People Officer – Distribution Job at Kontak Recruitment

• If you are an HR professional who thrives on being in the field, working across diverse business environments, and making a real difference to how people and businesses operate, this role is worth a serious look. A direct-selling company with a well-established distributor network across South Africa and select African countries is looking for a People Officer who will take HR compliance from a concept to a lived reality at distributor level.
• This is not a desk job. The successful candidate will travel regularly to distributor sites, conduct structured HR compliance audits, identify gaps, and work hands-on with distributors to close them. The role exists at the intersection of HR expertise, relationship management, and legislative knowledge, and it requires someone who can engage credibly at all levels of a business while navigating the practical realities of multi-site, cross-border travel.

What's in it for you

• CTC package of R40,000 to R50,000 per month, inclusive of a travel allowance and fleet card for field travel
• A role with genuine variety, no two distributor sites are the same
• Exposure to cross-border operations across southern and east Africa
• The opportunity to build and shape HR compliance frameworks from the ground up across a national and regional network
• A company culture that is structured but personal, where leadership knows their people by name

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant HR-related degree or diploma in Human Resources Management or Labour Law
• Minimum of 5 to 8 years experience in a generalist HR role
• Demonstrated experience in HR compliance, auditing, or industrial relations
• Experience working across multiple sites or with external stakeholders such as franchisees, distributors, or branches
• Sound working knowledge of South African labour legislation including the BCEA, LRA, EEA, National Minimum Wage Act, Skills Development Act, OHSA, and COIDA
• Practical experience conducting HR compliance audits
• Understanding of CCMA processes and dispute resolution procedures
• Valid South African drivers licence and own reliable transport, essential due to extensive travel requirements
• Valid passport, essential for international travel requirements
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently, including multi-day trips at short notice
• Proficiency in MS Office, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Fluency in one or more African languages is a requirement for this role

Key Responsibilities

• Visit distributor sites on a scheduled and ad hoc basis to assess HR practices, policies, and documentation
• Engage with distributors and their employees to identify HR pain points, resourcing gaps, and risk areas
• Compile findings into clear, actionable HR needs assessments for each distributor
• Design, build, and maintain standardised HR audit checklists covering all key legislative areas including recruitment, contracts, leave, remuneration, employment equity, skills development, health and safety, and termination processes
• Keep checklists current whenever legislation, sectoral determinations, or bargaining council agreements change
• Conduct on-site HR compliance audits and produce written reports that rate compliance status and rank gaps by risk level
• Develop practical, time-bound corrective action plans with distributors and provide hands-on guidance and templates to support implementation
• Conduct follow-up visits to verify that corrective actions have been implemented and gaps closed
• Escalate high-risk or unresolved non-compliance issues to the People Manager with recommended next steps
• Deliver on-site training and workshops to distributors on HR compliance obligations
• Act as a first point of contact for distributors on day-to-day HR and labour law questions
• Support distributors with guidance on disciplinary hearings, incapacity processes, and CCMA-related matters
• Maintain an accurate tracker of audits completed, gaps identified, and remediation status across the distributor network
• Report audit outcomes, trends, and risk areas to the People Manager on a regular basis
• Recommend improvements to audit tools, training materials, and distributor HR support based on audit trends