Rail Safety Manager

Role Details

• The role is fully remote and based for employment purposes in the United Arab Emirates.
• The employment type is full-time.
• The stated experience level is mid-level to senior.

Role Overview

Safety Strategy and Governance

• Develop rail safety strategy, policies, standards, procedures, governance frameworks, annual safety plans, and improvement programs.
• Maintain the Railway Safety Management System, establish safety objectives and controls, conduct management reviews, and monitor effectiveness.
• Define safety responsibilities, maintain safety committees, establish escalation requirements, and provide accurate safety information to management.

Risk and Hazard Management

• Identify, assess, control, and monitor railway safety risks and maintain safety-risk registers.
• Establish hazard-identification processes, maintain hazard logs, assess severity and likelihood, define mitigation, and monitor residual risk.
• Conduct risk assessments covering train operations, signalling, infrastructure, crossings, stations, rolling stock, maintenance, construction, passengers, freight, emergencies, security, and contractors.

Operational and Technical Safety

• Monitor daily rail operations, conduct inspections, identify unsafe practices, develop controls, and ensure compliance with approved procedures.
• Oversee safety for train operations, drivers, dispatch, platforms, passengers, crowd management, level crossings, track, signalling, train control, rolling stock, and maintenance.
• Provide safety assurance for engineering projects through design review, hazard assessment, verification, validation, and documented safety requirements.

Incidents and Emergency Response

• Review operational incidents and near misses, investigate events, coordinate corrective actions, and address recurring safety issues.
• Establish emergency preparedness and railway emergency response requirements and support emergency exercises.

Candidate Requirements

• Experience in rail safety, railway operations, rail engineering, safety assurance, rail risk management, transport safety, or a related discipline.
• Experience managing railway safety programs or Safety Management Systems and conducting rail safety-risk and hazard assessments.
• Knowledge of railway operations, signalling, track, rolling stock, stations, maintenance interfaces, emergency response, human factors, and fatigue-risk management.
• Experience with safety procedures, controls, audits, inspections, compliance, contractors, safety-critical suppliers, and competency management.
• Strong safety-data, KPI, reporting, analytical, leadership, investigation, communication, decision-making, planning, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills; Arabic, relevant degrees, professional certifications, UAE regulations, international standards, and operational resilience experience are advantageous.

Working Approach