Director Health Safety and Worker Welfare Operations (RE )

About the Role

Qiddiya is seeking a Director Health Safety and Worker Welfare Operations to lead the development and implementation of health, safety, environmental, and worker welfare governance across City Operations. This full-time role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and requires over 10 years of experience. The Director will translate enterprise requirements into operational standards, contractual requirements, and assurance activities for City Operations-managed assets and services, ensuring compliance, overseeing audits, and managing incident learning and corrective actions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of City Operations health, safety, and worker welfare governance, translating Strategic Delivery Unit (SDU) policies and legal requirements into operational procedures.
• Establish minimum requirements and contractual schedules for health, safety, and worker welfare, ensuring service providers and contractors understand performance standards.
• Direct the risk-based assurance program across City Operations-managed assets, public realm, and operational services, including compliance reviews, inspections, and audits.
• Monitor contractor, operator, and service-provider compliance, directing corrective actions through relevant contract and service owners.
• Oversee worker welfare conditions for employees and contracted workforces within City Operations, establishing and monitoring welfare requirements.
• Oversee environmental compliance across City Operations-managed assets, public spaces, and service arrangements, focusing on harm prevention and adherence to environmental management plans.
• Provide health, safety, environmental, and worker welfare subject-matter expertise to the City Command Unit during incidents, crises, and emergency exercises.
• Define health, safety, environmental, and worker welfare requirements for new assets and services entering City Operations, engaging with delivery teams from design through handover.
• Act as the City Operations focal point for health, safety, environmental, and worker welfare matters with SDU, City Assets Management, and other stakeholders.
• Lead the development of the Health, Safety, and Worker Welfare team and establish dashboards for performance monitoring and continuous improvement.

Operational Compliance and Assurance

The role involves directing a comprehensive risk-based assurance program, tracking performance through various data points, and reporting material risks and non-conformances to leadership. The Director will also be authorized to stop unsafe work within the City Operations remit and coordinate formal corrective actions.

• Track performance using incident data, risk registers, permit-to-work compliance, regulatory reporting, and leading indicators.
• Report material risks, non-conformances, trends, and overdue actions, escalating issues affecting safety, compliance, or Qiddiya's reputation.
• Stop unsafe work and coordinate formal corrective action through the accountable contract holder.

Worker Welfare and Environmental Compliance

This position includes leading oversight of worker welfare conditions, establishing and monitoring welfare requirements, and coordinating with various teams to address welfare risks. Additionally, the Director will oversee environmental compliance, focusing on pollution prevention and control, and ensuring incidents are tracked to closure.

• Establish and monitor welfare requirements covering working conditions, facilities, and access to support, aligning with Saudi labor laws.
• Coordinate with workplace, accommodation, contractor, and service-provider teams to address welfare risks.
• Establish requirements for pollution prevention and control, including waste handling and noise management.
• Coordinate environmental reporting and relevant Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) inputs.

Incident Management and Asset Readiness

The Director will provide critical expertise during incidents, support response structures, and develop crisis playbooks. The role also involves defining requirements for new assets, leading readiness reviews, and providing functional sign-off for handover processes.

• Support the Gold, Silver, and Bronze response structure by advising on technical risks and recovery actions.
• Lead or oversee post-incident and near-miss investigations, ensuring lessons learned are embedded.
• Lead readiness reviews, validating operational requirements and service arrangements before go-live.
• Work with City Assets Management and delivery teams to transfer defects, risks, and procedures into live operations.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in health, safety, and worker welfare operations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement governance frameworks and operational procedures.
• Experience in managing compliance, audits, incident investigations, and corrective actions.
• Strong understanding of environmental compliance and worker welfare requirements.
• Capability to coordinate with diverse stakeholders and regulatory bodies.