Investigation and Standards Specialist - March 2025 at ATNS

Job description

Regulatory and Governance Compliance -

• Ensure compliance with Air Traffic Control Standards and Procedures following ATNS Processes (Policies and Procedures), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - Annexes, documents, and circulars, and Aviation Legislation requirements Civil Aviation Regulation (CAR) & Civil Aviation Technical Standards (CATS);  Ensure ATNS complies with its internal safety processes, procedures, directives, and instructions; 
•  Ensure regulatory compliance for all rating training, operational validations, and assessments by performing practical assessment oversight at the Aviation Training Academy (ATA) and the Air Traffic Service Units (ATSUs);
•   Mediate disputes raised from unsuccessful rating assessments; 
•  Ensure that ATNS adheres to approved alternative means of compliance, exceptions, and special approvals (designated examiner procedures, and visiting Designated Examiner procedures);  Assist the development, implementation, and maintenance of a Safety Management System;  
• Lead safety assessments in all change management areas which are subject to the Hazard Identification and Risk Mitigation process;  Monitor and ensure compliance with OHS Act No 85 of 1993 within ATNS;  Represent ATNS at Designated Examiner (DE) workshops;  
• Distribute all South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AIID) requests and documents to unit management for actioning;  
• Facilitate SACAA and AIID enquiries concerning the Safety Management System components and elements;  Conduct investigations when there are identified regulatory and licensing breaches to establish the cause, and provide feedback to the Head of Safety to report to the SACAA.

Safety Reports and Safety Investigations -

• Receive, evaluate and validate Mandatory Occurrence Reports (MORs), Air Safety Reports (ASRs), Hazard Reports (HAZREPS), and Unfavorable Condition Reports (UCRs) daily and ensure that these are actioned accordingly;  Distribute MORs and investigation reports to the SACAA and AIID respectively a required.  Action all received ASRs, UCRs, and HAZREPS and provide feedback to relevant internal and external parties and stakeholders (e.g.  ATS, OT, etc., and airlines or airport authorities);  
• Conduct safety investigations and/or reviews with the associated risk analyses and determination of causal factors. Collect all the supporting data and materials where relevant for ATNS-attributed safety events and other selected reports (ASR etc.);  Develop safety recommendations based on the findings of investigations;  
• Conduct safety investigations when requested by AIID (Accidents, Incidents and Investigations Division);  Collect, collaborate, and distribute safety-related data for the AIID and South African Air  Force (SAAF) to assist in accident and incident investigations; 
•  Compile reports and supporting documentation for events which have no Air Traffic Service (ATS) attribution but impact aviation safety;   
•  Compile and distribute investigation reports to ATSU management. Monitor, track and update the associated safety recommendations;  Evaluate recommendations of previous events with similar findings for implementation and effectiveness;  Assess the efficacy of implemented recommendations;  Participate in the peer review process;  
• Consolidate safety occurrence data for statistical output when requested;  Identify and monitor safety data trends and report to management;  Coach, mentor and guide unit investigators.

Coordinate internal and external safety audits -

• Conduct annual and follow-up safety audits for all areas of safety assurance;  Compile safety audit reports containing findings and observations identifying non-compliance and systemic failures within the system;
•  Formulate recommendations to support findings and observations and to improve the safety of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) system;  
• Generate a corrective action plan tracker;  Distribute audit reports for approval and disseminate them along with findings and observation tracker to action owners; 
•  Monitor, track, and update all audit findings and non-conformance corrective action plans, ensuring all recommendations are effectively implemented; 
•  Facilitate the exchange of external audit information between ATNS-controlled ATSUs and the external auditor, namely SACAA;  Facilitate safety audits conducted by external auditors;  
• Guide and coordinate the population and completion of corrective action plans, submit to the external auditor, and monitor and track the progress of the corrective action plans. 

