Health, Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) Officer

The UNOPS Hub in Amman implements projects on behalf of UN agencies and bilateral donors and in close coordination with the Government and national authorities. With an established presence across the region, the office runs operations including large-scale procurement, project development and technical management, and provides financial, human resources and infrastructure-related services.

The functional objective of UNOPS Hub in Amman is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules and regulations of UNOPS, to achieve the outcomes sought by the clients.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and

procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

UNOPS is committed to achieving a fully diverse workforce.

Background Information - Project-specific

Currently, UNOPS is implementing projects aiming at increasing the operational capacities and resilience of the national health system in Homs Governorate through rehabilitating the Kidney Building in Homs Grand Hospital and provision of renewable energy solutions, as well as strengthening critical public services in Hama Governorate to provide essential education and health services in support of vulnerable populations through the provision of renewable energy solutions. 

The Health Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) Officer will report directly to the Project Manager and will ensure full coordination with the Regional Infrastructure Advisor, the Hub HSSE Specialist,Quality Senior Engineer, Programme team and Projects’ teams members. 

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Project Manager, the main duties of the HSSE Officer is to facilitate compliance with UNOPS Health, Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) systems and provide analysis on control measures needed in order to minimise harm resulting from hazards in the project implemented under the UNOPS Hub in Amman. The incumbent needs to establish a safe workplace according to UNOPS health and safety management systems, as well as fostering a culture of health and safety in all the phases of the implemented project. Specifically, He/ She will be responsible for the following duties: 

• Provide support on various health and safety procedures relevant to the ongoing project (such as noise levels, use of protective equipment, and use of machinery etc.);
• provide input for the development of health and safety systems, and procedures in line with corporate policies and guidelines;
• Support all health and safety related matters during all phases of the project, project planning and implementation;
• In line with the UNOPS HSSE policies and procedures, raise risk mitigation actions required outlining potential threats, risks levels and recommended mitigation strategies during project implementation, taking into consideration relevant and existing assessments; 
• Provide support for the PM to prepare health and safety work plans including budget for all aspects of the projects implementation in compliance with UNOPS HSSE policies, procedures and guidelines; 
• Liaise and regularly coordinate with the PM to ensure their respective contractors meet its statutory obligations as well as UNOPS requirements in all areas pertaining to health, safety and welfare at work, including statutory training and reporting.
• Follow up on the implementation of the Environmental Social Management Plan (ESMP) and Health and Safety plan on work sites. 

HSSE Monitoring and Reporting 

• Propose and control projects’ budgets for health and safety and monitor related expenditures; 
• Conduct regular field inspection and monitoring visits to the project sites to identify possible areas/issues of non-conformity (e.g. unsafe work at heights and in excavations), prepare project’s health and safety related reports on occurrences, and provide statistical information to upper management;
• Provide technical contributions and monitoring services to ensure that health and safety is a core component of all activities and that appropriate funding is provided based on actual needs; 
• Ensure that all accidents are documented, reported internally and/ or externally as per the agreed reporting protocols, investigated while ensuring that any recommended improvements are implemented in a timely manner

HSSE Compliance:

• Perform health and safety projects’ risk assessments, both routine and exceptional, as required, to ensure optimal health and safety standards are in place and to ensure that all Health & Safety policies, procedures, rules and regulations are adhered to and are regularly reviewed; 
• Devise a plan and conduct periodic projects on-site HSSE inspection and ensure closure of action items. in close coordination with the Project Manager and the Hub HSSE Specialist

• A bachelor's degree preferably in health and safety management, natural science, engineering, ,or relevant fields, is required.
• A Master’s degree from a recognized University is desired

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.