Provides specialist expertise in Employee Relations, ensuring alignment with Mozambican labour legislation and applicable labour governance frameworks across the Company. As the subject matter expert on disciplinary processes, grievances, investigations, and union engagement, the role supports the business in managing workforce relations risk and maintaining operational stability. The Specialist acts as a trusted advisor to HR Operations and leadership, guiding complex matters with procedural fairness and consistency, while supporting Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) processes and engagement with unions, employee representatives, and regulatory bodies. The role also contributes to strengthening employee relations capability, improving workforce engagement practices, and embedding consistent, forward-looking labour relations approaches across the organisation.

Responsibilities:

• EMPLOYEE RELATIONS ADVISORY & GOVERNANCE
• Provide expert guidance to HR Operations, leadership, and contractors on employee relations matters, ensuring consistent and compliant application of labour law, mining work regulations, and company procedures.
• Act as the escalation point for complex, high-risk, or sensitive cases, providing direction on handling, outcomes, and risk mitigation.
• Ensure alignment of employee relations practices with legislation, internal governance standards, and broader labour frameworks, embedding these into day-to-day operations.
• Identify, assess, and escalate labour-related risks early, driving proactive mitigation and de-escalation to reduce operational impact.
• Drive consistency in the interpretation and application of policies, disciplinary codes, and procedures, while strengthening employee relations practices.
• Ensure employee relations practices support governance standards, sustainability commitments, and workforce compliance.
• Maintain and continuously improve the Company’s industrial action contingency plan to ensure operational readiness and business continuity.
• DISCIPLINARY, GRIEVANCE & INVESTIGATION
• Lead complex disciplinary processes, grievances, and workplace investigations, ensuring procedural fairness and legal compliance.
• Provide structured guidance to HR Operations on case management and documentation, while directly leading high-risk or complex cases.
• Review investigation findings and disciplinary outcomes to ensure quality, consistency, and defensibility.
• Support preparation for hearings, appeals, and external processes, including labour authority engagements.
• Analyse case trends to identify systemic issues and recommend corrective actions.
• Maintain, review, and update the Company’s Workplace Complaint and Grievance Procedure.
• UNION ENGAGEMENT & COLLECTIVE LABOUR AGREEMENT (CLA)
• Support preparation and execution of CLA processes, including mandate development, negotiation support, and implementation.
• Provide technical input on labour law, mining work regulations, and risk considerations during negotiations and engagements.
• Support structured union engagement in coordination with leadership, promoting constructive relationships and consistency in approach.
• Monitor compliance with CLA provisions, supporting interpretation and alignment with operational execution.
• Contribute to post-agreement implementation, including communication and awareness initiatives to support workforce stability.
• Maintain effective relationships with provincial and national union representatives.
• LABOUR LAW COMPLIANCE & REGULATORY ENGAGEMENT
• Ensure ongoing compliance with Mozambican labour legislation, embedding regulatory requirements into operations.
• Support labour inspections, audits, and regulatory engagements, ensuring readiness and accurate representation.
• Advise on legal and regulatory developments, translating requirements into practical guidance.
• Work closely with Legal and HR Corporate to align on regulatory exposure and mitigation strategies.
• Support integration of local regulatory requirements with broader labour governance standards.
• CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE RELATIONS & COMPLIANCE
• Provide employee relations practices across contractor workforces, ensuring alignment with labour law, company standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Support implementation of the Contractor Management Framework with a focus on labour compliance.
• Lead the employee relations component of contractor audits, focusing on employment practices and statutory compliance.
• Identify and assess risks within contractor workforces, driving corrective actions to address non-compliance and disputes.
• Guide contract owners and HR Operations in managing contractor-related matters and strengthening workforce practices.
• SUPPORT TO HR OPERATIONS & LEADERSHIP
• Provide coaching and guidance to HR Operations to strengthen capability in managing employee relations matters.
• Support line managers in navigating complex workforce issues, balancing compliance with operational realities.
• Build HR Operations capability to manage routine employee relations processes independently over time.
• Strengthen organisational capability through labour-related training and awareness initiatives for leadership, workforce, and unions, including collaboration with external stakeholders.
• Promote proactive workforce management through early identification and resolution of employee relations risks.
• REPORTING & INSIGHTS
• Track and analyse employee relations cases to identify trends, risks, and recurring concerns.
• Provide structured insights to support informed decision-making.
• Support development of action plans to address systemic workforce concerns.
• Ensure accuracy and consistency of employee relations data for reporting and governance purposes.
• Contribute to strengthening employee relations metrics and reporting frameworks to support proactive management.
• INTERNAL & EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
• Lead and support engagement with unions and employee representatives on employee relations matters.
• Engage with labour authorities on inspections, disputes, and regulatory processes.
• Represent the Employee Relations function in workforce risk matters, ensuring consistency in approach.
• Work closely with Operations, HR Operations, and contract owners to ensure consistent application of employee relations practices.
• Support contractor-related engagements where employee relations risks arise.
• Participate in relevant external forums, incorporating learnings into company practices.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Law, Human Resources, Industrial Relations, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a specialised Employee Relations, Labour Relations, or a similar specialist function, preferably within a mining or site-based environment.
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex disciplinary processes, grievances, and workplace investigations.
• Proven experience supporting union engagement and collective labour agreement processes.
• Strong knowledge of Mozambican labour law and regulatory requirements, with ability to apply legislation in an operational context.
• Established experience engaging with key external stakeholders, including labour authorities, union representatives, and employer associations.
• Experience in contractor workforce environments and exposure to labour compliance risks within multi-contractor operations is advantageous.
• Strong analytical and decision-making capability, with the ability to assess risk and provide practical, defensible guidance.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Fluent in English and Portuguese (written and verbal).
• Strong report writing capability, including preparation of executive-level reports and formal documentation.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office tools.