Manage Safety Assessments -

• Ensure that safety risks and hazards are effectively managed in the event of system change to enable the ongoing provision of safety assurance to ATNS;  Receive safety assessment requests, evaluate the changes required, and register safety assessment on the relevant register;  
• Ensure the correct and effective composition of the safety assessment team and facilitate hazard and risk identification brainstorming sessions; 
•  Facilitate the estimation and assessment of each identified hazard and associated risks for appropriateness, as well as risk mitigation actions; 
•  Guide the project owner on the population and update the safety assessment hazard log with all identified hazards and risks; 
•  Review and evaluate safety assessment documentation and supporting evidence against all applicable safety objectives, requirements and evidence statements for logic and completeness;  Provide assurance on the implementation of safety risk mitigation.

Coordinate Safety Promotion and Training -

• Conduct safety presentations to internal and external stakeholders as required; 
•  Share lessons learned from safety events via internal safety publications;  Create safety content for distribution on internal media; 
•  Organise and coordinate appropriate annual safety promotion activities; 
•  Present SMS training across all levels of the organisation and to all employees;  
• Participate in corporate induction activities;  Train and mentor safety investigators and provide continuation training;  
• Train and mentor safety assessment specialists;  Conduct safety reporting training across the organization;  
• Manage all safety-related queries arising from the operations environment. 

Maintain Safety Documentation -

• Provide inputs and update safety documentation and templates including:  ATNS safety assessment templates,  Hazard log and unit risk registers,  SMS Manual,  ATNS safety policy,  Safety audit report templates,  S&R policies, directives, and instructions,  Manual reporting templates,  SMS training material for induction, operations, and management policies;  
• Conduct an annual review of audit checklists against all aviation regulations; company  instructions; directives; and memorandums;  Maintain the training curriculum of the unit investigation training course;  Conduct a review of the ATA course curricula and make recommendations to management;  
• Configure, review and update electronic reporting templates on the reporting tool;  Maintain and administer the electronic reporting tool database by adding and removing users and assigning roles;  Maintain and administer the Standards and Regulations SharePoint page;  
• Configure and maintain investigation recommendations and audit trackers on the digital platform;  Configure, review and update electronic continuous improvement feedback forms;  Provide input into the annual budgeting process.

 Safety Committees and Work Groups -

• Participate in relevant external safety-related committees i.e.: Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) Africa Safety working group;  Civil Aviation Regulations Committee (CARCom) sub-committees & work groups;   National Airspace Committee (NASCOM) and sub-committees; Air Traffic Service Incident Analysis Group (AIAG); IATA Technical Action Group (TAG); Local RWY safety teams (LRST); and Airlines Association of South Africa (AASA); 
•  Review and provide input to CARCOM's proposed regulations and technical standards;  Conduct research based on proposed regulatory changes, and review and provide input on the sub-committee’s working papers;  Review and provide input to NASCOM proposals;  Conduct tasks assigned by CARCom and NASCOM sub-committee to any relevant work group;  Provide ATNS responses at Tactical Action Group (TAG) to AIAG recommendations;  
• Attend and participate in all relevant ATNS internal meetings (RRC meetings, SRB, SAG etc.); Prepare reports for the Safety Review Board (SRB) and Safety Action Group (SAG) by reviewing all safety events to extract high-risk events and outstanding recommendations as well as outstanding safety audit data;   
• Provide input to documentation submitted to the Management Committee (MANCOM), the Executive Committee (EXCO), the Strategic Programmes, Information and Technology Committee (SPITC), and the Board.

Manage safety statistics - 

• Update investigation and audit trackers for statistics compilation;  Analyse safety data and produce safety statistics and graphs;  Generate safety reports for various internal committees.

Participate in projects -

•  Provide subject matter expertise on safety and regulations to all relevant projects within ATNS;  Conduct oversight and assurance activities on the commissioning and decommissioning of new ATSUs.

Minimum requirements

Minimum Formal Qualifications:

• Validated Approach/Area Surveillance or Aerodrome Controller
• Validated On-the-Job-Training-Instructor (OJTI)
• Aviation Saftey Management Systems Qualification
• Formal tertiary qualification in Business Management/Leadership or related field is an advantage

 Minimum Years of Experience: 

•  Minimum 5 years’ experience as a validated Approach/Area Surveillance or Aerodrome Controller with a working knowledge of the  Safety Management System and the application thereof in an Air Traffic Services (ATS) environment
• Safety event investigation training and experience is an advantage