Operational Risk Specialist at Tharisa

Purpose of Role

• Plan and coordinate the implementation of Operational Risk Management (ORM) across the operation’s risk profile to embed effective risk management practices, support proactive safety management, ensure MHSA compliance, and advance zero harm objectives.

Role Context

Operational Tasks

• Implement and execute, at an operational level, the integrated risk management framework including all associated operational risk management processes, systems, standards, and procedures
• Support required integration of operational risk management into leading operational practices
• Coach, advise and facilitate site risk assessments, ensuring legal compliance, effectiveness, standardisation and usability
• Act as site custodian for the ORM system (Isometrix), ensuring data quality, reporting integrity, and effective use of risk information for decision making.
• Monitor and report on site risk actions and control effectiveness, escalating overdue or ineffective controls to accountable line management
• Support incident investigations by identifying risk and control failures and updating risk registers accordingly
• Coach line management on risk ownership, accountability and effective control implementation
• Provide risk based operational input to operation to ensure management of material risks and audit results.

People Management

• Supervise and upskill the ORM team of officers and support staff by monitoring and tracking their achievement of established key performance areas to enhance their performance.
• Monitor team performance and develop comprehensive reports to provide individual and team feedback identifying areas for improvement as well as areas that are working well.

Resource Management

• Provide input into required changes in resources (financial or non-financial) to enable the achievement of team and/or own objectives.
• Determine resource needs of the team and/or own area of work to achieve business outcomes.
• Request and allocate required assets and/or resources for the fulfilment of work objectives to guarantee quality outputs.
• Monitor the use of assets and resources within the team and own area of responsibility, to ensure assets and resources are consistently and appropriately utilised and managed.
• Provide staff with day-to-day direction and tasks aligned with Departmental procedures, to enable the usage of less resources more efficiently.

Stakeholder Relations:

• Engage with relevant departments and stakeholders to ensure alignment on operational risk objectives, proactive identification and management of potential risk derailers, and avoidance of duplicated or fragmented risk efforts.

Job Requirements
Qualifications:

• Grade 12
• NQF 7 qualification in Risk Management, Safety Management, Engineering, or related.
• Postgraduate qualification advantageous

Certifications:

• COMSOC, or NEBOSH advantageous

Job-specific experience:

• 3+ years in mining safety and risk management with site-based experience
• Experience in incident investigations, root cause analysis and linking incidents to control failures

Inherent requirements

• Must be medically fit

Closing Date: 11 February 2026