Retail Talent Lead


 Job Purpose

To lead the retail talent strategy by ensuring the business has a sustainable pipeline of high-performing talent through strategic workforce planning, innovative sourcing methodologies, employer branding, external talent partnerships, succession planning, and internal talent mobility. The role enables business growth by strengthening talent availability, reducing critical vacancies, and building leadership bench strength across the retail network.

Key Accountabilities

Workforce Planning & Talent Strategy

Develop and execute the retail workforce planning strategy aligned to business growth.

Translate commercial growth plans into talent demand forecasts.

Identify future capability requirements and talent risks.

Build proactive talent plans for new store openings and business expansion.

Monitor workforce trends, labour availability and competitor activity.

Talent Acquisition Strategy

Design and implement innovative sourcing methodologies.

Develop diverse talent pipelines across all retail roles.

Optimise recruitment channels to improve quality of hire.

Drive recruitment efficiency, speed and candidate experience.

Leverage talent intelligence to inform sourcing decisions.

Employer Brand

Develop and execute the employer brand strategy across internal and external platforms by:

Positioning the organisation as an employer of choice.

Driving employee advocacy.

Enhancing candidate experience.

Developing recruitment marketing campaigns.

Managing employer branding across digital platforms.

Measuring employer brand effectiveness.

External Talent Partnerships

Develop strategic partnerships with

Universities, TVET Colleges, SETA's, Recruitment partners, Community organisations, Industry bodies, Graduate programmes, Learnership providers to create sustainable talent pipelines.

Internal Talent & Succession

Lead the retail succession strategy through

Critical role succession planning

Talent reviews

Talent calibration

Bench strength planning

Internal mobility

Career pathways

Readiness assessments

Identification of high-potential talent

Leadership Bench Development

Partner with Learning & Development and Operations to

Build leadership pipelines.

Develop future Store Managers.

Strengthen Area Coach and Regional Manager succession.

Monitor leadership readiness.

Improve internal promotion rates.

Talent Intelligence & Reporting

Develop meaningful talent insights by monitoring

Vacancy trends

Time to fill

Quality of hire

Internal promotion rate

Succession coverage

Bench strength

Candidate experience

Source effectiveness

Turnover trends

Workforce risks

Translate data into actionable business recommendations.

Governance & Operational Excellence

Ensure recruitment governance and compliance.

Standardise talent practices.

Improve recruitment processes.

Manage recruitment technology and systems.

Ensure legislative compliance.

Drive continuous improvement.

Decision Making

The role is accountable for decisions relating to

Talent sourcing strategy

Workforce planning recommendations

Recruitment methodologies

External partnerships

Employer branding initiatives

Succession pipeline recommendations

Talent risk mitigation

Recruitment governance

Stakeholder Management

Internal

Executive Leadership

HR Executive

Operations Executive

Regional Managers

Area Coaches

Store Managers

Learning & Development

HR Business Partners

Reward

Marketing

External

Recruitment agencies

Universities

TVET Colleges

SETAs

Community organisations

Industry partners

Employer branding agencies

Digital recruitment platforms

Key Performance Indicators

Time to Fill

Quality of Hire

Cost per Hire

Internal Promotion Rate

Succession Coverage

Leadership Bench Strength

Critical Vacancy Fill Rate

Candidate Experience (NPS)

Hiring Manager Satisfaction

Employer Brand Reach

Pipeline Readiness

Diversity Targets

Offer Acceptance Rate

Early Attrition

Recruitment SLA Achievement

Required Knowledge

Strategic Workforce Planning

Talent Acquisition

Employer Branding

Succession Planning

Talent Management

Retail Operations

Labour Legislation

HR Analytics

Recruitment Marketing

Assessment Methodologies

Talent Intelligence

Change Management

Experience

7–10 years’ progressive HR or Talent Acquisition experience, with significant exposure to multi-site retail or hospitality environments.

Proven experience developing and executing workforce planning strategies.

Demonstrated success leading employer branding initiatives and recruitment marketing.

Experience designing succession planning frameworks and building leadership pipelines.

Strong track record of establishing strategic external partnerships and talent sourcing networks.

Experience influencing senior leaders through data-driven talent insights.

Competencies

Strategic Leadership

Strategic thinking

Commercial acumen

Systems thinking

Business partnering

Talent Excellence

Workforce planning

Talent assessment

Succession management

Talent analytics

Recruitment strategy

Leadership

Influencing

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Coaching

Collaboration

Execution

Planning and organising

Project management

Innovation

Continuous improvement

Results orientation

Behavioural

Customer focus

Accountability

Courageous conversations

Adaptability

Learning agility

Integrity