Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Manager

Location: Roo Bay, Homabay

Are you a hands-on HSE leader with the drive to turn established systems and standards into consistent, safe practices across a fast-growing operational environment?

We are seeking an exceptional HSE Manager to join our leadership team at Victory Farms Kenya. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, this role is responsible for implementing and running our established HSE systems and governance framework, ensuring that standards are consistently applied across every site and operation.

You will be responsible for embedding HSE practices across our farms, hatcheries, processing facilities, road operations, and construction sites, ensuring that safe working practices are understood, followed, and continuously reinforced. As we scale production and commission new facilities, you will play a critical role in ensuring that HSE systems are lived every day and that unsafe work is identified and stopped when necessary.

This is a delivery-focused, hands-on leadership role for someone who can translate established policies and standards into disciplined, consistent execution on the ground, while maintaining the independence and authority required to uphold a strong safety culture across the business.

Key Responsibilities:

1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Registered as an OSH Advisor/Practitioner with DOSHS, with a NEBOSH and/or professional HSE qualification (IOSH, ISO 45001/14001 lead auditor an advantage).
4. Deep working knowledge of Kenyan HSE law (OSHA 2007, WIBA, EMCA) and NEMA/DOSHS processes.
5. A track record of executing HSE programmes and measurably reducing incidents through disciplined, consistent enforcement – not just administering paperwork.

Strongly preferred

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

Attributes

1. Hands-on and field-oriented – comfortable on a boat, on the processing floor, and on a construction site, not just at a desk
2. A disciplined, reliable executor who follows the plan consistently and closes the loop on every action
3. Independent and courageous – able to hold the line on safety with senior operators and stop unsafe work
4. 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.

About Victory Farms:

Victory Farms (VF) was established on Lake Victoria in 2016 with both on-shore and off-shore facilities. The head office is in Nairobi, and its Farm site is in Homa Bay County, with distribution across Kenya. VF has since become one of the fastest growing companies in aquaculture globally. In its first eight months of operation, the Company became the largest aquaculture producer in Kenya. Victory Farms aims to become the leading tilapia farm in Africa over the next 5 years while maintaining the highest environmental and social standards; as the most sustainable tilapia farm in the world, adhering to global standards and best practices, and producing affordable, sustainable protein to feed millions of people across Africa. Today, it is the largest commercial aquaculture player in East Africa and operates one of largest hatcheries on the continent.

The Company is continuing to rapidly expand its vertically integrated model: production, processing, and sales & distribution, to keep pace with the rapid growth in demand for protein. To support this, Victory Farms employs world class technologies, people, and processes to build its model for sustainable protein production on the continent. VF strives for the highest standards in performance, execution, culture, and integrity.

VF’s growth trajectory provides enormous opportunity for excited professionals to uplift their careers and make an impact within a diverse operation. We recognize the utmost importance which contributions by individuals and teams have to the success of Victory Farms. We work to create a fantastic environment for our employees. An environment where employees have an opportunity to develop professionally and personally.

How to Apply:

Please send your 2-page CV and a short note on your most significant HSE achievement to recruit@victoryfarmskenya.com with the subject line “HSE Manager – VF Kenya”. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.