At Spitz, we are a leading force in premium footwear and apparel, offering world-class brands such as Carvela, Gianni Chiarini, Lacoste, Nina Roche, and Tosoni. With the addition of Carvela Donna & Bello body sprays and Verve by Kurt Geiger, we continue to elevate South African style, offering both luxury fashion and iconic fragrances. 

From our beginnings in Johannesburg in 1968, Spitz has grown into one of South Africa’s leading premium retail groups, representing iconic international brands synonymous with quality, aspiration and exceptional customer experience. With a national footprint of more than 99 stores across South Africa, Spitz operates in a fast-paced, high-performance retail environment where operational excellence, people capability and brand experience are central to our success.

We are looking for a commercially astute and operationally strong Human Resources Manager to join our Bryanston Head Office team. This role is suited to a resilient, highly adaptable HR professional who thrives in a fast-moving retail environment and is confident navigating both strategic and operational HR demands.

The successful candidate will partner closely with the leadership team and business stakeholders across Retail Stores, Head Office and Distribution Centre operations, providing hands-on HR leadership, workforce insights and operational support across the employee lifecycle. 

This is not a traditional desk-bound HR role. The scope is broad, varied and highly operational — requiring someone who can move seamlessly between recruitment, employee relations, reporting, stakeholder engagement, workforce analytics and performance management, while building credible relationships across the business.                    

Reporting Structure:

• Reports to: Chief Operations Officer
• Direct Reports: 4 

Key Areas of Impact: 

Strategic HR Partnership & Retail Operations Support

• Partner closely with operational leadership teams to support the delivery of business objectives across the retail network
• Build credible and effective working relationships with stakeholders across Operations, Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, Property and Distribution Centre functions
• Provide proactive HR support and operational guidance across all areas of the employee lifecycle
• Anticipate operational requirements and prepare relevant HR information, reporting and insights ahead of business discussions and leadership engagements
• Support a consistent, professional and commercially aligned people approach across all business areas
• Contribute to a high-performance culture through practical and solutions-driven HR partnership 

HR and Statutory Reporting

• Prepare and consolidate accurate, insightful and timeous HR reports for leadership and operational stakeholders
• Analyse workforce trends, headcount data, labour movement and operational people metrics across stores and brands
• Support payroll sign-off processes and related HR administration controls
• Produce workforce and statutory reporting, including:
• Headcounts and Budget
• Headcount movement reporting
• Skills Development reporting
• Employment Equity reporting
• Manage and maintain HR reporting standards and data accuracy
• Support leadership teams with data-driven people insights to support operational decision-making 

Recruitment & Talent Management

• Lead the end-to-end recruitment process for Store Operations roles nationally
• Ensure fair, compliant and commercially aligned recruitment practices
• Partner with line management to identify talent requirements and support workforce planning initiatives
• Drive a professional and engaging onboarding experience for new employees
• Support succession planning and talent pipeline development within retail operations
• Ensure recruitment processes align with Employment Equity objectives and operational requirements
• Create job profiles for emerging roles 

Performance Management & Employee Capability

• Drive and coordinate the performance management and appraisal process across the business
• Ensure alignment between business objectives, operational priorities and performance expectations
• Support line managers in effectively managing performance, accountability and employee development
• Facilitate coaching discussions and provide practical guidance to operational leaders
• Assist in identifying capability gaps and development opportunities within teams 

Learning & Development

• Partner with the Retail Trainer and leadership teams to support Learning & Development initiatives across the business
• Manage Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) requirements and reporting
• Implement skills development initiatives aligned to operational requirements and BBBEE objectives
• Manage learnerships and training provider engagement
• Monitor training spend and support training effectiveness initiatives 

Employee Relations

• Provide support to the ER Manager on employee relations matters, including union engagement
• Facilitate and support line management with incapacity processes
• Assist in maintaining operational consistency and compliance across all business areas 

What It Takes to Succeed:

Experience that set you up for success:                       

• Minimum 8–10 years’ HR generalist experience within a fast-paced operational environment
• At least 2 years’ experience operating at HR Manager or Senior HRBP level
• Strong operational HR Business Partnering capability
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility with operational stakeholders and senior leadership
• Strong exposure to workforce reporting, people analytics and operational HR insights
• Experience managing competing priorities within a high-pressure environment
• Previous exposure to premium, aspirational, luxury or customer-led retail brands will be highly advantageous 

Qualifications & Certifications that will contribute to your success:

• Degree or Diploma in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology or related field
• A postgraduate qualification will be advantageous
• Professional HR accreditation will strengthen your profile

Additional Requirements that will enhance your impact for success:

• Microsoft Excel capability including Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPs
• SAP HR systems exposure is advantageous
• Strong verbal communication and stakeholder engagement capability
• High levels of professionalism, resilience and personal accountability
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to work independently
• Commercially aware with strong attention to detail
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving and evolving retail environment
• Ability to influence, engage and build relationships across multiple stakeholder groups
• Willingness to travel nationally when required and conduct store visits 

Why Join Spitz?

• Premium Retail Environment: Work within a respected premium retail group representing internationally recognised brands with a strong heritage and reputation for excellence.
• High Visibility & Business Exposure: Partner directly with senior operational leadership and contribute to business discussions that influence retail performance and people capability nationally.
• Dynamic & Fast-Paced Environment: No two days are the same. This role offers broad exposure across operations, people management, analytics, retail support and organisational effectiveness.
• Culture of Accountability & Excellence: Join a business that values ownership, professionalism, agility and high standards. 

Take the Next Step with Spitz

Join a business where operational excellence, premium brands and people capability come together to create an exceptional retail experience. At Spitz, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a nationally recognised retail group that values agility, professionalism and high performance.