Job Description

Head of People Experience & Service Design Johannesburg | Executive Search via TSR

We're partnering with a leading South African financial services group on a search for a senior leader to shape the future of how their people experience HR.

This sits at the intersection of HR, technology, agile delivery, and service design. It's not a traditional HR Operations role, and it's not a pure tech role either. We're looking for someone who knows how to bring those worlds together so that employees and managers get a consistent, intuitive experience every time they interact with HR.

What the role owns:

• The design and ongoing evolution of the HR service experience across the enterprise. The platforms, the processes, the channels, the delivery teams, all working as one system rather than in silos. You'd run the agile operating model for HR delivery, build the roadmap for AI and automation in the function, and lead the change work that gets people to adopt new ways of working.
• You wouldn't own HR policy. You'd own how HR shows up.

Who this is right for:

Someone who has done significant pieces of this work, probably under a different title. You might be in HR Operations, HR Technology, an HR COO function, or leading a major HR transformation programme. You'll have spent serious time inside the HR domain (a firm requirement from our client) and led multi-year programmes across multiple platforms and teams.

Typically:

• 12 to 15 years plus in HR operations, service delivery, or transformation, with at least 5 in a strategic leadership role
• Track record of large-scale digital enablement in HR (SuccessFactors, Workday, ServiceNow HR or similar)
• Real experience embedding agile ways of working in an HR or service environment
• Postgraduate qualification in HR, Business, or related field (Master's preferred)

Why it's worth a conversation:

Roles like this are rare on the continent. This client is past the shared services and core HR tech rollout phase, and is now building HR as an integrated service experience with AI, automation, and agile delivery in the operating model from the ground up. It's the kind of mandate that lets you build something that doesn't really exist yet in this market.

By applying you confirm that:

1. We may retain your personal information in our database for future matching.
2. We may contact you for your consent to submit your CV to suitable vacancies.
3. That the information you have submitted is true, correct and up to date.