Risk And Safety Co-Ordinator

Peace Parks Foundation; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 400,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading conservation organization is seeking a Risk and Safety Coordinator who will develop and implement safety policies and enforce compliance across parks and office environments. Candidates should have extensive experience in occupational health and safety, a strong analytical background, and a commitment to conservation. The role requires occasional travel throughout southern Africa. Interested applicants should submit their CV before 3 July 2025.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of safety and health experience in conservation or similar.
• Certifications in first aid and ISO standards preferred.
• Ability to identify hazards and manage risks.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement health and safety plans.
• Conduct training and investigate incidents.
• Prepare reports on risk exposure.

Skills

Risk Assessment

Communication

Analytical Skills

Attention to Detail

Team Collaboration

Education

National diploma or degree in SHEQ

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Duration: Permanent

Reporting to: Risk and Compliance Manager

Location: Stellenbosch (or remote)

BACKGROUND

Peace Parks Foundation is a non-profit conservation organisation that specialises in conservation at scale through the development of transfrontier conservation areas and the long-term management of key protected areas, in partnership with government conservation agencies and communities within these landscapes. We currently focus on the development of five priority transboundary landscapes measuring over 65 million hectares throughout southern Africa, and the co-management of ten national parks and protected areas covering over 5.2 million hectares.

JOB PROFILE

You have experience in identifying and mitigating risks, and sounds experience in occupational health and safety, alongside a passion for conservation and the environment. In this role, you will be focused on ensuring a safe and compliant workplace by identifying potential risks and hazards, developing and implementing safety policies, conducting training, and supporting the implementation of safety improvements. You will investigate incidents, maintain records and advise on risk mitigation strategies.

A strong communicator, you are able to collaborate with teams from multiple countries. You will be working in both office and remote park environments. If you are committed to conservation as well as reducing risks and improving safety, you will be ideal for this role.

JOB PURPOSE

The risk and safety co-ordinator will be responsible for developing and implementing health and safety plans, implementing policies, assessing risk for parks and head office departments, and ensuring compliance with legal guidelines. You will conduct training, investigate incidents, and provide recommendations for improvement, aiming to create a safe and compliant work environment.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Risk management

• Support the organisation’s compliance programme by identifying areas for improvement through the assessment of risks.
• Flag all project risks in collaboration with the parks and Project Management Officers.
• Support the Risk and Compliance Manager to screen project risks against the corporate risk register.
• Work with and support the Risk and Compliance Manager to review park and department-specific risk registers.

Risk identification and assessment

• Facilitate the identification and assessment of risks that may impact Peace Park's operations, objectives and reputation.
• Update and maintain existing risk registers that document the identified risks, their potential impact and likelihood.
• Run risk workshops to identify risks and mitigating actions for national parks, conservation projects and head office departments.

Risk mitigation and control

• Facilitate the development of risk management strategies and action plans to mitigate, transfer or control identified risks.
• Monitor the effectiveness of risk mitigation measures and adjust them as necessary.

Risk reporting

• Prepare regular reports on Peace Park's risk exposure and communicate them to the relevant teams.
• Provide periodic updates to the Risk and Compliance Manager regarding significant risk developments and assist in the preparation of the annual risk report.
• Maintain the organisation’s combined assurance register.

Risk communication and capacity building

• Foster a risk-aware culture within the organisation by promoting open communication and awareness of risks at all levels.

Compliance and regulation

• Stay informed about relevant laws, regulations and industry standards related to risk, environment and safety management.
• Ensure the organisation's risk management practices are compliant with applicable laws, regulations and best practice.

Occupational health and safety, and environmental management

• Plan, implement and maintain comprehensive environmental safety and occupational health and safety programmes on premises and at project site locations.
• Plan, implement and conduct preventative care, safety and compliance training programmes.
• Develop and execute health and safety plans in the workplace according to legal guidelines per relevant country legislation.
• Develop and implement environmental protection plans as per legislation.
• Prepare and enforce policies to establish a culture of health and safety.
• Evaluate practices, procedures and facilities to assess risk and adherence to the law.
• As a safety officer you must have excellent attention to detail to identify hazards.
• Able to discover opportunities for improving conditions and execute various safety programmes.
• Prepare and implement policies to establish a culture of health and safety.
• Evaluate practices, procedures and facilities to assess risk and adherence to the law.
• Conduct training and presentations for health and safety matters and accident prevention.
• Monitor compliance to policies and laws by inspecting employees’ activities and operations.
• Inspect equipment and machinery to observe possible unsafe conditions, and train park and project staff on best equipment management practices.
• Recommend solutions to issues, improvement opportunities or new prevention measures.
• Provide technical support to project managers.
• The ability to communicate guidelines and gain compliance with a multidisciplinary workforce is essential.
• Maintain a written log of safety inspection activities, reports and correspondence.
• Support parks on environmental issues like waste management.

Incident and serious incident management

• Investigate accidents or incidents to discover causes, ensure proper mitigation happens to avoid these in future, and work with teams to ensure actions and protection strategies are implemented.
• Track serious incidents and mitigating actions and report on trends.
• Develop plans to reduce incidents and serious incidents.
• Collaborate with management to develop Emergency Action Plans and serve as co-ordinator for project site injury and incident notification, investigation and case management.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND SKILLS

• Minimum of 5 years of safety and health experience, ideally in a conservation, agriculture or manufacturing environment
• National diploma or degree in SHEQ
• Certifications in first aid and experience in systems like ISO standards would be helpful
• Good analysis skills to support trend analysis
• Good Excel and PowerPoint skills
• Ability to facilitate risk assessment workshops
• Ability to question the status quo
• Confidence and ability to work with all levels and departments within organisations
• Ability to work with multiple countries and cultures
• Ability to identify hazards and risks
• Must be willing to travel throughout southern Africa (30–40% of the time)

Interested candidates are invited to submit a Curriculum Vitae, with full address, telephone number, email address and contact details of at least three contactable references. These should be submitted by 3 July 2025.

A competitive salary package will be negotiated, based on qualifications and experience.

Applications should be submitted to Human Resources.

Email: [e-mail]

We appreciate the time and effort taken by all applicants in expressing their interest in this role. Due to the high volume of applications received, we are only able to contact candidates who are selected for further consideration. If you do not hear from us within 3 weeks, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion. We encourage you to apply for future opportunities that match your skills and experience.