Job Ref #: SAMSA-PTA-2026-001
Industry: Freight/Shipping/Transport/Import/Export
Job Type: Permanent
Positions Available: 1

Job Description

Key Responsibilities 

1. Strategic Advisory 

• Serve as the authoritative legal advisor to EXCO and the Board on all complex labour law matters, risk exposure, and evolving legal precedents.
• Develop, conceptualize, and execute SAMSA’s enterprise-wide employee relations and labor strategy, ensuring tight alignment with the Annual Performance Plan (APP) and overall Strategic Plan.
• Formulate high-level legal opinions and strategic frameworks governing policies, disciplinary actions, restructuring/retrenchments, and collective agreements.
• Translate complex legal and labour risks into practical, agile business solutions that reinforce corporate governance and organizational resilience. 

2. Representation & Advanced Labour Litigation Management 

• Act as the primary representative for SAMSA at the CCMA, Labor Court, Bargaining Councils, and high-level arbitration forums.
• Direct and manage all high-stakes labour disputes, including unfair dismissals, unfair labour practices, and complex collective bargaining disputes.
• Oversee and ensure that all disciplinary actions, investigations, and grievance hearings are meticulously executed, procedurally sound, and legally airtight to minimize risk and establish positive organizational precedents. 

3. Collective Bargaining & Strategic Stakeholder Relations 

• Lead SAMSA’s collective bargaining processes and wage negotiations with recognized trade unions as the chief negotiator.
• Draft, negotiate, and conclude robust collective agreements, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), and settlement agreements that protect employer interests.
• Build and sustain constructive, high-trust partnerships with employee representative bodies to minimize disruptions and guarantee operational continuity at all ports and offices.
• Deploy advanced mediation and conflict-resolution frameworks to navigate sensitive labor matters and maintain institutional harmony.

4. Compliance, Governance & Analytics 

• Ensure absolute organizational compliance with the Labour Relations Act (LRA), Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), Employment Equity Act (EEA), and all other statutory frameworks.
• Drive continuous policy innovation and process optimization in response to legislative changes and modern workplace trends.
• Establish advanced case management systems, ER dashboards, and data analytics to track trends, forecast scenarios, mitigate risks, and optimize human capital return on investment (ROI). 

5. Institutional Capacity Building & Leadership Coaching 

• Coordinate executive-level training programs for Centre heads and line managers on labour law compliance, dispute prevention, and grievance mastery.
• Mentor internal talent and build robust institutional capacity across SAMSA’s human capital landscape.
• Foster a high-performance culture rooted in informed leadership, judgment, and consistent application of fair labour practices

Job Requirements

Qualifications & Certification

• Matric: National Senior Certificate (NQF Level 4) is essential. 
• Formal Education: An LLB or BProc Degree with a specialized focus on Labor Law (NQF Level 8) is essential. 
• Professional Status: Admission as an Attorney or Advocate.

Experience

• Post-Qualification Experience: A minimum of seven (7) years of comprehensive post-qualification experience actively litigating and managing labour matters at the CCMA and Labor Court on behalf of employers. 
• Leadership Experience: At least three (3) years must be at a management level. 
• Strategic Exposure: Demonstrated track record of directly advising Executive Committees (EXCO) and Boards on complex labour matters. 
• Bargaining Mastery: Proven experience in leading collective bargaining, presiding over complex hearings, and managing high-stakes negotiations at the Bargaining Council level. 
• Added Advantage: Experience serving as a CCMA Commissioner or possessing direct exposure to presiding at the Labor Court. 

Core Competencies & Executive Skills 

• Executive Legal Drafting: Mastery in drafting sophisticated legal opinions, pleadings, court documents, settlement agreements, and enterprise-wide policies. 
• Strategic Thinker & Innovator: Ability to integrate data fusion, scenario forecasting, and ER analytics into risk-proof business strategies. 
• Advanced Negotiation & Advocacy: High-level persuasive and commanding presentation skills within the Labor Court, CCMA, and collective bargaining arenas. 
• Crisis Leadership & Agility: Proven capacity to orchestrate rapid-response harmony systems, ensuring business continuity during labour tension or transformation. 
• Stakeholder Engagement: Exceptional communication skills tailored for seamless engagement across trade unions, legal practitioners, and board members. 
• Administrative & Governance: Uncompromising standards of record-keeping, case management and financial budgeting for the ER portfolio. 

Additional Requirements 

• Willingness and flexibility to travel to SAMSA regional offices, operational hubs, and ports as required. 
• An impeccable track record of professional ethics, profound confidentiality, and personal integrity.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we are committed to Employment Equity in our employment practices, it is our intention to appoint individuals with the aim of meeting our Equity objectives. Preference will be given to African Males, Indian Males, African Females, Coloured Females and persons living with disability to achieve the objectives of Employment Equity.

CLOSING DATE: 26 JUNE 2026

For any related queries regarding this position, please contact Ms Zanele Zwane at 012 366 2600.

Please note: SAMSA reserves the right not to make an appointment to any advertised position. No late applications will be considered. Psychometric and other assessments may be used as part of the selection process and all shortlisted candidates will be required to be available for the tests. If you have not been contacted within 1 month of the closing date as mentioned above, kindly deem your application unsuccessful.