Senior Director - Process Safety

About Emirates Global Aluminium

Emirates Global Aluminium is the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas industry.  EGA is an integrated aluminium producer, with operations on four continents from bauxite mining to the production of cast primary aluminium and recycling. EGA employs over 7,000 of these people including more than 1,200 UAE Nationals. EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah in the United Arab Emirates, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah, a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea, a speciality foundry in high strength recycled aluminium in Germany, and a recycling plant in the United States.

JOB PURPOSE:
The Process Safety Director is accountable for preventing catastrophic events, including molten metal explosions, high-energy electrical incidents, structural failures, toxic gas releases, and major fires.

The role ensures that major hazard risks are systematically identified, controlled, verified, and reported to Executive Management and the Board.

This position safeguards people, assets, reputation, and business continuity by strengthening governance, assurance, and operational discipline across all major hazard activities.

STRATEGIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Major Hazard Governance
    Establish and maintain an enterprise-wide Major Hazard Risk Management Framework.

    Define, implement, and oversee Critical Controls for major hazard exposures, including:
o    Molten metal handling and transfer operations
o    Potline integrity and high-voltage electrical systems
o    Gas systems (e.g., natural gas, hydrogen, compressed gases)
o    Pressure systems and stored energy hazards
o    Confined space entry and associated high-risk activities

    Ensure governance and control frameworks are aligned with recognized international standards and best practice, including:
o    International Council on Mining and Metals Critical Control Management guidance
o    Center for Chemical Process Safety Risk-Based Process Safety framework
o    Occupational Safety and Health Administration PSM principles Fatality .

Fatality & Serious Injury Prevention (SIF Focus)

    Lead the strategic shift from traditional lagging safety metrics (TRIFR / LTIFR) toward Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) prevention, ensuring the organization prioritizes catastrophic risk exposure and Major Accident Event (MAE) prevention.

    Establish and govern a robust SIF and High Potential (HiPo) Event Framework, including clear definitions, classification criteria, and escalation thresholds to ensure consistent identification and reporting of events with fatality potential

    Monitor and report barrier health and Critical Control effectiveness, ensuring early detection of control degradation, overdue verification activities, weak signals, and operational drift.

    Ensure all high-potential events, critical control failures, and repeated systemic weaknesses are reviewed directly with the committee, including clear summaries of:
o    credible worst-case outcomes
o    failed or degraded controls
o    immediate corrective actions
o    long-term systemic improvements

    Implement and oversee an independent verification program for Life-Saving Rules and Critical Controls, ensuring that high-risk controls are:
o    tested against defined performance standards
o    verified through field validation and evidence-based assurance
o    tracked through governance dashboards
o    escalated when non-compliant or ineffective

    Ensure leadership accountability through structured governance, including SIF performance reviews, barrier assurance reporting, and board-level visibility of major hazard exposure and control performance.
Engineering & Asset Integrity
    Provide governance and oversight of engineering systems that protect against major hazards, including:
o    Mechanical integrity programs
o    Electrical integrity and arc-flash risk controls
o    Management of Change (MOC) governance
o    Safe design reviews for new smelter technologies and modifications

    Ensure process safety requirements are embedded into all capital projects, expansions, and major upgrades, from concept through commissioning and handover.

Automation & AI in Process Safety
    Lead the integration of advanced technologies to strengthen process safety performance and reduce catastrophic risk exposure, including:
    AI-based predictive analytics for early anomaly detection and emerging risk trends
    Real-time monitoring of critical parameters (temperature, pressure, gas concentrations)
    Smart sensors for molten metal transport systems and high-risk equipment
    Digital barrier management and critical control verification platforms
    Automated shutdowns and interlock systems to eliminate or minimize human exposure

Ensure digital and automation initiatives are aligned with Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) prevention principles and leading practices highlighted by the National Safety Council.

Board Reporting & Risk Transparency
    Provide quarterly Board-level reporting on key process safety and major hazard indicators, including:
o    Tier 1 & Tier 2 Process Safety Events
o    Critical Control Effectiveness Rate
o    Barrier Health Index
o    High-Potential Incident (HiPo) trends
o    Mechanical Integrity backlog and risk exposure
o    Major Hazard Risk Heat Map

    Ensure the Board has clear, timely visibility of catastrophic risk exposure, emerging threats, and the effectiveness of mitigation and critical control performance.

AUTHORITY/ DECISION MAKING:

    Authorized to stop or suspend high-risk operations (including molten metal transfer, high-voltage electrical work, gas system activities, confined space entry, or major lifting operations) when Critical Controls are not in place or verification evidence is not available.
    Holds decision rights to approve and enforce Critical Control Performance Standards, including verification frequencies, assurance methodologies, and minimum compliance thresholds.
    Has authority to require immediate corrective actions and set risk-based deadlines where major hazard exposure is elevated or controls are failing.
    Has decision-making accountability to approve or reject Management of Change (MOC) outcomes for modifications impacting major hazard risks, including process, equipment, technology, procedures, and operational condition
    Has the authority to challenge operational decisions and require revalidation of risk assessments where:
o    hazard studies are incomplete, outdated, or poorly scoped
o    critical controls are not clearly defined
o    residual risk is not within tolerable limits

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

Required Qualifications:
    Engineering degree (Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, or Process 
    15+ years in high-hazard industrial operations
    Deep expertise in:
o    HAZOP / LOPA / Bowtie
o    Critical Control Management
o    Major Accident Prevention
o    Experience engaging regulators and Board committees
o    Strong digital and data analytics literacy

Leadership Expectations
    Demonstrate independent authority and confidence to escalate catastrophic risk concerns to Executive Management and the Board.
    Show courage and decisiveness to stop unsafe high-risk operations when critical controls are ineffective or degraded.
    Apply a strong systems-thinking mindset to identify underlying causes, systemic weaknesses, and cross-functional risk interactions.
    Influence senior leadership and operational teams to drive sustained process safety discipline, accountability, and performance improvement.
Key KPIs (Board-Level)
    Zero Tier 1 catastrophic process safety events
    ≥95% Critical Control Verification effectiveness
    100% Management of Change (MOC) compliance for major risk changes
    Reduction in SIF potential and high-potential events
    Closure of high-risk corrective actions within agreed target timeframes

Why This Role is Critical in Aluminium?
Aluminium smelting is a high-consequence industry involving:
    Molten metal above 700°C
    High-amperage electrical systems
    Combustible dust exposure
    Heavy lifting and crane operations
Failure of critical controls can result in multi-fatality events, major fires, and significant asset loss.
This role ensures the organization shifts from reactive injury management to proactive catastrophic risk prevention through strong major hazard governance, critical control assurance, and Board-level visibility.