Corporate QHSE Manager — Civil Works, Infrastructure & Marine Works – UAE

Overview

A corporate QHSE system earns its value through what happens on site.

Cabo Norte welcomes experienced Quality, Health, Safety and Environment leaders for potential opportunities with general contractors and specialist subcontractors delivering construction projects in the United Arab Emirates.

The purpose of this role is to lead QHSE across the business, connecting corporate standards with practical controls, project responsibilities and management decisions.

You work with senior leadership and project teams to strengthen performance across several sites. Depending on the contractor, the remit may cover civil works, infrastructure, marine construction or specialist construction packages.

The principal challenge is establishing consistent expectations while responding to the different risks, contractual requirements and working conditions of each project.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the corporate QHSE strategy with senior management and translate it into clear priorities.
• Maintain an integrated management system that supports the contractor’s activities and project requirements.
• Establish responsibilities, reporting lines and assurance processes across the business.
• Lead and develop the QHSE team, including coordination with project-based specialists.
• Support project teams in identifying significant risks and establishing appropriate controls.
• Integrate QHSE requirements into tender preparation, mobilisation, procurement and subcontractor management.
• Oversee audit programmes and follow up corrective actions through to effective closure.
• Review incidents, quality failures and environmental events to identify underlying causes and recurring weaknesses.
• Monitor leading and lagging indicators and provide management with a clear assessment of performance.
• Coordinate management reviews, external audits and certification activities where applicable.
• Work with operational leaders to improve workforce engagement, supervision and practical training.
• Escalate material risks and support decisions where work needs to be changed or stopped.

Business And Technical Challenges

• Maintaining consistent QHSE practices across projects with different delivery teams and subcontractors.
• Turning procedures into controls that supervisors and workers understand and use.
• Balancing corporate oversight with clear accountability at project level.
• Addressing high-risk construction activities, complex interfaces and changing site conditions.
• Managing quality assurance across design, procurement, construction and handover.
• Identifying trends that are obscured by incomplete or inconsistent reporting.
• Ensuring that investigations produce practical changes rather than administrative closure.
• Supporting project teams under programme pressure without allowing critical controls to deteriorate.

Required Experience

• Demonstrated QHSE leadership experience within a general contractor, specialist subcontractor or comparable construction business.
• Experience overseeing QHSE across multiple projects or a business division.
• A background in civil works, infrastructure or marine construction.
• Experience managing integrated systems, audits and corrective action processes.
• Working knowledge of construction risk management, quality assurance and environmental controls.
• Experience leading investigations and assessing whether corrective actions are effective.
• Ability to communicate material risks and performance issues to senior management.
• Evidence of developing QHSE teams and working constructively with operational leaders.
• A relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience appropriate to the role.
• Professional English communication and reporting skills.

Preferred Experience

• UAE or wider GCC construction experience.
• Exposure to major infrastructure projects or complex subcontractor environments.
• Experience coordinating certification and external assurance activities.
• Familiarity with marine operations, lifting activities, temporary works or other specialist construction risks.
• Experience improving quality planning, inspection processes and project handover.
• Experience building practical reporting systems across several sites.
• A background in engineering, occupational safety, quality management or environmental management.
• Experience supporting organisational growth or integrating newly established project teams.

Leadership Profile

• Makes expectations clear and explains why they matter.
• Works closely with operations while retaining independent judgement.
• Challenges weak controls and unsupported assurances.
• Encourages accurate reporting and constructive discussion of failures.
• Distinguishes serious exposure from issues that can be resolved through routine improvement.
• Gives project teams practical support and holds them accountable for agreed actions.
• Takes responsibility for whether the management system improves performance.

Expected Outcomes

• Clear QHSE responsibilities across corporate and project teams.
• Earlier identification and escalation of material risks.
• More consistent application of critical controls across sites.
• Better visibility of quality, safety and environmental performance.
• Corrective actions that address underlying causes and reduce recurrence.
• Stronger subcontractor assurance and project mobilisation.
• A management system that supports delivery and continuous improvement.

Location And Eligibility

• Target location: United Arab Emirates.
• Sector scope: Civil works, infrastructure or marine construction, depending on the opportunity.
• Employer environment: General contractors and specialist subcontractors.
• Required language: Professional English.
• Travel: May include regular project visits, audits and management meetings; requirements depend on the role.
• Employment terms and work authorisation: To be confirmed for each specific opportunity.

How To Apply

Cabo Norte receives relevant candidatures throughout the year. Submit your CV with a brief overview of your QHSE leadership experience, the construction sectors involved and the projects and teams within your remit.

Please indicate your current location, availability and interest in UAE-based opportunities.

This listing supports ongoing candidate discussions and does not represent a currently confirmed client vacancy. Any specific employer, assignment and employment terms will be discussed with you before proceeding. Your profile will only be presented to an employer with your agreement.

About Cabo Norte

Cabo Norte is an executive search business focused on leadership and senior appointments across energy, water, marine, port, digital and industrial infrastructure.

Our focus spans the infrastructure lifecycle: strategy, engineering, project delivery, operations and asset optimisation. We look at the responsibilities candidates have held, the complexity they have managed and the outcomes they have delivered.