---
title: 'HR & Talent Business Partner at Xero'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/hr-talent-business-partner-xero-cape-town-wpsrncwv350q'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-26'
---

# HR & Talent Business Partner at Xero

- **Company:** [Xero](https://feeny.ai/companies/xero)
- **Location:** Cape Town, South Africa
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-25
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-26
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/xero/82989af3-beff-4e1e-b4e8-ce3ad8ad9afb

## Job description

## The role & impact

This role combines strategic People Experience partnering, end-to-end talent acquisition, and regional advisory into a true generalist role supporting our South Africa team. You will serve as the primary partner to regional senior leadership across Cape Town and Johannesburg, translating people strategy into practical business outcomes and driving recruitment for all local roles. From guiding organisational design and leadership capability to steering our Employment Equity Plan and resolving complex employee relations matters, your work directly shapes team culture and operational success. You will move comfortably between high-level strategic planning and hands-on delivery, ensuring consistent people programs rollout in alignment with global strategy.

The team & how they connect You will join a collaborative People & Talent Experience network, connecting directly with regional leadership, global Centres of Excellence, and the broader Talent Experience teams. The team works together to bring global consistency to the region while leveraging local insights to strengthen performance and workplace culture. Together, you will foster high-performing teams through open communication, shared expertise, and trust-based relationships.

Initially, the role will focus on

- Taking full ownership of end-to-end recruitment for all South Africa based roles, from sourcing strategy to offer management.
- Managing statutory compliance and driving progress on our South African Employment Equity Plan.
- Partnering with senior leaders to deliver data-driven people plans that align regional goals with broader people experience priorities.
- Providing trusted advisory across the entire employee lifecycle, including performance management, remuneration, change management, and leadership coaching.

Where and how you can work We offer a hybrid working environment supporting our office locations in Cape Town and Johannesburg. You will be based in the Cape Town Office with intentional in-office time to connect, collaborate, and engage directly with local leadership and teams.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

- A strong background in generalist HR or people business partnering within a fast-paced environment, paired with hands-on talent acquisition expertise.
- Practical knowledge of South African employment legislation and experience managing Employment Equity planning or statutory reporting.
- Proven ability to operate autonomously, balancing high-level strategic alignment with day-to-day operational execution.
- Skilled at leveraging data to inform people decisions, refine recruitment practices, and influence leadership outcomes.
- Comfort in coaching senior leaders through complex decisions, organisational change, and sensitive conversations.
- An adaptive approach to leveraging modern tools and technology to continuously improve delivery and candidate experiences.

Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.

## About Xero

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Xero provides cloud-based accounting and financial management software for small businesses, serving over 4.9 million customers worldwide.
- **Entity Type**: Public (ASX: XRO, S&P/ASX 200 component)
- **Headquarters**: Wellington, New Zealand
- **Founded**: July 6, 2006
- **Founders**: Rod Drury, Hamish Edwards

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Cloud accounting software (SaaS)
- **Target customers**: Small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers (B2B)
- **Mission**: To make life better for small businesses globally by automating routine tasks and delivering actionable insights.

## Products & Services
- **Xero Accounting Software**: Cloud-based platform for invoicing, bank reconciliation, expense tracking, payroll, and financial reporting. Sold by subscription (Starter, Standard, Premium tiers).
- **JAX – AI Finance Partner**: An AI-powered assistant integrated into Xero that automates routine tasks and provides insights to help businesses grow.
- **Xero Ecosystem**: Over 1,000 third-party app integrations via the Xero App Store, covering payments, inventory, CRM, and more.
- **Xero for Nonprofits**: Discounted subscriptions (25% off) for eligible nonprofit and community organisations.
- **Xero for Purpose**: Social impact initiatives including financial literacy programmes (Unlock Your Numbers), sustainability tools (Sumday carbon app), and the Xero Beautiful Business Fund (NZ$750,000+ in funding annually).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed in provided sources (publicly traded with market cap available on ASX; latest data not included in search results).
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue NZ$2.103 billion (FY2025); Net income NZ$227.8 million (FY2025).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Board Chair David Thodey; CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy. In June 2025, Xero announced an agreement to acquire Melio, a New York-based payments provider, for $2.5 billion.
- **Growth Signals**: Achieved Rule of 40 outcomes of 41.0% (May 2024) and 43.9% (Nov 2024). Customer base grew to 4.9 million. Headcount of 4,610 employees (2025). Expanding globally with offices in New Zealand, Australia, UK, US, Canada, South Africa, and Singapore.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Market leader** in cloud accounting across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.
- **AI-first approach** with JAX, embedded directly into the core product to reduce manual work.
- **Extensive integration ecosystem** (1,000+ apps) creating high switching costs for customers.
- **Strong brand trust** built over 19 years with a focus on small business success.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI and automation**: Deepening AI capabilities (JAX) to deliver predictive insights and automate finance workflows.
- **Payments expansion**: Acquisition of Melio to strengthen payments capabilities for small businesses.
- **Sustainability**: Reducing carbon emissions (72% reduction in scope 1 & 2), offering free carbon accounting tools, and supporting small business sustainability.
- **Social impact**: Scaling programmes like the Beautiful Business Fund and financial literacy initiatives.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values-driven, human-centric organisation with a focus on making a tangible impact on small businesses globally.
- **Flexibility**: Emphasises a flexible environment and time for what matters most (remote/hybrid policy not explicitly stated but implied).
- **Perks & benefits**:
  - One paid day off per year for volunteering (Community Connect programme).
  - Free access to Sumday carbon accounting app for employees.
  - Financial literacy resources and mentorship programmes.
- **Engineering & innovation**: Dedicated Engineering and Data & AI teams (open roles visible on careers page). Global collaboration across 7+ countries.
- **Diversity & inclusion**: Indigenous inclusion initiatives (te ao Māori in NZ, Reconciliation Action Plan in Australia), support for Indigenous communities.
- **Sustainability focus**: Employees can contribute to environmental goals through company-wide initiatives.

## Sources
1. [Wikipedia – Xero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xero)
2. [Xero About Page](https://www.xero.com/au/about/)
3. [Xero Careers – Inside Xero](https://careers.xero.com/inside-xero/)
4. [Xero Careers – Teams](https://careers.xero.com/)
5. [Xero Homepage](https://www.xero.com/)

## Other roles at Xero

- [VP of HR/PX Partnering - Global Go-To-Market](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-hr-px-partnering-global-go-to-market-xero-san-mateo-wjmbarezgq7t) — San Mateo, CA
- [Account Executive](https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-xero-manchester-dhp0875bxbse) — Manchester, United Kingdom
- [Lead Payroll Compliance Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-payroll-compliance-analyst-xero-uk-central-sek8mhmbm5gn) — Uk: Central, United Kingdom
- [Data Science Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/data-science-manager-xero-vancouver-h7e4cvscvasc) — Vancouver, Canada
- [Senior Product Growth Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-growth-manager-xero-san-mateo-ds69kx8ha13p) — San Mateo, CA
- [Associate Solutions Consultant](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-solutions-consultant-xero-united-states-rbd6dtezyhnh) — United States
- [Senior Security Engineer - Cloud Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-security-engineer-cloud-platform-xero-wellington-cp7q76h402jr) — Wellington, New Zealand
- [SEM Senior Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/sem-senior-manager-xero-brisbane-gj9tkq583dnm) — Brisbane, Australia
- [SEM Senior Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/sem-senior-manager-xero-sydney-wjxe3syb7874) — Sydney, Australia
- [SEM Senior Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/sem-senior-manager-xero-melbourne-38tzvghsmasf) — Melbourne, Australia