The posting
Business unit
Project and Development Services (PDS)
Reporting to
Direct: Global PDS & Tetris HSSEQ Lead
Dotted: APAC Managing Director, PDS
Key stakeholders
PDS APAC Senior Leadership Team (Managing Director,Operations Leaders, Country Managing Directors), platform functions(procurement, technology, BI, commercial), Project Directors and ProjectManagers, clients, regulators, and certification/accreditation bodies
Direct reports
Country/Hub HSE Managers or Leads across the APAC region
Duties & responsibilities
HSSEQ Strategy & Governance
- Develop, own, and gain senior leadership endorsement for the annual PDS APAC HSSEQ strategy, cascading clear goals to every country and market within the region.
- Provide regular strategic updates to senior leadership on HSSEQ performance, priorities, and emerging risks across the region.
- Ensure full regional compliance with the organisation's global HSSEQ strategy, policies, and standards across all operational locations.
- Own and maintain the PDS APAC HSSE Policy and Incident Management Policy, ensuring consistency with global policy and applicable local legislation.
- Ensure legal and regulatory registers are established and actively maintained across all jurisdictions in which the business operates.
- Develop and maintain HSSEQ best-practice standards, processes, and templates for consistent use across all projects in the region.
- Ensure all active projects are applying current HSSEQ best practices, standards, and templates.
- Act as the single point of accountability for HSSE performance and compliance across the entire APAC region.
Objectives, Targets & Performance Reporting
- Ensure location-specific HSSEQ objectives and targets are established, regularly measured, and achieved across the region.
- Provide regular HSSEQ performance reporting to senior leadership, including trends, key metrics, and recommended actions.
- Consult with project and country leadership on safety improvements and corrective actions.
- Ensure HSSEQ reporting obligations are met consistently and on time across all active projects.
- With regional leadership, develop the plan for the transformation of PDS APAC’s HSSEQ function from a compliance-driven model to a proactive, data-led HSSEQ culture that measurably reduces incident rates and embeds HSSEQ leadership at every level of project delivery. Drive regional leadership to role model the required behaviours to lead the change.
Incident Management
- Maintain full accountability for the timely and accurate reporting of all incidents in line with company and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure all significant incidents are subject to a thorough investigation and root cause analysis.
- Lead or oversee the close-out of significant incidents, including corrective actions, lessons learned, and stakeholder communication.
- Ensure lessons learned are captured and shared across the region to prevent recurrence.
- Ensure relevant personnel are trained and equipped to use incident management systems and processes.
Certification, Audit & Assurance
- Design, implement, and oversee an internal audit programme that provides assurance over HSSE performance and compliance.
- Support and coordinate external and internal audits, providing timely and accurate evidence.
- Facilitate the PDS APAC participation in Global Internal and External audits, including certification audits to ISO 14001, 45001 & 9001.
- Track audit findings and recommendations through to closure, ensuring continuous improvement in HSSEQ practice.
Risk Management
- Oversee the identification, assessment, and management of HSSEQ risk across all projects and operations in the region.
- Identify systemic or emerging risks through analysis of business, project, and operational data, and implement practical mitigations.
People Leadership & Resource Management
- Build, lead, and develop the regional HSSE team, ensuring appropriate structure, capability, and coverage across all markets.
- Coach and support HSSE team members, providing regular feedback and development opportunities.
- Lead recruitment, onboarding, and succession planning for the regional HSSE function.
- Support the professional development and industry recognition of HSSE team members.
Training
- Ensure all personnel undertake mandatory HSSEQ training relevant to their role.
- Design, implement, and continuously improve HSSEQ training programmes across the region.
- Identify training needs and gaps and address them through the regional training plan.
Stakeholder Engagement & Communications
- Lead regional engagement activities that promote a strong safety culture, such as safety weeks, campaigns, and forums.
- Provide HSSEQ input and support to client bids, tenders, and proposals.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, regulators, industry bodies, and internal stakeholders.
- Stay current on relevant legislative developments, industry best practice, and emerging HSSEQ methodologies.
Ethics & Compliance
- Investigate and report on any violations of ethical conduct relevant to HSSEQ, escalating appropriately.
- Implement revised processes and controls following any ethics or compliance investigations, to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Commercial & Financial Accountability
- Own the HSSEQ function's budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively across the region and that the cost implications of HSSEQ decisions are clearly understood by senior leadership.
- Build and articulate a clear value case for HSSEQ investment, balancing risk mitigation with commercial and operational realities.
Regulatory & Legal Interface
- Act as the primary point of contact for regulators and government agencies on HSSE matters across the region.
- Lead the organisation's response to regulatory investigations, inquiries, and prosecutions, working closely with in-house counsel and external legal advisors.
- Monitor regulatory developments across all APAC jurisdictions and assess their impact on the business.
Crisis Management & Business Continuity
- Lead the organisation's crisis response to serious incidents, activating emergency protocols and coordinating cross-functional teams.
- Own crisis communications planning for HSSE-related events, coordinating with corporate communications and senior leadership.
