Vacancies at the Wildlife College

Current vacancies / opportunities

Bushwise Project Cook

Hospitality Department: Operations

Job Purpose

The Southern African Wildlife College is looking for a highly capable, suitably qualified, and enthusiastic Cook, to work for one of our projects, the Bushwise project, on site, within a dynamic and busy kitchen. In this role you’ll oversee the day to day preparation, cooking, and provision of food in accordance with portion control, stock control, hygiene and safety regulations pertaining to such. In this role you will assisting the preparation, cooking and serving of food, while ensuring the smooth, efficient running of the Bushwise kitchen. You will be expected to work shifts and, working with minimal supervision, achieve the following on a day-to-day basis:

  • excellent customer service
  • preparing and serving food to the correct specification and standard
  • adherence to stock and portion control
  • maintenance a clean, safe and legal workplace
  • adherence to SAWC’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) and company policies
  • adherence to current hygiene regulations, protocols and legislation
  • adherence to current OSH legislation

The successful candidate will have experience as a cook in a similar role and environment. We are looking for someone who is passionate about food and customer service. We nurture talent and develop skills. This is a perfect role for someone with ambition and drive.

Applications close on 30 January 2025 at 16h00. If you are shortlisted we will contact you to ask for more details such as a complete CV, copies of qualifications, and written references. You will NOT be invited to an interview if you do not provide relevant contactable work references in your application.

Short-listed candidates will undergo a practical cooking assessment (for 4 pax), followed by written tests and interviews if they pass the practical assessment. Applicants need to set aside a full day for this is they are selected.

Candidates who have not received a response within two weeks of the closing date are kindly requested to assume that their application has not been successful in this instance

SAWC seeks to promote diversity among its staff and reserves the right to place internal candidates in line with their transformation and development policy, where this creates a vacancy at a lower level, or benefits communities by providing a casual employment opportunity. Candidates who have not received a response within two weeks of the closing date are kindly requested to assume that their application has not been successful in this instance.  SAWC reserves the right not to fill this position.

Please be sure to watch our LinkedIn page. 

What is it like to work for the College?

The Southern African Wildlife College is an equal opportunity employer and recruitment, selection and staff development is based solely on the capabilities, qualifications and intrinsic qualities of the person. No decision will be based on race, sex, culture, age, religion, creed or on any other potentially subjective views or perceptions. In addition, the College will employ people taking into account affirmative action policies, equity planning and recognition of the abilities of differently-abled people.

The College always endeavours, wherever feasible, to fill all vacancies from within whilst giving due consideration to maintaining high standards. The college, and the HR department, will thus always first look at the role and at existing employees not only within the department but within the college as whole, to determine whether there is any employee who has been identified with potential, as part of our Leadership Development policy, who meets the requirements for the role and could be promoted into it. Vacancies are always be advertised within the College unless the position is such that it cannot be filled internally, under which circumstances the position will be advertised nationally and possibly even internationally.

The Equity Committee (EC) and the SAWC community forum and/or Community Liaison Officers will be notified of all vacancies in the interests of transparency and these will be advertised on all college notice boards and via staff email. Cognizance will be taken of the needs in terms of equal opportunities, equity and transformation and development when making appointments. All applicants are required to undergo integrity testing prior to employment.

Employment options available at the College

Casual Employment

In order to meet the operational requirements of the College, and to conduct additional and/or extraordinary maintenance or hospitality tasks, the College may hire additional labour on a “casual” basis. The College has a firm commitment to the Mnisi Tribal authority and the communities within which it operates and it therefore undertakes to extend such casual employment, wherever and whenever possible, to community members, who will then have the opportunity to gain practical work experience to enable them to find employment elsewhere. Such labour will be remunerated on a “casual” hourly paid basis. Such employment will only be entered into for specific jobs or tasks that cannot be performed by permanent or fixed term contract staff at the College and where such tasks are of a fleeting and non-permanent nature, or as may crop up from time to time.  The College will therefore employ a limited number of community members on a “casual” hourly paid basis with the following objectives:

  • To provide practical work experience for residents of the local communities within which the College operates.
  • To assist the College in overcoming operational shortages and/or to conduct maintenance by offering employment to local community residents.
  • To utilise local community residents to fill vacancies caused by leave of absences due to illness, accidents or maternity leave
  • No person under the age of 16 will be hired to work at the College.

Volunteers

The College has a commitment to conservation and furthering conservation, training and education in all fields and in all possible ways. To this end, as part of the College’s Education Programme, the College accepts applications from Volunteers who wish to live and work at the College and learn more about what the college does, about conservation, and about the communities within which we operate.  The college accepts that volunteering is an easy way to get involved in practical conservation.

The College accepts a small number of these applicants each year, where it is felt that the experience will be of mutual benefit to the Volunteer and to the College. The Volunteer must be gainfully employed in value-added tasks or projects for the College during his/her term of volunteership. The period during which the services of the Volunteer are engaged at the College will be governed by an agreement to clarify the relationship and protect both parties.

Volunteers will be accepted for a minimum period of a month unless there are special circumstances, after which the situation will be reviewed with regard to the needs of both the Parties. Volunteers may not be employed for a period exceeding 12 months without expression permission from the HR Manager and a consensus on the need for an extended period by the Manager/s involved.

Interns

The College has a commitment to conservation and furthering conservation, training and education in all fields and in all possible ways. To this end, as part of the College’s Education Programme, the College accepts applications from Students who require practical experience to complete their related studies, who wish to live and work at the College to gain useful practical experience to assist them in future employment endeavours within the conservation field or associated support service fields.

The college also accept applications from and from people who have graduated from their course of study, but have no work experience, provided in some way that course of study is relevant to roles available at the college, and will take on a certain number of Interns each year in all departments, including the Hospitality and Maintenance departments. The college offers these Interns an opportunity to gain work experience in their respective fields. The College employs a small number of these applicants (Industrial Placements and/or Interns) each year, where it is felt that the experience will be of mutual benefit to the Industrial Placement/Intern and to the College.

The Industrial Placements and/or Interns must be gainfully occupied in value-added tasks or projects for the College during his/her term of service. The period during which the services of the Industrial Placements and/or Interns are engaged at the College will be governed by a formal agreement. Industrial Placements and/or Interns will be hired for a minimum period of 3 months, after which the situation will be reviewed with regard to the needs of both the Parties. Industrial Placements and/or Interns may not be employed for a period exceeding 12 months without expression permission from the Head of Human Resources and a consensus on the need for an extended period by the Manager/s involved.

Research Students

The College has facilities specifically designed for research groups and students, and offers a camp ground, a caravan park and tented accommodation. The Applied learning department is involved with several research projects every year, and applications to conduct research at the college would be routed via HR to the Applied Learning department for approval and acceptance. The college, situated in a big five area, and involved as it is in cutting edge conservation education, is a perfect location for most research projects.