Senior Manager, People Strategy

Who We Are

SPAN Digital is a growing premium software product and consulting services company headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional development offices in Cape Town, South Africa, and Guadalajara, Mexico. We have experience in a broad range of industries but are keenly focused on the technology, entertainment, and healthcare sectors. We strategize, design, and develop software solutions for our clients and customers from startups to global brands. We help engineering teams successfully overcome the challenges caused by the accelerating pace of change in software development, allowing them to build better digital solutions.

Our Services Teams work side-by-side with our client’s engineering teams to develop prototypes, proof-of-concepts, production services, and major product enhancements.

Our Product Teams leverage our unique vantage point to develop category-defining products that enable our customers’ teams to significantly outperform the competition.

How You Can Help

SPAN Digital is seeking a dynamic and highly motivated Senior Manager of People Strategy to join our growing team! This role will be located in Cape Town, South Africa, and will manage the day-to-day execution of the people operations / HR function with a primary focus on SPAN’s South Africa region, and also supporting SPAN globally as needed. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and the Regional Managing Director, the ideal candidate will have hands-on people operations / HR experience in the technology industry and is looking to further their career in a business focused on technology services and products. This is an exciting opportunity to join a fast-moving, agile company and positively impact our great people.

The Senior Manager of People Strategy will contribute to the implementation and continuous improvement of people strategies in partnership with SPAN’s Leadership Team which will drive SPAN forward as an employer of choice and support the organization in achieving its vision, mission, and strategic goals.

What You’ll Do

Support and Implement People Initiatives

• Contribute to translating the business strategy, and SPAN’s vision, mission, and principles, into actionable people initiatives.
• Support the development and refinement of objectives for SPAN’s People Strategy function.
• Ensure effective communication with the local Regional Managing Director, the Extended Leadership Team, and internal stakeholders in the area of people development, ensuring the full life cycle of our people is supported.
• Provide operational leadership and support as appropriate for payroll, compensation and benefits, retirement/exit, and policy administration.
  
  

Provide Leadership, Culture, and Development Opportunities

• Champion SPAN’s principles internally and externally, helping to cultivate a positive and engaging work environment.
• Contribute to fostering a culture of being a fast-moving organization that embraces change.
• Lead the Recruitment function while also actively recruiting new talent. Ensure effective initial onboarding in alignment with our culture and principles and positioning SPAN as an employer of choice in the industry.
• Lead and/or participate in the implementation of job role architectures, career progression paths, performance management processes, and total rewards that are meaningful to our people and result in increased retention.
• Lead and/or participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of:
• Learning and Development programs to include Professional Skills, Leadership, Culture/Principles, and Coaching.
• Tools and processes that identify and maximize the potential, and improve the capability, of individuals, teams, and the organization through continuous improvement.
• Lead the creation and measurement of appropriate HR key performance indicators to enable SPAN leaders to monitor the impact of our people development strategies.
  
  

Implement Risk Management & Controls

• Ensure compliance with local labor laws and company policies, and help identify and manage risks appropriately and effectively.
• Support the preparation, review, and monitoring of functional financial budgets.
• Analyze, suggest, and implement improvements to our Employee Value Proposition to maximize its impact and support sustainable growth.
• Carry out any other duties appropriate to this position by the Regional Managing Director or SPAN’s Leadership Team.
  
  

What You'll Need

Experience

• Eight (8) years minimum experience in HR functions, ideally in organizations focused on people, client services, technology, and growth.
• Three (3) years minimum experience managing an HR team supporting an organization in scale-up mode (i.e. 40+ people and growing).
• Two (2) to three (3) years of proven experience Recruiting and leading the Recruiting / Talent Acquisition function for software engineering and project management roles.
• Experience implementing people-focused strategies to deliver business objectives.
• Experience supporting and collaborating with leaders and teams through organizational change, driving culture, and developing high-performing leaders, employees, and teams.
  
  

Skills & Abilities

• Collaborative working style and a strong track record of influencing and partnering with key decision-makers.
• Confident and effective communication and engagement and polished communication style in all mediums.
• High levels of commitment to the achievement of business objectives.
• Ability to provide day-to-day direction and solve problems.
• Innovative thinker capable of translating strategy into operational plans and business objectives into a highly engaging and robust people strategy.
• Data-driven to manage information and interpret and present high-quality written, oral, and numerical information.
• Financial acumen proficiency including supporting budgeting and forecasting.
  
  

Location & Travel

• This position is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and is expected to effectively collaborate with our teams and clients in both North America and South Africa time zones.
• Ability to travel globally, as required.
  
  

Education And Qualifications

• Degree level in Human Resources, Management, or a Business discipline.
• HR certifications (SABPP-CHRP, SHRM-SCP, GPHR, etc) are desired but not required.
  
  

You’ll love it here if:

• You are allergic to hierarchical, bureaucratic, business-card cultures
• You're sad many of the greatest minds in our generation are busy tricking people into clicking on ads
• You want to work with very smart people from different backgrounds
• You are a voracious learner & an eager teacher of others
• You want to be led from the front, not commanded from the rear
• You don't tolerate intra-office posturing or other douchebaggery
• You're excited to work on a broader array of interesting, challenging projects than you can anywhere else
  
  

What we offer:

• Flexible and generous work & leave schedule
• Hybrid working model (the best of both worlds)
• Learning organization based on a reverence for expertise & craftsmanship (Meetups, Conferences, Lunch & Learning Fridays, TechRadar Sessions, e-Learning)
• Friday catered lunches, on-site haircuts, pet-friendly workplace, ping pong (a home away from home)
• Charitable community initiatives, employee awards, and recognition
• MacBook and home office allowance (to ensure you have all the tools you need to make you effective)