Digital, Data & AI Enablement
- Collaborate with Global teams to assure the fit-for-purpose design of HSSE technology tools, including incident management, compliance, and reporting systems such as Donesafe and WorkSafe/Beakon.
- Take accountability for supporting the successful implementation of HSSE technology, including training, change management, communications, and reporting needed to drive adoption across the region.
- Identify and institutionalise opportunities to apply AI and automation to improve HSSEQ efficiency and decision-making, such as AI-enabled hazard identification tools.
- Ensure the HSSEQ function and hub teams are conversant with current and emerging HSSEQ technology and AI tools, building this capability into training and development plans.
- Partner with IT and data teams to ensure HSSEQ data is well-governed, secure, and integrated with broader business systems.
Quality Management & QMS Oversight
- Own and maintain the PDS APAC Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring it aligns with ISO9001 and relevant client contractual quality requirements.
- Ensure quality objectives, targets, and audit schedules are established and tracked at regional and project level, consistent with the QMS.
- Oversee project-level quality control and quality assurance processes, ensuring non-conformances are investigated and lessons learned are addressed.
- Integrate quality management processes with the region's HSSE management system and audit programme, avoiding duplication between the two.
Performance objective
The APAC PDS HSSEQ Lead holds full accountability for HSSEQ strategy, delivery, and compliance across the region, acting as the single point of leadership for all HSSEQ matters.
BUSINESS OUTCOMES
- Lead the development and successful implementation of the regional HSSEQ strategy, ensuring goals are met across all markets.
- Ensure full regional compliance with all applicable HSSEQ standards, policies, and legal and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain accountability for the region's incident management framework, including escalation, investigation, and corrective action.
- Drive a consistent, positive, and continuously improving safety culture across the region.
- Support business development by contributing HSSEQ expertise and credibility to client proposals and bids.
- Ensure HSSEQ standards and best practice are consistently applied across all projects and markets.
- Transformation & Strategy — Design and execute a multi-year HSEQ transformation roadmap across APAC, replacing legacy compliance processes with predictive, data-driven risk management; own the change agenda with country HSEQ leads and site teams.
LEADERSHIP
- Create an environment where HSSE team members are encouraged to contribute, develop, and perform.
- Set clear objectives and measurable goals for the HSSEQ function and the wider business.
- Act as a visible role model for safety leadership and organisational values.
- Coach and develop HSSE talent across the region, building future leadership capability.
- Capability & Culture — Build HSSEQ leadership capability across the region through training, standards, and behavioural safety programs; embed a HSSEQ culture where HSSEQ accountability sits with line leaders and delivery teams, not just the HSEQ function.
PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
- Set stretch goals for self and rigorously monitor and manage own performance.
- Develop and monitor delivery plans for regional HSSE operations.
- Collaborate with senior leadership to resolve complex HSSE problems and areas of risk.
- Be prepared to make difficult decisions that improve safety outcomes, even where unpopular.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
- Build open, constructive, and collaborative relationships with leadership, peers, project teams, and clients.
- Gain the trust and respect of colleagues, clients, and the broader HSSE community.
- Maintain professional conduct and act with integrity in all interactions.
COMMUNICATION
- Communicate HSSEQ plans and performance clearly and persuasively to teams and senior leadership.
- Maintain open lines of communication with country and project leadership and other relevant stakeholders.
- Listen effectively and lead through action and example.
Analyse incident and performance data to promote successes and share lessons learned across the business.
Key skills
- Ability to lead, inspire, and motivate teams across multiple markets, cultures, and languages.
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to adapt communication style to different audiences.
- Ability to translate strategy into practical, on-the-ground delivery.
- Strong negotiation, influencing, and conflict resolution skills.
- Comprehensive understanding of HSSEQ risk management, hazard identification, and incident causation.
- Sound knowledge of relevant HSSEQ legislation and international standards, such as ISO45001, across multiple jurisdictions.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to drive decisions.
- Proven experience leading HSSEQ functions within construction, infrastructure, or project-based environments.
- Strong change management skills and experience embedding new standards or ways of working.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including at senior and executive level.
- Proficiency in relevant HSSEQ management systems, reporting tools, Microsoft Office applications, and a working fluency in AI-enabled safety and data tools.
- Committed to a culture of ethics, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
- Demonstrated ability to lead quality management and continuous improvement processes alongside HSSE, understanding where the two disciplines overlap and where they must remain distinct.
Employee specification
- Relevant tertiary qualification in HSSE, engineering, or a related discipline (postgraduate qualification preferred).
- Practical knowledge and experience of ISO9001 (quality), ISO45001 (safety), and ISO14001 (environmental) management systems and certification processes.
- Trained in a recognised incident investigation methodology, such as TapRooT or ICAM.
- Lead Auditor qualification desirable.
- Substantial senior HSSEQ leadership experience within construction, infrastructure, industrial, or project management environments.
- Demonstrated experience leading HSSEQ functions across multiple countries or regions.
- Minimum 8-10 years' HSSEQ experience, including at least 5 years in a senior regional or multi-site leadership role.
- Demonstrated experience in crisis and emergency management and regulatory compliance across diverse jurisdictions.
- Strong personal commitment to safety leadership and ethical practice.
