Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Manager at Victory Farms

Key Responsibilities:

Systems and governance – execution

• Implement, roll out, and maintain the HSE management system as defined in the company’s HSE plan – policies, procedures, risk registers, safe systems of work, and the incident-management framework.
• Run the established HSE governance: convene the safety committees, keep the reporting cadence, and report the agreed leading and lagging KPIs monthly to the Managing Director and leadership team.
• Exercise the authority to stop any work deemed unsafe, without commercial or operational override.
• Keep the system current – apply updates handed down by Group and by regulators, and flag gaps or improvement needs upward rather than redesigning the framework independently.

Operational health & safety

• Enforce water and marine safety across all lake operations – life jackets, boat and vessel safety, man-overboard and rescue protocols, weather and swimming competency – the single highest life-safety risk in the business.
• Apply machine, chemical and cold-room safety controls across our facilities.
• Enforce road and fleet safety across the cold-chain distribution network: driver standards, journey management, and vehicle safety.
• Enforce construction and engineering safety on all build sites – working at height, lifting, excavation, and contractor management.

Environment & lake stewardship

• Deliver environmental compliance day to day: NEMA licensing conditions, EIA/EA obligations, effluent and waste management, and water-quality monitoring.
• Protect Victory Farms’ social license to operate on Lake Victoria by upholding environmental performance, in coordination with the Development function and community stakeholders.

Compliance, training and culture

• Ensure full, ongoing compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA 2007), the Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA), the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (EMCA), and all related DOSHS and NEMA requirements.
• Manage statutory audits, inspections, registrations and returns, and act as the primary point of contact with regulators.
• Deliver HSE induction and ongoing training for staff and contractors; drive a proactive reporting culture with near-miss reporting and closed-loop corrective action.
• Lead incident investigation, root-cause analysis, and emergency preparedness and response drills across all sites.

Qualifications and Requirements:

Must have

• 8+ years of progressive HSE experience in Kenya or East Africa, with a strong track record of implementing and running established HSE management systems in a high-hazard, multi-site environment.
• A background in high-hazard industry – marine/maritime, manufacturing and food processing, construction, oil & gas, or logistics – with hands-on ownership of both safety and environmental compliance in the field.
• Registered as an OSH Advisor/Practitioner with DOSHS, with a NEBOSH and/or professional HSE qualification (IOSH, ISO 45001/14001 lead auditor an advantage).
• Deep working knowledge of Kenyan HSE law (OSHA 2007, WIBA, EMCA) and NEMA/DOSHS processes.
• A track record of executing HSE programmes and measurably reducing incidents through disciplined, consistent enforcement – not just administering paperwork.

Strongly preferred

• Water/marine or cold-chain safety experience
• Experience commissioning HSE for a new processing or manufacturing facility

Attributes

• Hands-on and field-oriented – comfortable on a boat, on the processing floor, and on a construction site, not just at a desk
• A disciplined, reliable executor who follows the plan consistently and closes the loop on every action
• Independent and courageous – able to hold the line on safety with senior operators and stop unsafe work
• Data-led and uncompromising on integrity; a natural coach who builds safety culture rather than merely policing it

Benefit:

• Visibility into the world’s fastest growing aquaculture company.
• Ideal for a candidate looking to dive into a mission-oriented Organization.
• The team is committed to the candidate’s success and will provide coaching, mentorship, and unique exposure to people and experiences that come from the most successful leaders in the entrepreneurial community and the social sector.