Director Of Safety (Worldwide Remote)

Job Description
Reports to: Global Safety & Security Director (GSSD)
Positions Managed: None
Location: Any location WCS has an office (preferred)
Country Program/Sector: Office of Global Safety & Security
Scope: Global
Position Type: Full-time
Organizational Background:
WCS is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes/seascapes, and presence in more than 60 nations across the globe, WCS has amassed the scientific knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local people. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat, and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of rural people whose livelihoods depend on the utilization of natural resources.
Job Purpose:
The Director of Safety, a new position at WCS, will design and deliver a centralized, coherent, and robust set of policies, protocols, and standards to reduce risk, and improve overall safety of WCS's field-based work around the world. Within that framework, this position will identify gaps, deliver training, and ensure compliance, developing existing talent where available, and hiring new talent when needed, to ensure WCS's field-based practices meet appropriate and established industry safety standards.
The Director of Safety will liaise closely with field conservation leadership and will report directly to the GSSD. The position will serve as the subject matter expert on first aid, vehicle, construction, and marine (boat and dive) safety. This position will develop relevant safety standards, ensure compliance with those standards, and design training to ensure staff personnel are able to meet them. Activities may include assisting in the hiring of additional staff/vendors/trainers/consultants as needed to ensure compliance and fulfill training needs for local teams, as well as potential direct involvement with field operations.
Major Responsibilities:

1. Design, Deliver, and Manage WCS's global conservation safety management framework: In collaboration with the GSSD, lead the development of a set of global safety standards and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that WCS will require for all operations, beginning with marine, construction, and vehicle activities, and the necessary first aid skills and equipment to support those. Integrate reporting requirements into the Incident Reporting framework, and leverage existing work from conservation staff, senior managers, Risk Management and other Enterprise Risk functions to fully develop the strategy.

1. Serve as WCS safety subject matter expert: Be an authoritative resource and source of guidance to field conservation leadership. Maintain current knowledge of pertinent agency standards, state and federal laws and regulations, as well as industry and equipment norms and trends.

1. Identify and Assess Safety Risks to WCS personnel and operations: Formally assess safety risks to WCS personnel and operations, determining how best to reduce safety risk through prevention, mitigation, and protection measures. Lead post-safety incident analysis to determine measures to reduce future incident frequency and impact, assisting in determining corrective action, and sharing lessons learned.

1. Knowledge Management: Identify and deliver, or manage delivery of, bespoke training programs to ensure WCS staff and partners are knowledgeable about their responsibilities regarding the safety SOPs and can follow them. Integrate safety framework into existing platforms, such as the Administrative and Finance Manual.

1. Ensure Compliance: Establish and manage the means to measure and improve how effectively the global safety framework is being implemented and followed by field sites. Identify gaps and issues of non-compliance, striving for 100% compliance with pertinent agency standards, state and federal laws and regulations. Coordinate ongoing review of WCS global conservation safety systems and processes in order to ensure compliance with international best practice, including delivery of formal audit reports and metrics. Monitor quality, performance, and safety of field conservation programs through site visits and team reviews. Maintain records of gear maintenance, medical forms, diving forms, and other documentation. Make recommendations and follow through on implementation.

1. Build Required Capacity: Establish and manage the necessary mechanisms and protocols for oversight and accountability; ensure adequate implementation and sustained compliance with the global safety framework, and all associated plans, protocols, minimum operating safety standards, SOPs. Leverage existing staff or assist in the hiring of additional staff/vendors/trainers/consultants as needed to ensure compliance and fulfill training needs for local teams.

1. Promote a Safety and Security Culture throughout WCS: Be the champion of Safety for WCS Global operations. Ensure that all changes to WCS safety standards, requirements, and guidelines are communicated to field staff and other appropriate staff. Establish and facilitate a learning culture within the organization's field program operations. Coordinate and consult with relevant internal partners, including field conservation leadership, Office of General Counsel, and Risk & Insurance, on insurance and liability issues.

1. Provide Operational Support: Write, review, and approve safety plans. Review relevant vehicle, construction, and dive contracts. Directly supervise extraordinary projects. Implement and support protocols to facilitate safe donor and volunteer activities. Establish reciprocity with partner institutions. Serve when needed as the instructor/trainer for safety courses, to include safety refresher training.

1. Join the Team: Become an active and contributing member of GSS, participating in meetings and activities as needed. Support teammates in an inclusive and collaborative manner. Promote a culture of conservation and protection of the natural world.

Qualification Requirements
Job Qualifications:

• A minimum of 10 years of increasing safety responsibilities - including developing and implementing strategy, for the safety of staff, field operations and workplace safety - with a reputable multi-national organization with operations in remote high-risk environments.
• Experience working in an international environment engaging with host country authorities, working in remote hazardous, hostile environments in areas such as Africa, Asia, Latin America.
• Knowledge and experience in applying safety principles and practices in threat/hazard identification, management and mitigation; incident response and investigation.
• Excellent communication skills (writing, editing, and oral).
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including an ability to work with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures and within a dispersed team that includes both WCS and non-WCS staff.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently, with self-motivation and discipline, as well as collaborate effectively within a team.
• Ability to take responsibility and manage tasks through to completion.
• Ability to react quickly and flexibly to changing circumstances, and to work under pressure.

Additional Requirements:

• A passion for nature, and commitment to saving wildlife in wild places; committed to the mission of WCS.
• Requires travel (40-60%) domestically and/or internationally, including to remote regions, across multiple time zones, sometimes during evenings and weekend hours.
• Works in variable weather conditions, at remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, or in marine environments, and under physically demanding circumstances.
• Makes independent strategic and operational decisions based on analysis, ambiguous information, experience, and judgment.
• English fluency essential, additional language fluency particularly in Spanish and French is desirable.
• Experience in operation and maintenance of remote access vehicles, including small boats.

Licenses & Certifications:

• A bachelor's degree in a safety discipline preferred; additional professional certifications in Global Safety Management, or other accepted safety trainings, such as from the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) desirable as well.
• BA/BS degree and 10 years' experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Active SCUBA instructor with an internationally recognized SCUBA certifying agency.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations.
It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person's membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.
Note that the salary offer will reflect the selected candidate's individual experiences, skills and qualifications, internal equity, work location and country of work.
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