Regional Safety and
Security Advisor
Closing date: 18 Dec 2012
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives.
Closing date: 18 Dec 2012
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives.
At work today in over
40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to
millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from
harm to home.
IRC’s International Programs provides relief, rehabilitation, and development programming for refugees, internally displaced persons and those affected by conflict in countries worldwide in five regional entities.
IRC’s International Programs provides relief, rehabilitation, and development programming for refugees, internally displaced persons and those affected by conflict in countries worldwide in five regional entities.
IRC’s programs cover a
broad range of sectors, including health, protection, children affected by war,
unaccompanied minors, water and sanitation, infrastructure rehabilitation, community
development, education, and emergency response and assistance.
Security is a critical
component and challenge for nearly all of IRC’s Country Programs impacting
staff and effective program implementation.
Scope Of Work:
Scope Of Work:
The Regional Safety and
Security Advisor for West Africa, Great Lakes, Central African Republic and
Haiti (RSSA-WA/GL/CAR/Ha.) reduces the vulnerability of IRC staff and programs
to the threats and dangers in the IRC security environment, serving as a
technical resource to field staff - providing training opportunities,
guidelines, timely advisory information and technical support. The RSSA will
report to the Regional Director
The Regional Safety and Security Advisor for West Africa, Great Lakes, Central African Republic and Haiti is a key member of IRC’s regional management teams and of the Safety and Security Advisory Unit at IPD. He/she will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and will have primary responsibility for the region, which currently consists of: Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Mali/Niger and Haiti.
The RSSA will work with the country team to ensure that organizational security policies and procedures are responsive to the context, adequate and known to staff, provisional security measures are maintained, as well as current and appropriate.
The Regional Safety and Security Advisor for West Africa, Great Lakes, Central African Republic and Haiti is a key member of IRC’s regional management teams and of the Safety and Security Advisory Unit at IPD. He/she will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and will have primary responsibility for the region, which currently consists of: Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Mali/Niger and Haiti.
The RSSA will work with the country team to ensure that organizational security policies and procedures are responsive to the context, adequate and known to staff, provisional security measures are maintained, as well as current and appropriate.
Additionally, the RSSA
will conduct training on site for both security staff and others through which
the different IRC field offices can develop appropriate security plans and
training for their staff.
He/she will provide expert security advice to all levels of IRC staff in the mentioned region, focusing on awareness, planning, practice, management and training in security management.
He/she will provide expert security advice to all levels of IRC staff in the mentioned region, focusing on awareness, planning, practice, management and training in security management.
He/she will assess
insecure operating environments, recommend action and support the
implementation of security management plans and provide follow-up on IRC
security policies and reporting systems thus enabling better programming and
support to the beneficiaries.
The RSSA will need to be aware of early warning advisories affecting security situations, and also will travel regularly and maintain a contextual knowledge of the designated portfolio.
The RSSA will need to be aware of early warning advisories affecting security situations, and also will travel regularly and maintain a contextual knowledge of the designated portfolio.
Crucially, the RSSA
will mentor and build IRC national staff counterpart capacities to operate more
effectively and contribute to reducing IRC’s operational vulnerabilities.
Responsibilities:
Field Security Management Planning
Responsibilities:
Field Security Management Planning
- Ensure
each Country Program in the portfolio has current, adequate security
management plans on file in New York and that each plan is revised at
least once per year.
- Provide
written feedback to field offices as they develop or revise their security
plans.
- Request
plan revisions when there is a significant change in the security
environment.
- Assist
country programs in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in the
areas of operational (administrative, procurement, vehicle management,
house and office) and Financial (e.g. safe usage, bank withdrawals, cash
handling) safety and security management.
Security Orientation & Training:
- Ensure
that each new employee – international or national – receives appropriate
security orientation within 72 hours of arrival in the field. Provide a
framework for field security orientations and ensure that IRC Connect
security information is up-to-date and utilized.
- Through
close complementary liaison with the IPD Safety and Security Advisory
(SSA) Unit, HR NY and each Country HR and Administrative teams, assure
each new international employee receives an appropriate security briefing
packet and, when possible, a briefing on personal security, IRC security
policies and the relevant national security management plan.
- Create,
along with the IPD SSA Unit, a security training program that reaches a
maximum number of national and international staff. Keep useful records on
staff training and report at least annually on training performed at all
levels.
- Assist
field offices in arranging ad hoc security training workshops
- Assist
as requested in selection processes for international and national security
staff.
Advisory & monitoring services:
- Monitor
all communications from the field related to security incidents and
planning and provide timely feedback to questions raised from the field.
- Make a
minimum of 1 visit per year to each country in the region to monitor
security preparedness and field training. Provide a follow-up report with
clear recommendations after each visit.
- Together
with the Regional Safety and Security Advisors, develop and sustain a
database of security incidents.
- Generate
monthly activity reports on security, including database analyses, new
threats, responses and vulnerabilities and any relevant lessons learned
from security and safety incidents.
- Maintain
the network of IRC Security Focal Points at each IRC Country Office and
conduct quarterly update calls with DRDO and security focal points.
Liaison and Networking:
- Monitor
and provide support and reporting on any NGO filed security initiatives as
required.
- Identify,
create and maintain a network with INGO/UN and other security specialists
suitable for the region.
- Facilitate
regional NGO security coordination through networking, collaboration and
coordination with humanitarian actors.
Regional Context Analysis and early warning:
- Provide
credible information and contextual analysis of localized and regional
security situations and incidents along with appropriate advice to IRC
managers.
- Understand
the salient issues for the region country programs and update CDs and RDS
as the contexts dictate as part of a regional early warning system.
Field Security Assessments:
- Conduct
field security assessments examining IRC staff, assets, compounds,
residences, field sites and projects and compile a report with
recommendations.
Emergency Response and Crisis Management:
- As
required, support and advise the Regional Director, the Country Directors
and Senior Managers during humanitarian or security/safety emergencies,
serving on a Senior Management Crisis Team.
- Assist
with the security component (situation analysis and background
information, security assessments) of the Emergency Response Team
deployments in the region.
Requirements:
Education
Education
- University/Masters
degree in security management, international affairs or similar
Work experience
- A
minimum of 3 years of non-profit or NGO work experience within
international humanitarian assistance programs with demonstrated
capabilities in planning, organizing and executing security operations in
the field. A police/military experience in peace-keeping settings an
asset.
- Understanding
of humanitarian principles, codes of conduct and ideally, specific
sub-sector work linked to NGO field operations contexts.
Languages
- French
and English Fluency
Other skills
- Advanced
level knowledge of communications technology, including VHF, HF radio
systems, satellite communications, cell phone mediums, etc.
- Effective
people management skills: a leader’s ability to guide staff and promote
productivity in a pleasant work environment.
- Substantial
and documented, prior experience as a trainer and training skills – the
ability to develop, implement, facilitate and impart learning to a wide
range of audiences.
- Ability
to gain a precise understanding of the various local, regional, country
and international policies, operational positions and interactions,
providing clear dynamic briefings and analysis of given and unfolding
security and political situations when they occur.
How to apply:
Please apply online: