Senior HR & Administration Manager

Our client is a professional financial advisory business looking for an exceptional, high-calibre individual to step into a critical, "load-bearing" operational and strategic role. As the Senior HR & Administration Manager, you will hold a level of trust that few positions command, acting as the primary interface between the business, its employees, and key external service providers.

This role manages a diverse portfolio spanning group risk and health benefit administration, advisor reserve fund management, regulatory compliance, HR operations, and formal legal hearing proceedings. If you have world-class organizational skills, strong financial numeracy, a regulatory mindset, and absolute discretion, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities:

Data & Submissions: Act as the sole custodian of the Group Risk benefit programme. Maintain the monthly Data Schedule Register and submit accurate employee updates (additions, removals, salary changes) to Discovery by the 15th of each month.

Billing & Finance Allocation: Verify monthly billing statements, resolve discrepancies (such as mismatched salaries or incorrect premiums), and load approved recoupments and figures into the expense sheet for payroll.

Claims & Beneficiaries: Assist employees with claims documentation (ICB, SIB, Life, Disability, Funeral), secure required Director authorizations, track progress, and securely manage all beneficiary nomination forms.

Group Health Register: Maintain an accurate internal Group Health Register, reconciling monthly medical aid billing statements against payroll deductions and resolving any variances.

Employee Support: Serve as the primary contact for benefit queries, facilitate continuation options for resigning staff, and proactively advise employees approaching age 65.

Register Management: Reconcile internal registers with Investec and Ninety-One statements monthly to ensure zero open variances. Open new accounts ensuring full FICA and compliance requirements are met.

Transactions & Withdrawals: Track deposits, fees, and interest. Process pre-authorized withdrawal requests from the Ninety-One platform and coordinate with the Finance department for payment releases.

Process Management: Preside over internal hearings in a fair, unbiased, and procedurally compliant manner.

Legal Liaison: Partner closely with the companys external legal advisors to review evidence, seek guidance on complex cases, and deliberate on outcomes. Sign off on written outcomes within legislated timeframes.

Performance Management: Coordinate review cycles (KPI setting, mid-year, and annual appraisals) and partner with line managers to address concerns.

Employee Relations: Manage day-to-day employee relations, grievances, conflict resolution, and update HR policies in line with South African labour legislation.

Compliance & Payroll Support: Oversee leave management, provide payroll-related benefit/salary inputs to Finance, and ensure statutory reporting obligations (Employment Equity, BBBEE, WSP/ATR) are met.

Office Administration: Maintain secure, audit-ready HR records, coordinate internal meetings, and liaise with external stakeholders (auditors, legal consultants, and regulatory bodies).

Requirements:

Attention to Detail & Accuracy: Proven capability to catch errors in registers, billing statements, and financial schedules before they cause a compliance breach or financial loss.

Financial Numeracy: Highly comfortable working with financial statements, fund balances, interest calculations, payroll deductions, and spotting variances immediately.

Confidentiality & Integrity: Demonstrated ability to manage highly sensitive salary data, advisor balances, beneficiary information, and disciplinary records with absolute discretion.

Regulatory & Compliance Mindset: Sound understanding of South African labour law, FAIS, FICA, POPIA, FSCA, and general employee benefit compliance.

Organisational Excellence: Exceptionally organized, capable of managing multiple live registers, strict billing deadlines, and complex portfolios simultaneously.

Emotional Intelligence & Resilience: Composed, empathetic, and professional when handling sensitive employee situations (vulnerable claims, hearings, terminations) and resilient under deadline pressure.

Drivers Licence: A valid drivers licence is advantageous (for occasional local travel/branch visits).