Emergency Manager

Job Purpose

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a world-renowned private university located in Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a 36 km2 suburban campus on the Red Sea, a residential city of >8,000 residents, university campus with 200,000 m2 of modern research laboratories and a research park with local and global research centers. Our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) expertise leads the university in the development of innovative systems and programs that enable a strong safety culture and the ability to manage the risks associated with our state-of-the-art research and education.  

The Emergency Manager leads and coordinates emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across the University. This position’s essential function lies in ensuring the University’s operational resilience through a robust, proactive emergency management strategy. This role provides dedicated, experienced leadership in managing emergencies that could disrupt operations or impact on the University’s reputation. The Emergency Manager acts as the lead architect of the KAUST Emergency Management Plan, aligning it with international standards and local regulations. The role coordinates all phases of emergency management, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, and leads critical operational functions such as hazard vulnerability analysis, scenario planning, drills, interdepartmental coordination, and after-action reviews. In addition to emergency management, the role also oversees Community Safety programs maintained by community safety and public health team members.

Major Accountabilities

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the KAUST Emergency Management Plan, procedures and protocols.
• Conduct regular Hazard Vulnerability Analyses (HVA) and use findings to inform emergency readiness across KAUST.
• Apply the Incident Command System (ICS) framework principles to activate the Emergency Operations Team (EOT) as required.
• Coordinate integrated emergency exercises with the Principal Emergency Services: KAUST Fire Department, KAUST Health, and Security.
• Lead institutional emergency drills, tabletop exercises, and real-time simulations; conduct after-action reviews to capture lessons learned.
• Inform Business Continuity Planning (BCP) by collaborating with university departments to assess critical functions and build recovery strategies.
• Serve as the institutional point of contact during crises, supporting incident command and communication strategies (e.g., KAUST ALERT).
• Ensure post-incident reviews are completed to evaluate the effectiveness of emergency response efforts, identify lessons learned, recommend improvements, and update emergency plans and procedures to enhance future response capabilities.
• Ensure compliance with local and international regulations (e.g., KSA Civil Defense, ISO 22301, NFPA 1600).
• Maintain up-to-date emergency procedures on internal platforms, including the KAUST Central App.
• Steer the Principal Emergency Services Working Group to optimize coordination and interoperability across emergency services.
• Oversee reporting, KPI tracking, and performance reviews for safety and emergency-related programs.
• Manage the Community Safety and Public Health teams to align risk-based initiatives with emergency preparedness goals and program-specific KPI’s.
• Apply the principles of the Incident Command System (ICS) to establish command and control structures during emergencies, coordinating response team activities, assigning responsibilities, and ensuring effective communication, while ensuring the availability of current comprehensive emergency plans, procedures, and protocols that address potential hazards and disasters, conducting risk assessments, and collaborating with stakeholders to create effective response strategies.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive emergency plans, procedures, and protocols, addressing potential hazards and disasters, conducting risk assessments, and working with stakeholders to create effective response strategies. Additionally, ensure emergency content is regularly updated and hosted on the KAUST Central App to provide the community with real-time access to critical information during emergencies.
• Steer the Principal Emergency Services (PES) working group to optimize interoperability of the PES consisting of Security, KAUST Health and Fire & Emergency Services, including review and optimization of emergency procedures. Identify training needs and scenarios for joint exercises.
• Oversee the development and implementation of the HSE management system and risk-based community safety program objectives, ensuring regular reporting on system and program performance, including tracking KPIs, analyzing data to assess the effectiveness of strategies and initiatives, and providing actionable insights to leadership for decision-making and continuous program improvement
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, providing expert advice to enhance the effectiveness of emergency preparedness and community safety programs within the scope of the role.
• Stay current with KSA, and international emergency and safety management regulations, guidelines, and best practices. Ensure compliance with applicable laws and standards, HSE policies and procedures and participate in relevant training and professional development activities.
• Performing other related duties as assigned.

Person Requirements

Competencies

• Exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills with a proven ability to influence academic, research, and operational domains.
• Strategic thinker with a command of organizational resilience, risk management, and emergency operations principles
• Excellent communication and crisis decision-making abilities under pressure.
• Strong project management skills and experience with emergency software platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required.
• Master’s degree in Emergency Management, Crisis Leadership, Public Safety, or a related field preferred.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CEM®, CBCP, ISO 22301 Lead Implementer, ICS 400) strongly preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in Emergency Management or a related emergency service organization, with direct command and control of multi-service incidents. 
• Proven leadership in planning and managing complex emergency response arrangements.