Junior HSE Officer (O&M)

The Junior HSE Officer (O&M) is responsible for supporting health, safety and environmental compliance across SolarAfrica's operational assets through contractor oversight, inspections, incident management, safety documentation and HSE reporting.

Position of the job in the organisation: 

The Junior HSE Officer (O&M) will report directly to the HSSEC Manager and will work closely with O&M teams, contractors, asset managers and operational site teams. 

Principal responsibilities:

O&M Contractor Coordination 

• Track O&M contractor HSE documentation, onboarding requirements and compliance gaps.
• Monitor contractor compliance performance trends and escalate recurring non-conformances or overdue actions to relevant stakeholders.
• Support contractor communication regarding safety files, inductions, medicals, competencies and legal appointments.
• Escalate overdue or missing contractor information to the Head of HSSEC and relevant operational stakeholders.
• Support contractor engagement to ensure HSE expectations are clear and practical.
• Any other job duties associated with this role.

Operational Inspections & Site Visits 

• Conduct routine site visits, safety inspections and task observations across operational assets.
• Identify hazards, unsafe behaviours, missing controls and potential non-compliance issues.
• Prepare simple, clear inspection reports with findings, actions, owners and due dates.
• Support risk-based prioritisation of site inspections where travel or resources are limited.
• Any other job duties associated with this role.

Safety File and Permit Administration 

• Develop, review and maintain O&M safety files and supporting records.
• Track document expiry dates, registers, permits, training records, medicals and relevant certificates.
• Support permit-to-work administration and verify that operational controls are documented and implemented.
• Maintain organised electronic records to support audits, reporting and operational readiness.
• Support the maintenance and filing of HSE evidence required for lender reporting, compliance audits, ESG reviews and due diligence processes.
• Any other job duties associated with this role.

Incident and Corrective Action Support 

• Record and report incidents, near misses, hazards and observations in the required systems.
• Assist with basic fact gathering for investigations, including photographs, statements and evidence collation.
• Track corrective actions to close-out and escalate overdue actions.
• Support lessons learned communication to prevent repeat events.
• Any other job duties associated with this role.

Reporting and Continuous Improvement 

• Maintain monthly operational HSE reporting inputs, dashboards, trackers and trend data.
• Identify repeated issues and suggest practical improvements to the Head of HSSEC.
• Support toolbox talks, awareness communications and contractor feedback.
• Use MS Office, digital forms, dashboards and AI-enabled tools responsibly to improve administrative efficiency and data quality.
• Any other job duties associated with this role.

Experience & Skills

• 1-3 years’ experience in an HSE, compliance, contractor coordination or related administrative/site support role.
• Relevant HSE qualification such as SAMTRAC, NEBOSH or equivalent.
• A working knowledge of HSE systems, safety files, permits, incident reporting and contractor compliance tracking.
• Experience working with operational sites, maintenance teams, renewable energy assets or contractor documentation advantageous.
• Strong administrative, organisational, MS Office and data management skills.
• Valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel to operational sites. ERP/MS Dynamics experience: Advantageous but not required. AI experience: practical digital mindset advantageous.

Specific attributes:

• Positive attitude towards continuous learning and development.
• Strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to organise multiple sites, documents and action trackers.
• Confidence to raise concerns and ask practical questions on site.
• Clear communication with contractors and operational stakeholders.

Desirable attributes:

• Renewable energy or solar PV exposure.
• Experience maintaining safety files, registers or audit trackers.
• Experience with incident logs, inspection templates, MS Forms, SharePoint or Excel trackers.
• Willingness to learn and grow within the HSSEC function. 

What Does Success Look Like?

By 3 Months

• I will understand the O&M asset portfolio, contractor arrangements and current safety files.
• I will be able to maintain basic compliance trackers and identify missing documentation.
• I will participate in operational inspections and understand how findings are recorded and escalated.
• I will support incident, observation and corrective action tracking with guidance.

By 6 Months

• I will independently maintain O&M safety file trackers, permit registers and expiry tracking.
• I will conduct routine site inspections and prepare clear findings with action owners and due dates.
• I will support monthly reporting inputs and identify repeated operational issues.
• I will communicate confidently with contractors regarding documentation and close-out requirements.

By 12 Months

• I will be a reliable custodian of operational HSE records, trackers and dashboards.
• I will independently support inspections, incident administration and corrective action monitoring.
• I will help improve operational compliance visibility across assets.
• I will contribute to practical continuous improvement across O&M HSE processes.

Core Values:

We hire, reward, and recognise our team against these values. It is imperative that you believe in these values and demonstrate them consistently.

• We are passionate and proud of what we do.
• We communicate candidly, especially when it is difficult
• We take the initiative, share our mistakes, and grow together
• We are dependable and take accountability
• No one person is bigger than the solution - no egos.

We are currently only considering candidates based in South Africa with valid working rights. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applications from outside the country at this time.