Labour & Compliance Specialist

Position Labour & Compliance Specialist
Reporting to Head of ESG
Location Dubai
Position Purpose
The Labour & Compliance Specialist is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Company’s social performance framework, ensuring alignment with international standards, local regulatory requirements, lender guidelines, and corporate ESG policies.

Based in Dubai, this role oversees labour & compliance performance across all project lifecycles—development, construction, and operations—by managing governance processes, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and monitoring adherence to ethical labour practices, human rights, and GBVH prevention measures. The position contributes to strategic analyses, supports functional projects, and ensures consistent reporting on labour and social performance.
Responsibilities

Labour & Social Compliance Oversight

  • Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of labour and social compliance frameworks in line with IFC PS2, ILO Core Conventions, World Bank EHS Guidelines, and local labour laws.
  • Monitor site-level labour conditions, worker welfare, working hours, fair wages, grievance mechanisms, accommodation standards, and worker engagement, ensuring gender-sensitive practices, equality, and effective implementation of all social policies and procedures.
  • Develop, enforce, and review labour and social requirements in EPC/O&M contracts, procurement documents, and subcontractor agreements, including LMPs, Worker Codes of Conduct, Human Rights policies, and GBVH prevention measures.
  • Conduct audits, inspections, and gap assessments of contractors, subcontractors, and recruitment processes, promoting responsible contractor management and mitigating social risks across the supply chain.
  • Act as a subject matter expert for AMEA Power on social performance, labour compliance, and human rights.

Social Risk Management & Strategic Support

  • Identify labour and community-related risks and propose mitigation measures throughout the project lifecycle.
  • Apply a gender lens to social risk assessments, addressing impacts on women and vulnerable groups.
  • Support social impact assessments, ensuring alignment with ESIA mitigation measures, RAP commitments, and stakeholder engagement plans.
  • Provide strategic guidance to projects and business teams, identifying social performance enablers and supporting corrective actions.
  • Contribute to opportunity analysis, horizon scanning, and social trends analysis.

Grievance Mechanism & Incident Management

  • Oversee the implementation and effectiveness of worker grievance mechanisms, ensuring accessibility and responsiveness.
  • Lead investigations into labour-related non-compliances, worker complaints, GBVH incidents, or other social incidents, and develop corrective action plans.
  • Ensure transparent reporting of social incidents to internal and external stakeholders, including lenders.

Monitoring, Reporting & Assurance

  • Develop and maintain social performance dashboards, KPIs, and reporting processes.
  • Track local employment, worker grievances, community interactions, and social incidents using gender-disaggregated data to monitor equality outcomes and inform corrective actions.
  • Coordinate project-level and corporate social performance reporting, including contributions to the Annual Sustainability Report.
  • Support ESG audits, lender due-diligence visits, and corrective action plans

Training & Capacity Building

  • Train internal teams, contractors, and project stakeholders on labour rights, ethical recruitment, worker welfare, GBVH prevention, and gender-sensitive practices.
  • Develop guidance documents, checklists, tools, and templates to standardize social performance practices.
  • Lead change management initiatives for the social performance function, ensuring alignment with corporate ESG standards.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

  • Collaborate with Development, HSSE, Legal, Procurement, EPC, Construction, and Operations teams to integrate social performance considerations.
  • Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including project representatives, lenders, contractors, and consultants.
  • Provide technical guidance to project teams to embed social performance objectives in all project phases.
Person Specification

Qualifications & Experience
  • At least 5 years of experience in social performance, labour compliance, human rights, or ESG roles, ideally within infrastructure, energy or construction projects.
  • Demonstrated experience with internationally financed projects and ability to ensure compliance with IFC Performance Standards.
  • Track record in labour audits, social assessments, contractor compliance monitoring, and risk mitigation.
  • Bachelor’s or master’s degree in social sciences, development studies, human rights, industrial relations, sustainability, or related fields.
  • Certifications in social auditing (SA8000, SMETA/SEDEX) or Human Rights Due Diligence are an advantage.
Related/Technical Skills
  • Knowledge of IFC Performance Standards, ILO standards, Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Right and major lenders’ ESG frameworks.
  • PS2 Expert – Preferred
  • Excellent auditing, analytical, and reporting skills.
  • Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement abilities.
  • Ability to work independently, travel frequently, and operate in challenging project environments.
  • Fluent in English; French or Arabic is an advantage.
Submit CV to: talent@ameapower.com