Director, Route to Market Safety, Africa

The Coca-Cola Company; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 400,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading beverage company in Johannesburg seeks an RTM Safety Lead to oversee safety programs and strategies. The role involves collaborating with multiple teams, ensuring compliance with safety standards, and leading initiatives to promote a culture of safety. Candidates should have 12-15 years of experience in RTM Safety and proven capabilities in leading transformation programs.

Qualifications

• 12-15 years of experience in RTM Safety.
• Experience in leading large-scale transformation programs.
• Experience managing Road Safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead the RTM Safety agenda cross-functionally.
• Ensure the implementation of the OU occupational Safety strategy.
• Drive organizational alignment on operational RTM Safety.

Skills

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)

Risk Management

Route to Market

Safety Leadership

Supply Chain Distribution

Taking Initiative

Education

Bachelors degree

Job description

Overview

Location(s): South Africa

City/Cities: Johannesburg

Travel Required: 51% - 75%

Relocation Provided: Yes

Job Posting End Date: September 21, 2025

Shift:

About the role:

• The scope of the role is: OU (Africa Operating Unit) Route to Market (RTM) Safety leadership and ensuring execution of the fundamental safety program in RTM space: the Coca-Cola Operating Requirements (KORE), Life Saving Rules, Road Safety programs.
• The role has direct impact and influence over the development of the most optimum OU RTM Safety strategy and implementation plan in line with the global strategy and TCCS (Coca-Cola Company) commitments to protect our people and enhance our OU and regional reputation.
• The strategic footprint of the role spans from OU operations connecting end-to-end the design, and partner pillars, set regional goals and roadmap for achieving RTM Safety goals and culture in collaboration as “One Safety LT” vision.
• The role is responsible for the OU RTM Safety OPEX/CAPEX decisions.

What You will Do:

The RTM Safety Lead will operate and lead as an indispensable member of the OU QSE leadership team as the RTM Safety leader role reporting directly to OU Safety and Risk Senior Director. The RTM Safety Lead will have clear accountability to coordinate the RTM Safety agenda cross functionally across OU, with Technical Operations, Customer & Commercial and Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability.

The following areas define the key focus of the role:

• RTM Safety and Health strategy: As a key member of the OU QSE leadership team, ensure within the global Occupational Safety and Health strategy and commitments the most optimum and accelerated implementation of the OU occupational Safety strategy. Define and steward the RTM Safety strategy, OU and Regional commitments, initiatives and prioritization to implement the global RTM Safety agenda. Ensure accelerated progress of the RTM Safety systems and programs while ensuring best-in-class leadership through partnership, governance and innovation across the supply chains. In collaboration with Corporate, Technical Innovation & Supply Chain functional heads, Customer & Commercial, Franchise Bottlers, Occupational Safety Lead influences the OU and regional RTM Safety agenda and investments.
• Governance, and fundamental RTM programs implementation: Ensure all license to operate and KORE RTM safety requirements, OU governance are in place in line with the global governance framework requirements.
• Innovation: Ensure occupational RTM Safety innovation initiatives. Lead the implementation support for all RTM Safety aspects that protects our people and enhances our regional and corporate reputation.
• OU Safety and Health network orchestration: Drive organizational alignment on operational RTM Safety across Regions, Bottling partners and Corporate S&E. Active contributor in the Global S&E Council. Champion Coca-Cola RTM Safety and overall Culture and Strategies in the Regions to enable execution and culture development. Bring the external view in, drive external engagement and benchmarking, ensure leadership presence in industry associations.
• RTM Safety culture and performance excellence: Lead the RTM Safety culture transformation to ensure excellence is a core value embedded in everything we do across the system. The RTM Safety Lead will direct the overall OU RTM Safety culture transformation to build and manage the excellence performance enablement systems and programs. Responsible to improve performance that accelerates business results and demonstrates a high capacity to manage risk as evaluated by our Global Audit Organisation (GAO) and our OU processes.
• Capability: The RTM Safety Lead will be instrumental in developing and enhancing safety capabilities within bottling partners to support the effective implementation of RTM Safety systems and standards. This includes orchestrating and facilitating training programs, providing technical guidance, establishing capability action plans in the regions, and ensuring the alignment of bottler operational RTM Safety capability programs with the global framework.

Role Requirements

• Bachelors degree
• 12-15 years of experience in RTM Safety
• Experience in leading large-scale transformation programs, change management
• Experience managing Road Safety
• Fundamental knowledge in Route to Market Safety
• Proven successful track record in leading and influencing diverse teams
• Travel requirement 50-75%

Skills:

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Risk Management, Influencing, Route to Market, Safety Leadership, Supply Chain Distribution, Taking Initiative

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.