Director - Emergency Response

Qiddiya Investment Company; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading construction and development firm in Riyadh seeks a seasoned Director for Emergency Response. This pivotal role involves overseeing emergency operations, ensuring preparedness, and leading a high-performance security team across construction environments. Candidates should have extensive experience in emergency management and security leadership, preferably in high-risk settings, along with strong stakeholder management skills. The firm emphasizes strategic thinking and rapid decision-making, making this a critical leadership position with wide-ranging responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership in directing large-scale emergency response operations.
• Extensive experience with blue light services and complex incident resolution.
• Proven track record of managing multi-disciplinary security teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead emergency response and security operations across construction zones.
• Develop and enhance emergency response frameworks.
• Oversee site-wide hazard assessments and guide risk mitigation.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Incident command systems

Stakeholder management

Emergency management

Risk management

Education

Professional qualifications in emergency management and crisis leadership

University degree in emergency management or a related discipline

Job description

Qiddiya Investment Company is seeking a seasoned and strategic Director to lead emergency response operations across Qiddiya’s expansive construction footprint. Reporting to the Senior Director, Security & Resilience Operations, the role is pivotal in steering emergency preparedness, directing incident response, and driving integrated security operations to safeguard all personnel and assets within the construction environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for emergency response and security operations across all Qiddiya construction zones, ensuring a rapid, effective, and coordinated approach to incidents.
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous enhancement of emergency response frameworks, ensuring alignment with international standards and local regulatory requirements.
• Foster strong collaboration across internal stakeholders, engineering, construction, HSE, as well as with external emergency services to manage critical incidents with precision and professionalism.
• Oversee site-wide hazard assessments, guiding the identification, evaluation, and mitigation of high-risk vulnerabilities across construction projects.
• Ensure the readiness and performance of site-based emergency teams through oversight of shift-based operations and execution of comprehensive emergency protocols.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by evaluating incident trends, leading after-action reviews, and embedding lessons learned into future response strategies.
• Lead audits and performance evaluations of third-party security providers to ensure service quality and strict adherence to emergency response requirements.
• Serve as a senior representative for emergency and crisis-related matters, providing expert insight and assurance to internal leadership and external partners.
• Mentor and develop a high-performance emergency response within the security team, embedding best practices and preparing future leaders through structured training and scenario-based exercises.
• Design, lead, and evaluate regular emergency drills and simulations to maintain operational readiness and to close identified preparedness gaps.
• Drive integration of emergency response capabilities with broader security and resilience programs, ensuring a cohesive operational model across Qiddiya City.

To thrive as Director, Emergency Response, candidates must bring strategic acumen, operational leadership, and deep field expertise in emergency and security operations.

Essential

• Demonstrated leadership in directing large-scale emergency response operations within high-risk, fast-paced environments such as construction, industrial, or infrastructure megaprojects.
• Extensive experience liaising with blue light services, managing joint response scenarios, and overseeing complex incident resolution.
• Proven track record of managing multi-disciplinary security teams in critical situations, delivering operational excellence under pressure.
• Advanced knowledge of risk management, incident command systems, and emergency planning within large-scale, multi-contractor environments.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience building effective partnerships across diverse, multicultural teams—preferably in the Middle East.
• Superior communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to present to senior executives and government authorities.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead with authority, make informed decisions rapidly, and direct field-level operations during dynamic emergency events.
• High level of flexibility and problem-solving ability in evolving construction environments.

Preferred

• Experience with regulatory and compliance standards in emergency management specific to large construction sites.
• Familiarity with smart city or giga-project emergency response challenges.
• Proficiency in additional languages, particularly Arabic.

EDUCATION

Essential:

• Recognized professional qualifications in emergency management and crisis leadership.

Preferred:

• University degree in emergency management, security leadership, or a related discipline.