West & Central Africa Cluster

Location: Flexible within West & Central Africa

Function: QHSE / SHEQ

Reporting To: Regional Leadership / Cluster Head

Industry: Telecom Infrastructure / Energy / Infrastructure Projects

Role Objective

We are looking for an experienced Regional QHSE Manager to join our team and lead the Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (QHSE) agenda across our current and upcoming markets in the West and Central Africa cluster.

The role will be responsible for strengthening our QHSE framework, driving a proactive safety and quality culture, ensuring regulatory and international standards compliance, and supporting business expansion into new markets.

The objective, is to onboard a candidate with regional experience to support our QHSE improvement journey across our current and new markets in the West and Central Africa Cluster.

Key Responsibilities

1. Regional QHSE Leadership

• Develop and drive the regional QHSE strategy across West and Central African markets.
• Establish consistent QHSE standards, processes, policies and governance across countries.
• Work closely with country and operational leadership to embed QHSE into day-to-day business operations.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and guidance to local QHSE teams and operational stakeholders.

2. QHSE Improvement & Transformation

• Lead the continuous improvement of QHSE performance across existing and new markets.
• Identify QHSE gaps and develop practical improvement plans with clear KPIs and timelines.
• Establish regional QHSE dashboards, reporting mechanisms and performance reviews.
• Drive a proactive safety culture rather than a purely compliance-driven approach.

3. Health & Safety

• Develop and implement occupational health and safety programs.
• Conduct risk assessments and ensure appropriate mitigation and control measures.
• Lead investigation of incidents, accidents and near misses, including root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions.
• Strengthen emergency preparedness and crisis-management processes.
• Conduct regular site inspections and safety audits.

4. Environment & Sustainability

• Strengthen environmental management practices across projects and operations.
• Drive environmental risk assessments and compliance with applicable local requirements.
• Support environmental management systems and sustainability initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to reduce environmental impact and improve operational efficiency.

5. Quality Management

• Establish and strengthen quality-management processes across projects and operations.
• Develop audit programs and monitor compliance with internal and external standards.
• Drive corrective and preventive action (CAPA) and ensure closure of identified gaps.
• Support project teams in improving quality, documentation and operational controls.

6. ISO & Management Systems

• Develop, implement and continuously improve QHSE management systems aligned with international standards.
• Lead or support certification, surveillance and recertification audits.
• Conduct internal audits and ensure timely closure of audit findings.
• Develop policies, SOPs, guidelines and QHSE control frameworks.

7. Project & Operational QHSE

• Work closely with project, engineering, operations and commercial teams to ensure QHSE requirements are integrated into project planning and execution.
• Establish QHSE requirements for contractors, vendors and partners.
• Monitor contractor compliance through audits, inspections and performance reviews.
• Ensure appropriate QHSE controls during site deployment, construction, installation and maintenance activities.

8. New Market Entry

• Support QHSE readiness for entry into new West and Central African markets.
• Assess country-specific QHSE, regulatory and operational risks.
• Develop market-specific QHSE implementation plans.
• Support local teams during mobilisation and operational launch.

9. Stakeholder & Leadership Engagement

• Build strong relationships with country management, customers, contractors, government/regulatory authorities and other stakeholders.
• Present QHSE performance, risks and improvement plans to senior leadership.
• Act as a regional QHSE subject-matter expert and business partner.

Candidate Profile

• 6+ years of experience in QHSE / EHS / SHEQ / HSE leadership roles.
• Strong experience managing QHSE across multiple African markets.
• Experience in telecom infrastructure, energy, construction, manufacturing or other high-risk operational environments preferred.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 45001 and ISO 14001.
• Experience in risk assessment, audits, incident investigation, emergency preparedness and corrective/preventive action.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing QHSE policies, systems and processes.
• Strong experience working with senior management and cross-functional teams.
• Experience managing or mentoring regional/local QHSE teams.
• Strong understanding of African regulatory and operational environments.
• French and English proficiency is must, particularly for Francophone Africa.
• Master's degree in Business Administration / Management, Environmental Management, HSE or related discipline.
• Relevant professional certifications in HSE/QHSE, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 or Lead Auditor preferred.
• IRCA Lead Auditor training will be an advantage.

Key Success Measures / KPIs

• Reduction in incidents, accidents and safety non-conformities.
• Improvement in regional QHSE audit scores.
• Closure rate and turnaround time for corrective actions.
• ISO compliance and certification status.
• Contractor/vendor QHSE compliance.
• QHSE training and awareness completion.
• Improvement in environmental compliance.
• Successful QHSE mobilisation of new markets.
• Consistent implementation of QHSE standards across the cluster.