HSE Manager (Saudi National)

Role Summary

The HSE Manager is the independent safety assurance leader for the project, responsible for ensuring that Contractors deliver the work safely within a complex brownfield environment while protecting personnel, existing operations, the environment, and the Owner's interests. The role combines strategic HSE leadership, field presence, contractor governance, and operational interface management, making it one of the most critical positions within the site-based PMC leadership team.

Role Purpose

The HSE Manager is the senior PMC Health, Safety and Environment representative at site and is responsible for providing leadership, governance, assurance, and oversight of all HSE activities.

The role is not responsible for directly managing contractor HSE personnel or performing construction activities. Instead, the HSE Manager acts as the PMC's independent assurance representative, ensuring Contractors, subcontractors, and project stakeholders comply with project HSE requirements, Saudi regulations, international standards, and industry best practices.

A key challenge of the role is the management of significant construction activities within a live operating environment, requiring robust SIMOPS, interface management, and risk control strategies to protect construction personnel.

The HSE Manager is expected to drive a proactive safety culture while ensuring safe execution of construction, tie-ins, shutdowns, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and start-up activities.

Key Accountabilities

The HSE Manager is accountable for:

• Implementation of the HSE assurance strategy.

• Independent oversight of Contractor HSE performance.

• Achievement of project HSE objectives and KPIs.

• Effective management of SIMOPS risks.

• Assurance of regulatory compliance.

• Oversight of environmental compliance activities.

• Emergency preparedness and response readiness.

• Safety leadership and cultural development.

• HSE readiness for commissioning and start-up.

• Timely reporting of HSE performance to project leadership.

Principal Responsibilities

1. HSE Leadership

• Serve as the senior HSE representative at site.

• Promote a visible and proactive safety leadership culture.

• Lead by example and drive positive HSE behaviors across all project participants.

• Establish and maintain a "Zero Harm" project philosophy.

• Participate in senior management safety engagements.

• Conduct regular site safety walks and leadership inspections.

• Provide expert HSE advice to the Project Director and PM/RE.

2. HSE Governance and Assurance

• Develop and implement the HSE assurance plan.

• Verify Contractors comply with approved HSE plans and procedures.

• Conduct audits, inspections, and compliance reviews.

• Monitor implementation of critical risk controls.

• Assess contractor HSE competency and supervision effectiveness.

• Review contractor HSE performance and recommend corrective actions where required.

• Participate in project assurance reviews and stage-gate assessments.

• Provide independent reporting on HSE performance and trends.

3. SIMOPS Management

This is a critical component of the role.

Lead HSE oversight for activities involving simultaneous operations between construction and operatiion.

Responsibilities include:

• Review SIMOPS plans and risk assessments.

• Ensure proper coordination with construction teams.

• Verify interface risks are identified and mitigated.

• Participate in operational readiness and shutdown planning reviews.

• Monitor implementation of permit-to-work systems.

• Ensure isolation and energy control systems are effective.

• Support management of tie-ins to operating systems.

Particular focus areas include:

• Construction activities.

• Utility connections

• Power system integration

• Water systems tie-ins

• Fuel systems

• Process tie-ins

• Shutdown activities

• T&C activities

4. High-Risk Activity Management

Provide oversight of project critical risk activities including:

• Construction Risks

• Heavy lifting operations

• Crane activities

• Working at height

• Excavation and trenching

• Scaffolding

• Structural steel erection

• Process and HVAC Risks

• Hot work activities

• Pressure testing

• Electrical Risks

• High-voltage installations

• Energization activities

• Temporary power systems

• Operational Interface Risks

• Live plant interfaces

• SIMOPS activities

• Testing & Commissioning

• Utility tie-ins

Ensure critical controls are verified and maintained throughout execution.

5. Contractor HSE Performance Management

• Review contractor HSE staffing and competency levels.

• Monitor contractor compliance with project requirements.

• Analyze trends in leading and lagging indicators.

• Lead periodic contractor HSE performance reviews.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives.

• Challenge unsafe behaviors and ineffective controls.

• Escalate significant issues to project leadership.

Key indicators may include:

• TRIFR

• LTIFR

• Near miss reporting

• Safety observations

• Training compliance

• Permit compliance

• Corrective action closure rates

6. Incident Management and Investigation

• Lead participation in incident investigations.

• Verify root cause analysis quality.

• Ensure corrective actions are implemented and sustained.

• Review learning outcomes and broader application opportunities.

• Facilitate communication of lessons learned.

• Monitor closure of investigation recommendations.

Particular focus should be placed on preventing high-potential events and serious injuries.

7. Environmental Management

Oversee environmental compliance and assurance activities.

Responsibilities include:

• Monitor compliance with environmental permits and approvals.

• Review contractor environmental management plans.

• Conduct environmental inspections and audits.

• Monitor waste management activities.

• Ensure control of dust, noise, emissions, and runoff.

• Monitor protection of local communities and ecosystems.

• Participate in environmental incident investigations.

Specific areas of focus include:

• Dust generation from earthworks and material handling

• Construction waste management

• Water discharge controls

• Hazardous materials management

• Fuel and chemical storage

• Erosion and sediment control

8. Occupational Health and Wellbeing

• Monitor occupational health programs.

• Ensure contractor compliance with health requirements.

• Review exposure monitoring programs.

• Support fatigue management initiatives.

• Participate in workforce wellbeing programs.

• Monitor risks related to:

• Heat stress

• Dust exposure

• Noise exposure

• Chemical exposure

• Ergonomic risks

9. Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Ensure project emergency response plans are developed and maintained.

• Coordinate emergency response exercises and drills.

• Interface with Owner emergency response teams.

• Ensure readiness of:

• Medical facilities

• Emergency equipment

• Rescue resources

• Fire response capabilities

Given the nature of the facility, particular emphasis should be placed on:

• Industrial fire scenarios

• Electrical incidents

• Confined space emergencies

• Chemical releases

• Heavy equipment incidents

• Natural disasters

10. Commissioning and Start-Up HSE Readiness

Provide leadership and assurance during the transition from construction to operations.

Responsibilities include:

• Participate in commissioning readiness reviews.

• Verify HSE requirements are integrated into commissioning plans.

• Ensure energization and introduction of hazardous energy is properly controlled.

• Support operational readiness assessments.

• Review commissioning permits and safety procedures.

• Ensure workforce competency for commissioning activities.

Particular attention should be given to:

• T&C activities

• Utility commissioning

• Process start-up activities

Engineering Diploma

A minimum of 12 years of experience is required