Section Head of Emergency Response, Environmental Risks, Health and Safety (UAE National)

Since the establishment of the union of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, education has received the utmost attention of the founding leader, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah have mercy on him, and his founding brothers. They believed that education was the cornerstone of building an enabled community that could keep pace with the advancements. Over the past decades, the wise leadership of the country was keen on building an educational system that matched its counterparts in the advanced nations. It harnessed for this purpose all the required capabilities, to achieve the country's agenda and national vision in this regard. Sincere efforts have also been made to develop education and adopt the best systems that achieve high-quality education outputs, to achieve the future visions and aspirations of the wise leadership.

Since investing in human capital is the main objective, the UAE has been keen on establishing the Ministry of Education and creating the appropriate environment to build pioneering Emirati schools, in terms of standards, form, and content they provide. It also made sure that such schools provided high-quality educational environment and owned the most technically advanced tools to be able to graduate generations that could pursue their university education confidently in higher education institutions to fulfil the requirements of labour market.

The MOE has also provided a smart learning system and high-quality digital platforms, side by side with the continuous development of school curriculums, according to national learning standards, assessment policy that is based on assessing for learning, and highest quality standards that match the best international practices. Various learning tracks, moreover, have been provided to support the capabilities and skills of students and achieve the country's strategy of encouraging the culture of creativity and innovation through providing the students with the skills of the 21st century and motivating them to have new ideas that relate to the reality they live in and foresee the future. This will eventually help in finding radical, sustainable solutions to the major issues, improving competitiveness, and supporting smart government in its attempts to keep pace with global advancements, advance education, and push it to broad horizons of excellence, leadership, and competitiveness.

Department Definition:

Develop strategic and operational plans, as well as work mechanisms for the department, to ensure the achievement of the administration's objectives by supervising and monitoring all executive activities within the operational and strategic plan and regularly following up on performance and related achievements.

Main Job Duties & Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning and Development:

• Preparing and updating crisis and emergency management plans, including response and recovery plans.
• Preparing and updating plans to oversee the assessment of environmental, health, and safety risks within the ministry to identify potential threats and develop mitigation strategies, along with providing recommendations.
• Defining internal and external communication mechanisms to facilitate communication during crises.
• Clearly assigning tasks and responsibilities to the relevant teams within the ministry.
• Supporting the development and implementation of business continuity plans to ensure the continuation of operations during emergencies.

Training and Awareness:

• Organizing training courses and workshops to raise awareness on how to handle various crisis and emergency situations, such as fires, natural disasters, and accidents.
• Developing training scenarios to ensure the readiness of teams and employees.
• Supervising the training of emergency response teams on implementing emergency plans and using necessary equipment and devices.

Continuous Improvement:

• Supervising the analysis and evaluation of performance in crisis and emergency management and providing recommendations for improvement.
• Developing and enhancing emergency plans based on lessons learned from past crises.
• Supervising the updating of emergency plans based on new developments and lessons learned from previous events.
• Staying informed of the latest best practices in crisis and emergency management.

Response and Evaluation:

• Supervising immediate response to incidents and emergencies.
• Participating in the assessment of damages resulting from incidents and disasters and identifying necessary needs.
• Providing the necessary support for crisis assessment and decision-making based on available information.
• Communicating with relevant entities regarding the developments and implications of the crisis.

Supervision and Oversight:

• Supervising necessary investigations to determine the causes of incidents and providing recommendations to prevent recurrence.
• Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of emergency response plans and taking necessary corrective actions.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Reviewing and periodically updating emergency plans to ensure their effectiveness.
• Conducting comprehensive evaluations of emergency responses to assess performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Supervising the analysis of events to assess their causes and consequences and provide recommendations for future prevention.
• Assessing damages and providing detailed reports on the crisis and its consequences.

Coordination and Collaboration:

• Supervising coordination with government entities and the private sector to ensure a comprehensive emergency response.
• Supervising participation with external parties in developing and implementing policies and standards related to emergency and crisis management.
• Supervising emergency and business continuity plans in accordance with inputs from responsible entities.
• Supervising coordination with different departments within the ministry to ensure integrated emergency response plans.
• Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration during emergencies.

• 8+ years of experience in Emergency Response, Environmental Risks, Health, and Safety.
• A bachelor’s or master’s degree within a relevant field.
• Certified Lead Implementer in Business Continuity Management (NCEMA 7000:2021)
• Certified Emergency Manager (CEM)
• Risk Management Certification: Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP) or Certified Risk Management Auditor (IRCA)
• International Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety Management
• NEBOSH Certificate: International Fire Safety and Risk Management
• NEBOSH Certificate: Process Safety Management
• Experience in conducting emergency simulation exercises, business continuity planning, and crisis communication
• Extensive knowledge of crisis and emergency management
• Familiarity with local and federal standards and requirements, as well as best international practices
• Strong leadership and managerial skills
• Excellent analytical and evaluation skills
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work within a team
• Ability to work under pressure.