lead wage negotiations
• Represent the organisation at the CCMA.
• Oversee and manage compliance related to Employment Equity, Workplace Skills Plan reporting, customer audits, financial-year end reporting, Group reporting and ad hoc compliance topics related to the function.

Remuneration and Benefits:

• Monitor, evaluate & align remuneration to compensation structures.
• Manage and oversee compliance with Remuneration and Benefits and the administration thereof.

Employee Engagement:

• Coach and enable managers to effectively engage their people to drive business results.
• Coaches managers on people related aspects to achieve a culture of inclusion and high performance.

Budgeting:

• Develop and manage the annual People budget in alignment with organizational goals.
• Forecast workforce costs, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, recruitment, and training expenses.
• Monitor and control People-related expenditure to ensure cost efficiency and budget compliance.
• In-depth participation in the budgetary processes with accountability for people cost drivers and investment planning for the respective financial year/s.

HR Analytics:

• Analyzes People data for strategic decision making and provides various reports to suggest and implement improvements.
• Identifies retention/fluctuation risk areas and implements strategies to mitigate risk.
• Use data to inform initiatives that improve employee experience.

Required Knowledge, and Skills

• Knowledge of business (e.g. at a factory/site location: products, production processes, customers and general industry knowledge; understanding of local financial accounting and controlling topics, knowledge of workings of other internal departments)
• Knowledge of South African Labour Law:
  o IR processes including experience working with unions
  o Department of Labour Legislative reporting
  o Related Legislation including but not limited to the SDA, BCEA, LRA, and EEA
  o Implementing best practice HR policies, processes, and procedures
• Ability to strengthen ownership and empowerment within the People Team and across the business.
• Able to lead and sustain organisational change and has high resilience.
• Can build high impact teams, effective strategic leadership and influencing skills.
• Proactively seeks stakeholder input and builds long-term stakeholder relationships.
• Competent at communicating business context with clarity and conviction, enabling others to understand decisions and act with confidence.
• Technological savvy and knowledge of HR Information Systems.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organisational Psychology or a related field.
• Demonstrated senior HR experience with 5-8 Years experience as an HRBP, 3-5 Years experience in Labour Relations, 3-5 Years FMCG Manufacturing experience and at least 5-years of managing a people team.
• Proven track record of managing projects.
• Sound experience working on own initiative, problem solving, commercial experience, effective planning and organising experience required.
• Applied understanding in talent management, employee engagement, and compensation and benefits.
• In-depth knowledge of:
• Experience with evidence of Union negotiations, BEE strategy development, Employment Equity, Skills Development, CCMA representation, Skills development, and internal discipline
• Valid drivers license and own transport and willing to travel as required.

Application

Please e-mail your CV to recruitment@libstar.co.za; with a motivation highlighting why you should be considered for the position. Application deadline: 28 May 2026. If you have not received a response within two weeks of the closing date for applications, kindly consider your application unsuccessful.

Please note that you may on occasion be required to perform tasks that are not part of your normal daily duties but may be necessary due to the operational requirements of the Company.

Note: To consider any application for employment, we will have to process your personal information. The Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA), provides that when one processes another’s personal information, such collection, retention, dissemination and use of that person’s personal information must be done in a lawful and transparent manner.

To give effect to the above, we are required to provide you with information regarding the processing of your personal information. This information is recorded under the HR Processing Notice, which can be accessed and viewed on the Company website at https://www.libstar.co.za/legal/.