Safety Lead (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 inthe 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 role is a subject matter expert capable of designing and leading the performance, and continual improvement of risk-based occupational safety programs across complex, high-risk operational environments, including construction and projects, facilities management and operations. The role identifies existing and anticipated hazards, assesses safety risks, evaluates the adequacy of controls, challenges unsafe practices, and initiates corrective action where unsafe conditions are identified. The role directs and guides a team of Safety Specialists to deliver high-quality inspections, risk assessments, audits, incident and near-miss investigations, corrective action follow-up, stakeholder engagement, training, and field verification activities. The role ensures approved safety procedures are effectively implemented, required outputs and outcomes are achieved, corrective actions are verified for effectiveness, and audit-ready evidence is maintained in alignment with ISO 45001 and applicable regulatory requirements. The Safety Lead provides the Health and Safety Manager with reliable safety performance insight, identifies emerging, recurring, or systemic risks, and recommends improvements to achieve program objectives. 

The Safety Lead demonstrates advanced operational safety competence, sound professional judgment, accountability, and field credibility, with assigned authority to challenge unsafe practices, require immediate risk reduction measures, escalate significant safety concerns,and ensure corrective actions are implemented where controls are inadequate, ineffective, or not being followed.

Major Accountabilities

• Lead the effective implementation and continual improvement of KAUST occupational health and safety programs, ensuring alignment with the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS), approved HSE policies and procedures, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Be responsible for safety program delivery for construction, projects, facilities maintenance and operations, control verification, performance monitoring, and improvement across facilities, projects, contractor activities, maintenance operations, and community-facing environments.
• Exercise sound professional judgment, independent risk-based decision-making, strong follow-through, and the ability to work with minimal supervision in high-risk operational environments.
• Maintain a strong field presence to verify that safety controls are implemented, effective, and sustained, and to intervene where unsafe conditions or practices are identified.
• Proactively identify, assess, and control high-risk activities and conditions, ensuring that critical safety controls are verified, unsafe work is stopped where required, and corrective actions are implemented to prevent fatalities and major incidents.
• Lead, supervise, and develop Safety Specialists by providing technical direction, work prioritization, coaching, field oversight, and performance feedback to ensure consistent and high-quality safety delivery.
• Review, validate, and guide major and moderate incident investigations, ensuring robust root cause analysis and effective corrective actions are implemented, sustained, and verified for effectiveness.
• Actively review safety performance data, inspection findings, incident trends, audit outcomes, and corrective action status to identify recurring risks, initiate targeted interventions, drive risk-based improvements, and prevent repeat incidents.
• Ensure corrective actions are specific, risk-based, assigned, tracked to closure, and verified for effectiveness to prevent recurrence and reduce the likelihood of fatalities, major incidents, and repeat non-conformities.
• Proactively support the development, review, and improvement of safety standards, procedures, guidance documents, inspection tools, and training materials, providing practical recommendations for improvement.
• Act as the functional safety lead with operational stakeholders, including facilities management, construction and projects, engineering, design, contractors, and service providers to ensure safety expectations are understood, implemented, and maintained while identifying practical, risk-based solutions that support KAUST operations and uphold safety standards.
• Lead the development and delivery of safety awareness and training programs, ensuring relevance to operational risks, workforce needs, incident trends, and identified performance gaps.
• Maintain audit-ready safety program records and OHSMS evidence, including inspections, risk assessments, incident investigations, corrective action tracking, training records, KPI data, compliance evidence, and program performance documentation.
• Responsible for providing regular program reports to the Health and Safety Manager to support oversight, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement.

Competencies

• Must demonstrate proven operational safety leadership, including the ability to independently identify high-risk conditions, evaluate the adequacy of controls, intervene in unsafe work, guide Safety Specialists, lead quality investigations, verify corrective action effectiveness, and deliver measurable improvements in safety performance.
• Proven ability to lead and coordinate safety professionals in a dynamic, operational environment.
• Strong working knowledge of risk assessment, incident investigation, and audit processes, with the ability to ensure consistent and high-quality application.
• Ability to translate safety policies and strategies into practical, field-based execution.
• Proven stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to influence safe outcomes across diverse groups.
• Ability to intervene decisively in unsafe situations while maintaining professional credibility and stakeholder alignment.
• Demonstrated technical competence in high-risk activities, including excavation, lifting operations, work at height, confined space entry, and permit-to-work systems, with the ability to evaluate risk-based controls and challenge unsafe practices.
• Strong capability in conducting incident investigations using structured root cause analysis methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone), with the ability to identify underlying causes and implement effective, sustainable corrective actions.
• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to interpret safety data, identify trends, and deliver improvement actions.
• Ability to produce technical, structured reports and actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated systems-thinking approach, with the ability to understand interdependencies across operations, projects, and safety programs.
• Resilient, proactive, and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to function effectively at a lead level, building strong working relationships and fostering collaboration across teams.
• Demonstrated adaptive leadership and conflict management capability, with the ability to navigate changing operational demands, address resistance, and resolve safety-related challenges while maintaining professional credibility and driving safe outcomes.
• Physically fit and capable of working in operational environments, including wearing required PPE, climbing stairs and ladders, accessing confined or elevated areas, and working both indoors and outdoors as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in occupational health & safety, engineering, or a safety related discipline(required).
• ISO 45001 Lead Auditor (required).
• Demonstrated knowledge or certification in ISO 19011 and ISO 31000, with the ability to apply auditing principles and structured risk management frameworks within an ISO45001-aligned environment (preferred)

• Professional certification such as: Certified Safety Professional (CSP) (preferred)
• NEBOSH International Diploma or equivalent; IOSH (GradIOSH / CMIOSH) or equivalent(preferred)
• Valid driver’s license (required).

Experience

• Minimum 6+ years of relevant experience in occupational health and safety or a related field, with exposure to operational safety environments such as facilities, construction, contractor management, and projects.
• Experience leading high-risk operational safety activities, guiding safety personnel, influencing operational stakeholders, and implementing safety controls in facilities, construction, projects, contractor management, maintenance, or other complex operational environments.
• Previous experience in a lead safety role or equivalent responsibility for safety program delivery, field verification, incident investigation quality, and corrective action effectiveness. (preferred)
• Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating safety teams, including providing direction, coaching, and oversight of safety programs.
• Experience working in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, with the ability to influence safe outcomes and drive risk-based improvements in safety programs.