HSES Coordinator

SupaMoto is a vertically integrated clean-cooking company. We make biomass pellets from forestry and sawmill residues in our own factory in Ndola, where the biomass is chipped, dried in a large biomass dryer, milled and pelletised, and supply them, together with our SupaMoto gasifier stoves, to households in Lusaka and the Copperbelt. We collect and transport our own biomass, run the pellet factory, and operate a fleet that delivers stoves and fuel to customers.

We are entering a period of fast growth: more pellet production capacity, mobile wood chipping in the forest, a larger vehicle fleet and, in time, heavier forestry operations. That growth brings real industrial risk, and we intend to manage it to international standards.

Why this role exists

Our work involves heavy mobile equipment, large rotating machinery, a large high-temperature biomass dryer, combustible dust, work at height on loaded trucks, heavy manual handling and a great deal of driving. Any of these can kill or seriously injure someone. We want an experienced HSES leader who has done this before, in production and heavy-equipment environments and ideally in forestry, to build our HSES function from the ground up: the rules, the standard operating procedures, the training and the culture.

This is a senior, hands-on role. The HSES Coordinator will be as much on the factory floor, in the forest and at the fleet yard as in the office. A central part of the job is to train our people at every level and to develop an HSES manager who can lead the function once the systems are in place.

The HSES Coordinator has stop-work authority: the right to stop any activity, at any site, that they judge unsafe.

Key responsibilities

1. HSES management system

• Build and run an HSES management system (policies, procedures, risk register, monitoring framework) aligned with Zambian law, the IFC Performance Standards, ISO 45001 principles and the requirements of our investors, including full implementation of the PIDG Life-Saving Rules (LSR) and SGR requirements. Drive continuous improvement of the system.
• Carry out environmental and social risk and impact assessments for new sites, operations and major equipment before they start.
• Roll the system out across all sites and activities: the pellet factory, biomass supply, logistics and fleet, depots and sales networks.
• Lead implementation of the Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) agreed with our investors, including its HSES, gender and social actions, and close all actions on time.
• Make sure gender-related and social risks, including SEAH and GBVH, are identified and managed within the HSES system; act as SupaMoto’s internal lead for the Gender Action Plan and work with the external gender consultant on it.
• Keep SupaMoto audit-ready, able to show investors, lenders and partners that we operate safely and responsibly, and provide independent assurance to the CEO and Board that HSES controls work as intended.

2. Standard operating procedures and permits

• Write, with the teams who do the work, a standard operating procedure for every high-risk task: machine operation, maintenance, loading, chipping, lifting, driving and emergency response.
• Introduce and run lock-out/tag-out (LOTO), permit-to-work and hot-work systems.
• Set the personal protective equipment (PPE) standard for every job and site (hearing protection, dust masks, safety footwear, gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, helmets, fall protection and chipper and chainsaw gear), and make sure PPE is supplied, maintained, replaced and worn.
• Build HSES into the design and procurement of new equipment and facilities, including dryers, new pellet production capacity, mobile chippers, vehicles and cranes, so risks are designed out rather than managed afterwards.

3. Road and fleet safety

• Own the fleet safety programme end to end: driver recruitment standards, training, journey management, tracking and monitoring, vehicle standards and incident follow-up.
• Work with operations and logistics management so that delivery schedules never depend on unsafe driving.

4. Training and culture

• Design and deliver competence-based HSES training for staff, drivers, contractors and suppliers; ensure daily toolbox talks before work at the factory.
• Lead by example on site and hold managers accountable for safety in their areas.
• Introduce first-aid training for all staff across the company, with certified first aiders and stocked first-aid kits at every site, in every vehicle and with every field team.
• Develop an HSES manager and HSES officers to the point where they can run the function, and plan the handover with the CEO.

5. Contractors and suppliers

• Set HSES requirements for biomass suppliers, transporters, chipping and forestry contractors, and check that they are met.

6. Inspections, incidents and reporting

• Set up daily, weekly and monthly inspections and quarterly HSES audits, and follow corrective actions to closure.
• Ensure every incident and near miss is reported and investigated, with root causes found and actions closed.
• Report HSES performance to the CEO monthly and to the Board at every Board meeting; prepare the quarterly audit reports and the annual HSES performance report for investors.

7. Stakeholders and grievances

• Run the grievance mechanism and the stakeholder engagement plan, with records of consultations kept; act as the company’s HSES contact with regulators, investors and communities.
• Develop safety guidance and training for customers and communities on safe use of the stove and safe storage of pellets, delivered through our sales and after-sales teams.

8. External consultants and advisors

• Select, manage and oversee external HSES consultants, auditors and specialist advisors, and make sure their work is delivered on time and to standard.
• Contribute the HSES content of the company’s reports to InfraCo and other funders.

Qualifications and experience

Required

• At least 10 years in health and safety, including at least 5 in a senior HSE leadership role.
• Documented, hands-on experience in production or manufacturing environments with heavy mobile equipment and large rotating machinery.
• Experience managing road and fleet safety for a commercial vehicle operation.
• A track record of building HSE systems from scratch: writing SOPs, introducing LOTO and permit-to-work, and making them stick.
• Proven ability to train and mentor people at every level, from machine operators and drivers to managers.
• NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (or equivalent recognised HSE qualification); a relevant degree (occupational health and safety, engineering, environmental science or similar).
• Fluent English; valid driving licence; willingness to spend most of the time in the field.

Strongly preferred

• Experience in forestry, sawmilling, timber or biomass, and in particular pellet production.
• Knowledge of combustible dust and fire risks in wood processing.
• Experience of lifting operations, cranes and mobile chipping equipment.
• NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent; ISO 45001 lead auditor.
• Experience working to IFC Performance Standards or with development finance investors.
• Experience integrating gender, SEAH and social safeguards into HSES systems.
• Experience managing external consultants and auditors.
• Experience in Zambia or Southern Africa, and of Zambian HSE and environmental legislation.

Competencies

• Practical judgement: sees hazards others miss and fixes them in ways that work on the ground.
• Authority and credibility with operators, drivers and managers alike.
• A teacher: explains why, not just what, and builds capability in others.
• Systematic and disciplined in documentation, follow-up and reporting.
• Integrity and the courage to stop work when it is unsafe.

How to apply

Send a CV and a cover letter describing your experience with production, heavy equipment and forestry, to recruitment@supamoto.global