Key Purpose
The Human Resources Manager at Discovery Insure partners with business leaders to enable a high-performance, values-driven culture aligned to Discovery's purpose.
The role is responsible for delivering strategic and operational HR support across Personal Lines Operations (or relevant business area), ensuring effective talent acquisition, talent management, organisational capability, and compliance with South African labour legislation, while driving Discovery Insure's transformation and Employment Equity (EE) objectives.
Key responsibilities
Strategic Business Partnering
Partner with Operations and functional leadership teams to align people strategy to business objectives
Act as a trusted advisor to leaders on organisational design, workforce planning, and people-related decision-making
Translate business strategy into actionable HR plans that support growth, efficiency, and customer experience
Support leadership in driving Discovery's culture, values, and performance standards
Talent Management and Talent Reviews
Lead and facilitate Talent Review processes, ensuring quality inputs, calibration, and outcomes
Drive succession planning and pipeline development for operational and critical roles
Identify high-potential talent and ensure targeted development interventions are in place
Support internal mobility decisions, ensuring alignment to EE and transformation targets
Provide insights on talent risks and retention strategies
Employee Relations and Compliance
Provide expert guidance on employee relations matters (disciplinary, grievance, incapacity, misconduct)
Ensure consistent application of Discovery policies and adherence to South African labour legislation
Manage ER cases with sound judgement and fairness
Proactively identify and mitigate people-related risks
Performance and Capability Management
Drive the performance management process and ensure consistent application across teams
Support leaders with performance improvement interventions and difficult conversations
Identify capability gaps and partner with Learning and Development to implement solutions
Coach leaders to build effective, high-performing teams
Organisational Effectiveness and Insights
Analyse people data (attrition, absenteeism, engagement, performance trends) to inform business decisions
Lead organisational design and restructuring initiatives where required
Provide proactive insights and recommendations to leadership
HR Operations and Governance
Oversee delivery of end-to-end HR processes (recruitment, onboarding, promotions, transfers, exits)
Ensure data accuracy and governance across HR systems and reporting
Support grading, job profiling, and alignment to REM frameworks
Ensure audit readiness and compliance with HR policies and governance standards
Culture, Engagement and Employee Experience
Drive initiatives that enhance employee engagement and wellbeing
Partner with leadership to embed Discovery's values and high-performance culture
Support change management initiatives across the business
Act as a culture champion, ensuring a consistent employee experience
Key Relationships
Personal Lines Operations Leadership Team (or relevant BU)
Strategic Enablement / HR Leadership (e.g. Talent, EE, L&D, ER)
HR Shared Services
Finance and Reward teams
External partners (where applicable)
Qualifications and Experience
Degree in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, or related field (Essential)
5+ years' HR generalist experience, with strong exposure to HR Business Partnering (Essential)
Proven experience in Talent Reviews, Employee Relations, and talent acquisition (Essential)
Sound knowledge of South African labour legislation (Essential)
Experience operating in a fast-paced, operational environment (preferably financial services/insurance) (Essential)
Experience within Discovery or a similar high-performance, values-led organisation (Advantageous)
Exposure to EE reporting and transformation initiatives (Advantageous)
Experience supporting large operational environments (Advantageous)
Skills and key Competencies
Strong business and operational acumen
Influencing and stakeholder management at senior levels
Decision-making and sound judgement
Analytical thinking and interpretation of people data
Ability to manage complexity and ambiguity
High level of professionalism and confidentiality