HR Manager (South Africa) – Mid Radio Telescope - SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY OBSERVATORY [IGO] - Cape Town, SA
(2023-08)
Appointed to establish and lead the HR function in South Africa for a complex matrix structure, multicultural, global IGO environment. Provide strategic and operational HR direction in alignment with SKAO's global people strategy while navigating both international governance and local and international labour requirements. Operate withing a matrix global structure to deliver high-impact people solutions across policy, capability, organization design, talent, reward and employee experience.
- Established and scaled the South Africa HR Department from inception, embedding globally aligned governance frameworks, policies, and people processes to ensure compliance and organisational resilience.
- Directed the full spectrum of HR functions, supporting nine senior functional leaders in stewarding a workforce aligned to a €1B+ budget.
- Designed and executed enterprise‑wide HR programs across the employee lifecycle, including talent acquisition, onboarding, capability development, employee relations, and separation management.
- Partnered with executive leadership to shape organisational culture, strengthen leadership capability, and drive workforce transformation initiatives.
- Championed diversity and inclusion, achieving a 60% increase in minority hiring and improving retention rates by 58.61% over three years through targeted culture awareness strategies.
- Sustained an exceptionally low employee turnover rate of 0.535% over a 3‑year period by embedding strategic retention practices and fostering a culture of belonging.
- Delivered operational excellence across recruitment, onboarding, capability development, HR project delivery, and partner staff integration, ensuring seamless execution and employee engagement.
- Served as the principal liaison between SKAO and SARAO HR teams, harmonising policies and practices to build a unified organisational culture across jurisdictions.
- Directed HR financial governance, leading budget planning and managing the full HR budget for South Africa, achieving cost optimisation and alignment with strategic priorities.
Progressive roles in HR leadership, strategic HR consulting, talent management and international collaboration with SKAO - SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY (SARAO) - Cape Town, SA
(2014-02 - 2023-08)
Acting HR LEAD for the SKAO Collaboration (International) - SARAO & SKAO - Cape Town, SA
(2021-06 - 2023-08)
Led the HR function for the global SKAO Collaboration, operating within an international matrix and supporting engineering and scientific teams.
- Directed HR deliverables across recruitment, onboarding, talent development, change management, and employee relations within a global partnership, ensuring seamless execution and workforce alignment.
- Designed and institutionalized HR processes and procedures to support the establishment of the SKAO Collaboration Department, embedding governance and operational consistency.
- Provided strategic counsel to executive leadership on complex cross-border HR matters, governance requirements, and talent challenges, strengthening organizational resilience.
- Serves as the HR conduit between SKAO as an Intergovernmental Organisation and SARAO, harmonizing people strategies and fostering a unified organisational culture across two systems.
Human Resources Consultant - SARAO - Cape Town, SA
(2018-06 - 2022-09)
Human Resources Consultant driving organisational alignment through governance, strategic workforce solutions, and leadership counsel.
- Provided strategic HR partnership to executives and managers across all business units, aligning people's strategies with organisational objectives and national workforce priorities.
- Designed and implemented enterprise talent acquisition strategies, in-house training platforms, risk management frameworks, and large-scale people projects to strengthen organisational capability.
- Directed expatriate immigrations processes and led the Graduate-in-Training Programme, ensuring compliance, talent pipeline development, and seamless global mobility.
- Delivered HR projects and strategies including talent acquisition with service providers, training portal design, risk management, immigration/ expat management, and Balanced Scorecard integration – embedding governance and aligning strategy development with execution.
Senior Human Resources Specialist: Transition (secondment) - SKAO - Manchester, UK
(2017-05 - 2018-05)
- Collaborated with treaty organisations, global scientific bodies, member states, and internal stakeholders to benchmark HR best practices through and 'Outside-In' methodology.
- Conducted comparative research across leading IGOs (ESO, CERN, EMBL, ESS, Elixir, ITER) to inform policy design, organisational structures, and workforce strategies.
- Reviewed HR procedures and policies within SKAO, ensuring alignment with governance requirements and operational effectiveness.
- Assessed organisational structures in use across other IGOs to guide best-fit design for SKAO.
- Evaluated all aspects of HR for the new organisation, including salary structures, remuneration frameworks, recruitment and retention strategies.
- Oversaw contract frameworks, including personal, secondment, and consultancy agreements, to ensure compliance and consistency.
- Drafted HR policies and procedures to support organisational governance and operational readiness.
- Prepared board papers and negotiation drafts for SKA governance and IGO transition discussions.
Human Resources Business Partner / Acting Human Resources Manager - SKA SA - Cape Town, SA
(2014-02 - 2017-04)
Strategic HR leader serving as Business Partner and Acting HR Manager, driving governance, workforce transformation, and executive alignment across business units.
- Directed organisational HR planning and performance strategy for FY 2015/2016, embedding governance and aligning HR operations with corporate objectives.
- Led enterprise job evaluation and succession planning, training executives and senior management while identifying critical roles and future leaders.
- Designed and implemented expatriate residency policies, onboarding frameworks, and employee wellness programmes to strengthen engagement and global mobility.
- Championed diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies, embedding equitable practices across recruitment, retention, and organisational culture.
- Oversaw payroll governance, compensation benchmarking, and remuneration reviews, ensuring compliance and competitive positioning.
- Directed major change initiatives, including corporate implementation of new HR systems and organisational restructuring.
- Delivered HR audits and policy review, embedding compliance, risk management, and operational excellence across the organisation.
HR Auditor - Juwi Renewable Energies
(2014-01 - 2014-01)
Reviewed HR policies, compliance, and governance frameworks to strengthen organisational alignment.
Recruitment Manager - Korbitec (Pty) Ltd
(2011-01 - 2013-12)
Directed talent acquisition strategies, managed recruitment and HR operations for technical customer service centre roles.
Talent Acquisition Specialist - Manpower SA
(2010-01 - 2011-12)
Delivered sourcing solutions for scarce skills, supporting workforce transformation projects.
Recruitment Manager - Dynamix Recruitment
(2008-01 - 2010-12)
Established and led recruitment operations for Dynamix Learning Solutions, driving client engagement and sustainable talent pipelines.
Recruitment Consultant - Western Cape Corporate Placements
(2006-01 - 2008-12)
Managed end-to-end recruitment
