Senior Community Liaison Officer (Mining/Zulu Speaking) | Port Shepstone, KZN South Coast | Package Neg.

SUMMARY:
Crucially, this role requires an expert in navigating complex socio-environmental friction, mediating vocal environmental activist/NGO challenges, and proactively managing community anxieties relating to the environmental footprint, water-resource preservation, and operational impacts of a large-scale open-cast environment.

POSITION INFO:
Senior Community Liaison Officer (Mining\/Zulu Speaking) | Port Shepstone, KZN South Coast | Package Neg. ROLE PURPOSE The Senior Community Liaison Officer (CLO) is a high-level, strategic operative responsible for building, safeguarding, and maintaining the social licence to operate for a Greenfields opencast mining operation in KwaZulu-Natal. Operating as an objective, independent intermediary, the incumbent ensures absolute neutrality while balancing the strategic operational objectives of the business with the sustainable development of host communities. Crucially, this role requires an expert in navigating complex socio-environmental friction, mediating vocal environmental activist\/NGO challenges, and proactively managing community anxieties relating to the environmental footprint, water-resource preservation, and operational impacts of a large-scale open-cast environment. STRATEGIC RESPONSIBILITIES Independent Stakeholder Governance & Diplomacy Serve as the primary, objective diplomat representing the mine with Traditional Authorities (Amakhosi\/Izinduna), Ward Councillors, municipal structures, and community forums. Establish transparent communication protocols to ensure host communities are accurately informed of Greenfields development timelines, local employment pipelines, and project impacts. Maintain strict institutional neutrality, ensuring all community engagements are conducted objectively and without political, factional, or external organizational bias. Environmental Risk Mitigation & Dispute Resolution Formulate proactive community education and mitigation strategies regarding heavy operational impacts, specifically addressing local anxieties around mining blasting schedules, structural vibration complaints, and groundwater stewardship. Serve as the key operational interface between the mine''s Environmental\/Legal teams and vocal external stakeholders, including local environmental activist groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Manage the mine's formal Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), ensuring community disputes, land issues, and environmental complaints are investigated and legally resolved with balanced equity. Lead frontline crisis mediation and conflict resolution during periods of localized agitation, maintaining a dual focus on protecting business continuity and addressing valid community needs Socio-Economic Compliance Oversight Drive the execution and monitoring of the mine''s Social and Labour Plan (SLP), Social and Economic Development (SED), and Enterprise Development (ED) targets. Provide objective oversight to local recruitment and procurement initiatives, ensuring processes are fair, well-governed, transparent, and completely free from local nepotism or conflict of interest. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 8 to 10+ years of progressive experience in Community Relations or Stakeholder Management, with a mandatory background within large-scale opencast mining environments that carry high environmental oversight (e.g., Coal, Iron Ore, Heavy Minerals, or Base Metals). Crisis & Environmental Capability: Proven track record of managing community relations in operationally challenging or high-friction environments, specifically dealing with organized environmental activism, water stewardship disputes, and extensive structural\/blasting complaints from host communities. Operational Objectivity: Demonstrated history of operational independence and neutrality; must possess no active political party or trade union leadership affiliations to ensure unbiased mediation. Linguistic & Cultural Capability: Professional fluency in isiZulu is essential to successfully engage with traditional structures and local stakeholders in KwaZulu-Natal. Education: National Senior Certificate (Matric) along with a relevant Tertiary Qualification in Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Relations, Stakeholder Management, or a related field. Core Competencies: Advanced conflict resolution, strategic risk mapping, executive report writing, and advanced proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel). Logistics: Valid driver's licence and willingness to move extensively between the operation and surrounding traditional authority areas. CORE PERFORMANCE AREAS (CPAs) Risk & Continuity Management : Minimization of operational downtime or Greenfields project delays due to environmental or community disruptions. Neutrality & Governance : Maintenance of transparent, unbiased local recruitment\/procurement structures that prevent localized community disputes. Grievance Resolution : Timeous close-out and legal resolution of all registered community complaints (blasting, environmental, land) via the GRM framework. SLP Delivery : Successful compliance auditing and execution of all assigned socio-economic milestones. Please Note: If you have not heard from us within three (3) weeks of this publication date, please consider your application unsuccessful.