Head of Corporate Services

Our client is seeking an exceptional Head of Corporate Services to join its executive leadership team. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for driving the operational, financial, governance, people, and commercial support functions of a high-performance professional services business.

The successful candidate will provide strategic oversight across Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Compliance, Facilities, Information Technology, and Corporate Governance, ensuring that the organisation has the operational infrastructure, controls, systems, and talent required to support sustainable growth and profitability.

This role is ideally suited to a commercially astute executive with a proven track record of leading multidisciplinary corporate services functions within a consulting, engineering, professional services, or project-based environment.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Corporate Governance

• Lead and develop the Corporate Services function, providing strategic direction across Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Compliance, Facilities, and Administration.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Team on operational performance, risk management, governance, and organisational effectiveness.
• Drive a culture of accountability, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and high performance.
• Ensure robust governance frameworks, policies, and internal controls are maintained across the business.

Financial Leadership & Commercial Oversight

• Provide executive oversight of all financial management activities through the Financial Manager.
• Drive profitability, cash flow optimisation, cost management, and commercial performance across the organisation.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, reporting, and audit processes.
• Ensure accurate project financial management, including project profitability, utilisation, revenue recognition, and reporting.
• Lead financial risk management and ensure compliance with all statutory and regulatory obligations.
• Drive optimisation and effective utilisation of the SAGE ERP platform and associated business systems.

Human Capital Leadership

• Oversee talent acquisition, workforce planning, succession planning, employee development, and retention strategies.
• Ensure compliance with South African labour legislation and employment best practices.
• Drive performance management, employee engagement, leadership development, and organisational capability initiatives.
• Foster a high-performance culture aligned to business objectives.

Legal, Risk & Compliance

• Oversee legal and commercial governance through the Head of Legal.
• Ensure compliance with POPIA, PAIA, Companies Act, Tax legislation, BBBEE requirements, and all relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Manage organisational risk, contractual governance, and corporate compliance obligations.
• Provide executive oversight of subcontractor agreements, supplier onboarding, and commercial contracting processes.

Business Operations & Infrastructure

• Lead facilities, office infrastructure, administrative services, and vendor management functions.
• Oversee relationships with key external service providers, including IT partners, landlords, auditors, legal advisors, and consultants.
• Ensure operational systems, processes, and controls effectively support business growth and scalability.

Project & Bid Governance

• Oversee proposal, tender, and project governance systems.
• Ensure effective project accounting, timesheet management, profitability tracking, and reporting.
• Participate in strategic bid reviews and commercial decision-making processes.
• Oversee supplier registration, procurement governance, subcontractor engagement, and project commercial compliance.

Success Measures

The Head of Corporate Services will be accountable for:

• Sustainable growth in company profitability.
• Effective cost management and operational efficiency.
• Strong project profitability and commercial performance.
• Quality, accuracy, and timeliness of financial reporting.
• Successful completion of annual financial audits.
• Tax, statutory, and regulatory compliance.
• BBBEE compliance and reporting.
• Employee engagement, retention, and leadership development.
• Performance and effectiveness of the Corporate Services team.
• Governance, risk management, and organisational resilience.
• Continuous improvement of systems, processes, and operational infrastructure.

Candidate Profile

We are seeking a highly accomplished corporate services leader who combines strategic thinking with strong operational execution capability.

Essential Experience

• Minimum 10–15 years’ progressive leadership experience within a professional services, consulting, engineering, infrastructure, or project-based environment.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary functions including Finance, Operations, Governance, Compliance, and People Management.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience driving profitability, operational performance, and organisational growth.
• Experience operating at executive or senior leadership level within a high-performance organisation.
• Proven track record of leading teams, developing talent, and building high-performing support functions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant undergraduate degree in Finance, Commerce, Accounting, Business, or related field.
• CA(SA), MBA, MCom, LLB, or equivalent postgraduate qualification highly advantageous.
• Professional services, consulting, engineering, or project-based industry experience strongly preferred.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Commercial Acumen
• Financial Stewardship
• Corporate Governance
• Executive Presence
• Organisational Development
• Change Leadership
• Risk Management
• Stakeholder Influence
• Operational Excellence
• Decision-Making Under Complexity
• High Performance Team Leadership