Group Specialist: DEI and Skills Development (Durban North) at Aspen Pharma Group

ROLE PURPOSE:

• The main purpose of the role is to ensure the organisation’s compliance and manage the risk in terms of the Skills Development Act, National Qualifications Act, Skills Development Levies Act, SAQA Act, BBBEE Act, BCEA, Labour Relations Act & EEA in terms of skills development. This role is responsible for all HCIS relating to Transformation and Compliance and plays an integral part in ensuring the management, analysis, and communication of key transformation and compliance data and management information. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Skills Development Facilitation (SA BU’s):

• Act as Aspen’s Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) and primary liaison with CHIETA.
• Coordinate and compile Workplace Skills Plans (WSP) and Annual Training Reports (ATR).
• Ensure compliance with SETA requirements, grant applications, and reporting deadlines.
• Maximise funding opportunities through learnerships, apprenticeships, and internships.
• Support business units with toolkits, training, and capability building.
• Maintain strong stakeholder relationships with CHIETA and internal teams.
• Develop SOPs, templates, and processes for skills development initiatives.

Audits:

• Empowerdex - Prepare for Empowerdex audit, completing all required templates and collating supporting documentation
• Sustainability - Champion the Sustainability Cr360

Training & Development:

• Oversee and assess employee and departmental training needs, partnering with managers to create training plans in accordance with the employee and business requirements.
• Ensure training needs are met in accordance with employee and business needs in a timely and effective manner.

OAO and Group Communication:

• Champion the Group HC OAO page, working closely with COE”s to ensure that all information is easily accessible, sequential, and current
• Prepare communication for social media sites.

Transformation Compliance:

• Lead policy reviews to ensure compliance with government regulations
• Oversee sustainability reporting (CR360) across global business units, ensuring data accuracy and timely submissions.
• Drive B-BBEE skills development initiatives, scenario planning, and mini audits to improve scorecard ratings.
• Manage employment equity plans, reporting, and committee engagements to exceed transformation targets.

Projects:

• Devise and own the HC project plan, ensuring key milestones are identified and communicated to key stakeholders;
• Working with the Business Partners, COE’s key stakeholders, and project team (where applicable) to ensure the delivery of key project milestones on time and within budget, resource, and policy;

HC Information System:

• Serve as superuser for the Group Internal Training System (GITS) and champion the LMS.
• Develop SOPs for consistent data capture and reporting across business units.
• Provide troubleshooting support, manage vendors, and oversee system updates.
• Ensure integration between learning systems and other HC platforms

Training Budgets:

• Collate, review and consolidate the budgets for presentation to Group HC Exec
• Review and make recommendations based on requests for budget spend outside of approved budget

Reporting and Analytics:

• Analyse and present national and global training, transformation, and compliance data.
• Prepare quarterly and annual reports for internal committees, highlighting risks and recommending improvements.
• Monitor progress on transformation initiatives and escalate business risks where necessary.

Training Admin:

• Ensure effective internal communication to meet the objectives of the Ethics & Compliance function.
• Assist in adapting certain business procedures to local rules, industry codes, and regulations.
• Monitor implementation of the policies and business procedures issued and ensure that all communication at the local level is in accordance with these.
• Monitor and manage the HR department'snt Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s).

Customer Service:

• Develop SLA’s for key areas of accountability; 
• All queries are followed up and resolved in the shortest possible timeframe within the policy/SLA framework.
• A professional attitude is displayed when responding to a customer’s needs.
• Methods for improving customer services are proposed, developed, and continuously updated; 
• Internal and external customers are constantly updated as to the progress of their queries.

Requirements
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree (NQF 7) in HR, Industrial/Organisational Psychology, or a related field; SDF qualification essential.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in training, organisational development, or transformation compliance.
• At least 3 years’ experience engaging with SETAs as a qualified SDF and compiling WSP/ATR.
• Strong project management skills with advanced MS Excel and Office 365 proficiency.
• In-depth knowledge of SA transformation legislation, B-BBEE (Skills Development & Management Control), and Employment Equity.
• Experience managing SETA grants, budgets, and reporting at a group/global level.
• Exposure to implementing and managing learning systems (LMS/HCIS).

Skills & Attributes:

• Advanced communication skills (oral & written) and strong stakeholder engagement from junior to senior levels.
• Skilled in planning, organising, and managing multiple projects at a global scale.
• Strong analytical capability, attention to detail, and business acumen.
• Independent, innovative, and deadline-driven with proven ownership of deliverables.
• Proficient in navigating social media campaigns and managing customer relationships.

Knowledge:

• Deep understanding of Skills Development Act, Employment Equity Act, and B-BBEE.
• Expertise in training and development reporting processes and metrics.
• HC generalist knowledge with strong senior-level report writing skills.