Job Description

When it comes to putting people first, we're number 1.

The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa.

Certified by the Top Employer Institute 2025.

Role Purpose/Business Unit:

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To ensure that Vodacom Group, (including Subsidiaries & OPCO's) complies fully with the spirit and statutes of all relevant employment legislation, that substantive and procedural fairness prevails (for approximately 5000 employees employed by Vodacom in SA ) and that high quality legal advice and support is available whenever needed to handle labour and employment related issues. In addition, the role requires frequent and expeditious and complex strategic decision making that always has financial risk and reputational consequences for the Company and therefore requires the identification of and the management of any consequence (reputational, financial, legal) that may arise from decisions and recommendations implemented as well as complex specialist litigation. Determine, manage, exercise oversight and control employment law related decisions to ensure Company and Group compliance with applicable legislation and to mitigate risk to the business and its reputation. Highly developed skills in expert role to provide specialist counsel in employment law matters as they arise, requiring the balancing the needs of the business and the application of the law. Specific responsibilities of this position also include defining employment law strategy and providing guidance and support to the business as well as keeping the Chief Legal Officer fully informed on all significant legal matters and an assessment of the risk arising therefrom.

Your responsibilities will include:

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Setting the vision and strategic objectives of the Employment Law function. Develops and maintains Vodacom's strategic employment law agenda. Overall responsibility for the team/s direction and deliverables Managing all risks related to employment law issues Manage a team of two Principle Specialist experts in employment law Set the overall strategy for employment law across Vodacom SA Manage risks related to internal and external stakeholders: + All internal stakeholders across Vodacom SA
+ Engage and guide International Market Opco's on employment related high risk and sensitive issues as and when required on an ad hoc basis from SA
+ Ensure external stakeholders (service providers including CEO's of service providers) engage with their employees and / or unions to prevent disputes and industrial action on Vodacom's premises.
Provide on-going consulting advice across functional teams on high impact and complex issues and dissemination of information required to ensure compliance with prevailing employment legislation and case law with due consideration to the culture of the Company. Ensure compliance with law as handed down by Constitutional Court, Labour Appeal Court, Labour Court and CCMA arbitrations, substantively and procedurally fair consistent treatment of employees in the complex field of employment law which is constantly in a state of flux consideration must be given to past practice, parity, case law and the principle of fairness. Provide on-going consulting advice across functional teams on high impact and complex issues and dissemination of information required to ensure compliance with prevailing employment legislation and case law with due consideration to the culture of the Company. Ensure compliance with law as handed down by Constitutional Court, Labour Appeal Court, Labour Court and CCMA arbitrations, substantively and procedurally fair consistent treatment of employees in the complex field of employment law which is constantly in a state of flux consideration must be given to past practice, parity, case law and the principle of fairness.

Ensure substantive and procedural fairness in all disciplinary and incapacity hearings

Ensure evidence is identified, collected and prepared in a thorough and consistent manner that proves the transgression. Prepare initiators to present the Company's case in complex and sensitive disciplinary enquiries Advice to line managers on decisions and sanctions in disciplinary discussions to ensure fairness and consistency.

Employment-related litigation

Manage CCMA conciliations and arbitrations by providing guidance and direction to principle specialists (to maintain 100 per cent CCMA target success rate). Manage and instruct attorneys and counsel in Labour Court and High Court litigation (reviewing applications, affidavits, discrimination matters, enforcing restraints of trade etc. Managing the enforcing of restraints of trade agreements in the Labour Court and reviewing and amending court papers drafted by external attorneys so that facts are correct. Manage recommendations on key and high impact cases to the Chief Legal Officer and key stakeholders. Considering applications by employees to be released from restraints of trade.

Review and revision of policies

Draft, review and approve the updating of all employment law related policies as and when required to ensure compliance with legislation and case law and to ensure that there are no gaps in Vodacom's policies Advise Policy owners of gaps in their policies from an employment law perspective.

Preparing agreements

Drafting, updating, amending, finalising and approving standard templates for agreements (employment contracts, consultancy agreements, mutual separation, labour brokers, settlement agreements, foreign national employment contract etc.). Drafting ad hoc agreements as and when required e.g. bespoke settlement agreements, including ad hoc agreements for Opco's and subsidiaries Reviewing employment law clauses in various commercial agreement to ensure compliance with SA Labour Law, for example ABSA, Tongaat Hulet, Exxaro.

Manage key stakeholder relationships at senior levels within organisation and service providers rendering services on Vodacom's premises

Business - across functional Unions / organised labour (eg NASA) NCC--regular meetings with NCC to ensure employee disputes resolved at the earliest opportunity Service Providers, including CEO's of respective Service Providers, (Bidvest, Prestige, Recycle Drive, FunxionO, Bytes, TopTurf ) to ensure fair treatment of Service Provider employees and no industrial action on Vodacom premises by Service Provider employees.

Guidance and support to employment law professionals

Leading the team to ensure they deliver on strategic objectives and ensure fair and consistent treatment of employees whilst at the same time protecting the interest of Vodacom. On-going coaching/feedback to the team. Risk minimisation and cost containment. Allocating tasks to team members and reviewing their output as and when required.

Develop framework and maintain framework employee engagement and NCC

Regular engagement with NCC to build relationships, prevent disputes from arising and resolve disputes at the earliest opportunity. Review Service Providers' employee engagement processes and engage with Service Providers to ensure major dispute with their employees (who are placed at Company premises) are resolved at earliest opportunity.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

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LLB degree plus admitted Advocate or Attorney. Minimum 10 - 15 years of experience in applying law with at least 10 years of specialising in employment law. Able to lead and guide a professional team specialising in employment law and have the ability to make sound expeditious legal decisions /provide sound legal advice under high level of stress

Technical / Professional Expertise

Experience in dispute resolution Experience in dealing with unions Litigation, drafting, negotiating and research experience Appreciation of the concept of fairness Thorough knowledge of employment legislation and case law, CCMA and Labour Court rules. Alternative dispute resolution experience (negotiated solutions).

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The role requires expert (broad and comprehensive) understanding of South African Labour Law and internal case history and the need for compliance in strategic and operational decision-making. Other requirements include the ability to provide quick feedback and professional guidance based on sound analysis of multiple sources of information, including the consequences of employment law and advise of the business (''bigger picture")



Closing date for Applications:

13 May 2025.

The base location for this role is

Vodacom, Midrand Campus.

The company's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.

Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.