Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI)

Overview

Nakupuna Companies is seeking to hire a full-time Certified Playground Safety Inspector to join our DoWEA Team. The candidate will be responsible for conducting comprehensive safety assessments of recreational playground facilities at Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) educational campuses. This role is essential for protecting the safety of military-connected students by identifying entrapment hazards, evaluating surfacing conditions, and ensuring compliance with federal safety standards. This role requires significant travel to conduct on-site triennial assessments across distinct playground sites located on U.S. military installations throughout the Pacific Region, including Japan, Okinawa, South Korea, and Guam.

Responsibilities

The following reflects management’s definition of essential functions for this position, but management may assign additional duties and responsibilities at any time. Specific duties include:

• Playground Safety Inspections: Perform detailed physical safety inspections of playground equipment, protective surfacing, fall zones, anchorage systems, and entrapment hazards. Conduct all playground safety inspections in strict accordance with the current Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Public Playground Safety Handbook and applicable ASTM standards.
• Deficiency & Hazard Documentation: Apply a standardized rating methodology to assign condition and risk levels to playground assets and identify required corrective actions. Document all deficiencies, safety hazards, and noncompliant conditions identified during the assessment process.
• Photographic Documentation: Capture high-resolution digital photography of all playground structures, surfacing, and specific safety deficiencies for inclusion in the final reports. Ensure all child and personnel safeguarding policies are strictly followed, ensuring no identifiable images or silhouettes of students or staff are captured in the photographs.
• Report Deliverables: Prepare and submit comprehensive Playground Inspection Reports detailing equipment inventory, inspector credentials, hazard findings, and photos.
  
  

Qualifications

Skills/Qualifications: The ideal candidate is familiar and has experience with the following technical knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Deep understanding of CPSC guidelines and ASTM standards (e.g., ASTM F1487, F1292) for public playground safety and protective surfacing.
• Ability to accurately identify and document mechanical, structural, and environmental hazards associated with playground equipment.
• Strong technical writing skills to produce detailed, compliant safety inspection reports.
• An active Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) credential awarded by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is mandatory and must remain active for the duration of contract performance.
  
  

Education & Experience: To meet contractual requirements, the candidate must possess:

• Education & Certification: A high school diploma or equivalent, accompanied by the mandatory active CPSI certification. Valid certificate copies must be maintained and verified prior to any playground fieldwork beginning.
• Experience: 3-10 years of documented experience independently conducting formal playground safety inspections and preparing compliance reports for educational, municipal, or federal recreational facilities.
  
  

Physical Demands & Work Environment: Candidates are continually required to stand, walk, kneel, crouch, and utilize their hands to test equipment and utilize inspection gauges (e.g., entrapment probes, head/torso probes). Fieldwork requires walking geographically dispersed school campuses and spending prolonged periods outdoors inspecting playgrounds in varying coastal and tropical weather conditions.

Clearance Requirements: Must be a U.S. Citizen. Secret clearance preferred. Must be capable of passing necessary background investigations, including an FBI Fingerprint Check and Tier 1 childcare investigation, to permit unescorted access within active school facilities.

Work Location: Work is performed at DoWEA Pacific Region military installations, requiring regular deployment to school campuses located in Japan, Okinawa, South Korea, and Guam. The ideal candidate will reside in or near one of our strategic hubs: Arlington, VA; San Antonio, TX; Charleston, SC; San Diego, CA; or Honolulu, HI.

The Nakupuna Companies use a market-based compensation strategy to ensure that our employees are compensated within applicable market ranges commensurate with multiple factors, including but not limited to the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements, and position location. The projected compensation range for this position is $65,000.00 to $95,000.00 (annualized USD). The salary range displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Nakupuna Companies total compensation package for employees.