UAS Quality & Safety Manager

UAS Quality & Safety Manager , Spekboom Restoration Project

Technical and Carbon Division (UASOC Programme) Department, Eastern Cape (Gqeberha), South Africa

Location: Gqeberha, Eastern Cape (Head Office), with travel to all NatCarbon Africa project sites

Reports to: Accountable Manager

Are you ready to embark on an extraordinary adventure that will revitalise landscapes, combat climate change, and promote sustainable agriculture? Join NatCarbon Africa: a mission-driven, proudly African organisation dedicated to high-quality implementation of large-scale carbon, climate, and biodiversity projects. We embrace the power of innovative technology to enhance project execution. Community engagement lies at the heart of our projects, driven by a genuine commitment to meaningful and inclusive participation and co-benefits, such as biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic upliftment.

NatCarbon Africa seeks a UAS Quality & Safety Manager in the Technical and Carbon Department for the large-scale Spekboom Restoration Project in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa.

With our partner, Imperative Global, our aim is to restore up to 100,000 hectares of degraded subtropical thicket biome. The Project entails planting Spekboom ( Portulacaria afra ) on privately owned land to improve ecosystem functioning and agricultural productivity over time, promote biodiversity, improve soil filtration, enhance water storage capabilities, and to reduce soil erosion. The Project is estimated to permanently store large quantities of Carbon Dioxide over the Project life, thus positively contributing towards climate change mitigation.

Position Summary:

The UAS Quality & Safety Manager will build and maintain NatCarbon Africa's Quality Management System (QMS) and Safety Management System (SMS) in support of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operating Certificate (UASOC) under Part 101 of the South African Civil Aviation Regulations. This role provides independent assurance that flight operations remain compliant with the approved Operations Manual and SACAA requirements, and is the organisation's primary point of contact for regulatory audits, occurrence reporting, and compliance documentation. The role reports independently of the UAS Operations Manager to preserve objectivity in audits and safety oversight, while working closely with that role day-to-day.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Lead the design and implementation of NatCarbon Africa's Safety Management System (SMS) and Quality Management System (QMS) in line with SACAA Part 101 requirements.

Own and maintain the UASOC compliance documentation set, including safety policy, risk registers, audit schedules, and corrective action logs.

Plan and conduct regular internal quality audits of flight operations, training records, maintenance records, and data management practices, reporting findings to the Accountable Manager.

Manage occurrence and incident reporting, including submissions via the SACAA system, and track corrective and preventive actions through to closure.

Conduct risk assessments for new sites, mission types, or aircraft, in support of Operational Specification changes such as BVLOS approval.

Act as NatCarbon Africa's primary point of contact for SACAA compliance correspondence, inspections, and audits, working closely with the UAS Operations Manager.

Maintain currency and version control of all regulatory and operational documentation, ensuring it reflects current practice and regulatory requirements.

Promote a strong safety culture across all field teams (Young Professionals, Field Technicians, and Senior Field Technicians) through training, communication, and safety promotion activities.

Develop, establish, and maintain the organisation's emergency response plan and procedures, and be involved in actual or practice emergency responses.

Oversee maintenance of safety equipment and coordinate with ground support and security personnel on matters affecting aircraft handling safety and security.

General:

Embrace a culture of continuous learning by adapting to evolving job responsibilities as the UAS Operating Certificate (UASOC) programme matures, driven by NatCarbon Africa’s commitment to innovation, safety, regulatory compliance, personal growth, and shifting operational priorities.

This is an organisation-wide role: travel to NatCarbon Africa project sites will be required, occasionally including remote locations. Work hours may be irregular during audit or approval periods. Work hours may be irregular during audit and approval periods.

This outline of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive. The employer reserves the right to assign additional duties or responsibilities at any time, provided they are reasonably aligned with the scope of the role or necessitated by operational requirements. The functions and responsibilities detailed within this job description may be subject to modification at the employer’s discretion, based on evolving operational requirements, while remaining consistent with the parameters of the employee’s position.

Skills:

Strong working knowledge of SACAA Part 101, UASOC requirements, and aviation Safety and Quality Management System principles.

Excellent audit, documentation, and process-management skills.

High attention to detail and independent, objective judgement.

Strong written communication skills for regulatory and safety documentation.

Ability to engage confidently and professionally with SACAA and other regulatory stakeholders.

Qualifications:

A degree or relevant tertiary qualification in Aviation, Safety Management, Quality Management, Engineering, or a related field (equivalent industry experience will be considered in lieu of formal qualification).

Valid certificate in Quality Management and valid certificate in Safety Management, both issued by an Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) approved to conduct such training, required per SACAA post-holder requirements for this combined role.

A valid Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC) is advantageous but not essential for this role.

Knowledge and Experience:

Minimum of 3-5 years' experience in aviation (or UAS) safety, quality, or regulatory compliance roles.

Experience with SACAA (or an equivalent civil aviation authority) audit, certification, or occurrence-reporting processes.

Experience establishing or running a Safety Management System (SMS) or Quality Management System (QMS) in a regulated environment.

Familiarity with drone/UAS operations and associated operational risks is advantageous.

You will join a great team! We are:

From diverse locations and backgrounds, but all experts in our respective fields. We bring together a wide range of cross-sector experiences, ideas, and skills.

Relentless in our pursuit of excellence and innovation, always pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo. But it is not all work for us – we also believe in celebrating our successes, recognising individual contributions, and taking time to support each other’s growth and development.

At our core, explorers, constantly learning, evolving, and seeking new ways to deliver impactful solutions. We are not afraid to dream big, take risks, and step out of our comfort zones because we know that together, we can achieve great things.

Compensation

To help us attract and retain top talent, NatCarbon Africa pays employees competitively to the market, depending on experience. Salary is one component of NatCarbon Africa’s total compensation package which also includes health care and life insurance, contributions to each employee’s retirement plan, paid time off and funds to support professional development. We will recognise employees who go beyond expected performance with salary increases and/or promotions.

In return, we expect each employee to, at a minimum:

Meet expectations in terms of work effort and performance.

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