HR Business Partner

Job Specification: Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP)

Job Purpose

Sparrow Schools Educational Trust is a long-established non-profit organisation based in Johannesburg, dedicated to transforming lives through education and skills development.

For over 35 years, we have provided quality, affordable education for learners with neurodiverse needs while empowering young adults through accredited vocational training and workplace readiness programmes.

Our holistic approach ensures that every learner is supported to reach their full potential—academically, socially, and professionally. By combining specialised education with practical skills development, we create pathways to independence, meaningful employment, and lifelong success.

At Sparrow, we believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. Through innovation, compassion, and strong partnerships, we continue to make a lasting impact on the communities we serve.

The HR Business Partner (HRBP) acts as a strategic and operational liaison between Human Resources and business leadership. This role is responsible for aligning business objectives with employees and management, driving compliance, and fostering a high-performance culture across the complete employee lifecycle.

Key Performance Areas & Responsibilities

1. HR Administration, Systems & Reporting

• HR Administration: Ensure accurate maintenance of all employee records, contracts, and HR documentation in line with compliance standards.
• HR Systems & Reporting: Leverage HRIS platforms to maintain data integrity and generate meaningful HR metrics and analytics to support executive decision-making.

2. Strategy, Vision, Mission & Values

• Strategic Alignment: Partner with senior leadership to translate business vision and mission into actionable HR strategies.
• Culture & Values: Drive initiatives that embed the organization’s core values into daily operations and employee behaviors.

3. Workforce Planning

• Talent Forecasting: Collaborate with department heads to analyze headcount trends, forecast future needs, and optimize organizational design.
• Succession Planning: Identify critical roles and establish talent pipelines to mitigate business continuity risks.

4. Recruitment, Selection & Onboarding

• End-to-End Talent Acquisition: Manage recruitment and competency-based selection processes to attract and hire high-caliber talent.
• Onboarding & Induction: Design and facilitate comprehensive induction programs that accelerate a new hire’s integration and time-to-productivity.

5. Performance Management

• Framework Implementation: Drive the annual performance cycle, ensuring individual KPIs cascade cleanly from corporate goals.
• Performance Improvement: Coach managers on managing underperformance objectively through constructive feedback and Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs).

6. Learning, Development & Compliance (WSP / ATR)

• Training Needs Analysis: Identify skills gaps across business units and implement targeted learning initiatives.
• WSP / ATR Submission: Compile and submit the annual Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Report (ATR) to the relevant SETA to ensure compliance and grant recovery.

7. Employment Equity (EE) & Diversity

• EE Compliance: Monitor and drive the implementation of the company’s Employment Equity plan and statutory reporting.
• Diversity, Equity & Belonging: Foster an inclusive work environment by initiating programs that promote diversity and a sense of belonging across all teams.

8. Compensation, Benefits & Payroll

• Compensation & Benefits: Oversee internal salary benchmarking, market alignment, and the administration of employee benefit schemes.
• Payroll Liaison: Collaborate with the payroll department to ensure accurate, timely updates regarding status changes, increases, deductions, and variations.

9. Employee Relations (IR) & Change Management

• Employee Relations / IR: Provide expert guidance on labor legislation, manage grievances, and facilitate disciplinary processes fairly and legally.
• Change Management: Act as a change agent, utilizing structured frameworks to support teams through organizational design changes and transitions.

10. Policy & Compliance

• Policy Development: Formulate, update, and implement localized HR policies and procedures.
• Legal Compliance: Ensure all business practices align strictly with basic conditions of employment, labor relations, and occupational legislation.

11. OHS, Wellness & Staff Wellbeing

• OHS Compliance: Monitor Occupational Health and Safety standards to maintain a safe, hazard-free workplace and oversee COID compliance and IOD management.
• Holistic Wellbeing: Implement initiatives targeting Physical, Mental, and Financial wellbeing across the workforce.
• Absenteeism & Incapacity: Track absenteeism trends and manage temporary or permanent incapacity cases with sensitivity and legal alignment.
• Employee Engagement & Work-Life Integration: Create actionable strategies from engagement surveys and advocate for flexible work-life integration models to boost morale and retention.

12. Offboarding & Exit Management

• Exit Management: Manage the offboarding process seamlessly, conducting exit interviews to analyze turnover trends and protect company assets.

Job Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management, Industrial Psychology, or a related field. Post-graduate qualification is an advantage.
• Experience: 3+ years of comprehensive HR experience, with at least 2 years operating as an HRBP or Senior HR Generalist.
• Legislative Knowledge: Strong, practical knowledge of local labor frameworks (e.g., LRA, BCEA, EEA, SDA, and OHS acts).
• Technical Skills: Proficient in HRIS systems, automated payroll interfaces, and advanced Excel/reporting tools.
• Must have clear criminal record

Required Soft Skills

1. Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen

• Ability to look beyond transactional HR administration and connect people strategies directly to the organization’s vision, mission, and commercial bottom line.
• A strong curiosity to understand how the business unit operates, its financial goals, and its unique market challenges.

2. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) & Empathy

• High level of self-awareness and situational sensitivity when dealing with complex mental health, staff wellbeing, and incapacity cases.
• Ability to balance compassion for employees with the commercial objectives and policies of the organization.

3. Conflict Resolution & Mediation

• Advanced negotiation skills with a calm, objective demeanor when managing high-stakes Employee Relations (IR) issues and grievances.
• Proven ability to act as a neutral party to de-escalate workplace tension and reach mutually beneficial outcomes.

4. Influence & Stakeholder Management

• The confidence and gravitas to challenge, guide, and advise senior executives and department heads on talent management and compliance matters.
• Ability to build trust and maintain strong, collaborative relationships across all levels of the organization.

5. Resilience & Adaptability in Change

• Comfort navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities in a dynamic workplace environment.
• Strong change management mindset—acting as an optimistic, grounded champion for change even when facing organizational pushback.

6. Discretion & High Integrity

• Impeccable ethical standards and confidentiality when managing sensitive information regarding salary benchmarking, payroll variations, and disciplinary records.
• Fairness and consistency in interpreting policy, ensuring that the company’s values and equity goals (EE) are upheld strictly.

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