Senior Manager: Employee Relations

Closing date yi 26 ka June 2026

SAMSA is seeking a seasoned, legal and industrial relations expert to lead our enterprise-wide Employee Relations portfolio.
As the Senior Manager: Employee Relations, you will serve as a trusted advisor to Executive Management (EXCO) and the Board, architecting risk-proof labour strategies that ensure compliance, operational stability, and a harmonious workplace culture.

Matric: National Senior Certificate (NQF Level 4) is essential.
Formal Education: An LLB or BProc Degree with a specialised focus on Labour Law (NQF Level 8) is essential.
Professional Status: Admission as an Attorney or Advocate
Post-Qualification Experience: A minimum of seven (7) years of comprehensive post-qualification experience actively litigating and managing labour matters at the CCMA and Labour Court on behalf of employers.
Leadership Experience: At least three (3) years must be at a management level.
Strategic Exposure: Demonstrated track record of directly advising Executive Committees (EXCO) and Boards on complex labour matters.
Bargaining Mastery: Proven experience in leading collective bargaining, presiding over complex hearings, and managing high-stakes negotiations at the Bargaining Council level.
Added Advantage: Experience serving as a CCMA Commissioner or possessing direct exposure to presiding at the Labour Court.

Executive Legal Drafting: Mastery in drafting sophisticated legal opinions, pleadings, court documents, settlement agreements, and enterprise-wide policies.
Strategic Thinker & Innovator: Ability to integrate data fusion, scenario forecasting, and ER analytics into risk-proof business strategies.
Advanced Negotiation & Advocacy: High-level persuasive and commanding presentation skills within the Labour Court, CCMA, and collective bargaining arenas.
Crisis Leadership & Agility: Proven capacity to orchestrate rapid-response harmony systems, ensuring business continuity during labour tension or transformation.
Stakeholder Engagement: Exceptional communication skills tailored for seamless engagement across trade unions, legal practitioners, and board members.
Administrative & Governance: Uncompromising standards of record-keeping, case management and financial budgeting for the ER portfolio.

Additional Requirements

Willingness and flexibility to travel to SAMSA regional offices, operational hubs, and ports as required.
An impeccable track record of professional ethics, profound confidentiality, and personal integrity.

Strategic Advisory

Serve as the authoritative legal advisor to EXCO and the Board on all complex labour law matters, risk exposure, and evolving legal precedents.
Develop, conceptualise, and execute SAMSA’s enterprise-wide employee relations and labour strategy, ensuring tight alignment with the Annual Performance Plan (APP) and overall Strategic Plan.
Formulate high-level legal opinions and strategic frameworks governing policies, disciplinary actions, restructuring/retrenchments, and collective agreements.
Translate complex legal and labour risks into practical, agile business solutions that reinforce corporate governance and organisational resilience.

Representation & Advanced Labour Litigation Management

Act as the primary representative for SAMSA at the CCMA, Labour Court, Bargaining Councils, and high-level arbitration forums.
Direct and manage all high-stakes labour disputes, including unfair dismissals, unfair labour practices, and complex collective bargaining disputes.
Oversee and ensure that all disciplinary actions, investigations, and grievance hearings are meticulously executed, procedurally sound, and legally airtight to minimise risk and establish positive organisational precedents.

Collective Bargaining & Strategic Stakeholder Relations

Lead SAMSA’s collective bargaining processes and wage negotiations with recognised trade unions as the chief negotiator.
Draft, negotiate, and conclude robust collective agreements, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), and settlement agreements that protect employer interests.
Build and sustain constructive, high-trust partnerships with employee representative bodies to minimise disruptions and guarantee operational continuity at all ports and offices.
Deploy advanced mediation and conflict-resolution frameworks to navigate sensitive labour matters and maintain institutional harmony.

Compliance, Governance & Analytics

Ensure absolute organisational compliance with the Labour Relations Act (LRA), Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), Employment Equity Act (EEA), and all other statutory frameworks.
Drive continuous policy innovation and process optimisation in response to legislative changes and modern workplace trends.
Establish advanced case management systems, ER dashboards, and data analytics to track trends, forecast scenarios, mitigate risks, and optimise human capital return on investment (ROI).

Institutional Capacity Building & Leadership Coaching

Coordinate executive-level training programs for Centre heads and line managers on labour law compliance, dispute prevention, and grievance mastery.
Mentor internal talent and build robust institutional capacity across SAMSA’s human capital landscape.
Foster a high-performance culture rooted in informed leadership, judgement, and consistent application of fair labour practices.

As we are committed to Employment Equity in our employment practices, it is our intention to appoint individuals with the aim of meeting our Equity objectives.
Preference will be given to African Males, Indian Males, African Females, Coloured Females and persons living with disability to achieve the objectives of Employment Equity.
Please note: SAMSA reserves the right not to make an appointment to any advertised position.
No late applications will be considered.
Psychometric and other assessments may be used as part of the selection process and all shortlisted candidates will be required to be available for the tests.
If you have not been contacted within 3 months of the closing date as mentioned above, kindly deem your application unsuccessful.