Employer: Relief International
Location: Middle East - Jordan
Position Summary:
The WoS SSM will lead the analysis of accessibility in and within Syria in order to facilitate RI humanitarian intervention and programs. He/She supports the senior management team in evaluating access constrains for the RI intervention in Syria, including input on new program development from a security perspective.
The WoS SSM will work closely with the security focal points and hub team leaders in each hub to improve the existing and expand principled humanitarian access to conflict-affected populations in area of operations through regular analysis, monitoring, liaison, reporting and training.
The primary responsibilities (in coordination with relevant focal points described earlier) will include ensuring and leading the management of and oversight of safety and security policies and strategy development/improvement and implementation, development of contextual analysis, building capacity of departments leads within the Country Office and Hub offices safety and security teams, and leading the developing and implementing context appropriate RI safety protocols and standard operating procedures across RI’s field and program locations. This position is based in Amman (Jordan), with a significant portion of time spent visiting field locations (where possible up to 30% travel) and providing support to RI’s WoS Country Director, Deputy Country Director (in Amman) and Hub team leaders located in programmatic hubs in neighboring countries to Syria.
He/she works closely with staff, partners, communities and peers to enhance the capacity of the three Hub offices, providing routine and timely analysis and incident reports to the WoS Country Director and Deputy Country Director, Regional Director and Global Director for Safety and Security based in Washington, deploying as needed in support of the hub Offices teams, and developing country-specific strategies for the management of safety and security that will feed into the general RI Syria country strategy.
ESSENtIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Monitoring, Reporting and Analysis
Assess the situation in Syria where RI operates and where RI plans to operate for collecting information from formal and informal network and/or the team and/or electronic means (email, blogs, webpages, twitter,etc.)
Monitor open sources to collect, compile and report information including incidents and trends pertinent to humanitarian access in area of intervention.
Prepare and disseminate a daily update to senior management team and field management;
Ensures weekly security reports are submitted to the Country director and SMT members covering all Syria updates and impact on RI programs. The reports should highlight trends and threats to RI staff and programs.
Ensures that the hub-based safety and security are providing daily and weekly security updates to the relevant departments and teams, the reports to reflect the security developments, new trends and threats.
In coordination with the hub safety and security focal points, collect information on humanitarian access and report regularly to internal stakeholders.
In coordination with the hub safety and security focal points, provide and coordinate information for areas where people in need are not able to access humanitarian assistance
Report immediately to the line manager and internal stakeholders any sudden changes on the access in the areas where RI operates
Provide timely contextual and data inputs into humanitarian situation reporting and share them with internal stakeholders
Support the hub-based safety and security focal points in suggesting to the field management and the program teams proper actions directed to promote the humanitarian intervention of RI in area with limited access
Networking, Liaison and Acceptance
Support the hub-based safety and security focal points in establishing and maintaining informal relations and a network of contacts in Syria where RI operates, allowing the collection of information related with the humanitarian access in these areas, specifically in the areas of current or planned intervention.
Support the hub-based safety and security focal points in developing and updating list of contacts (formal/ informal) and create a stakeholders’ map per district/ sub-district,
Develop and regularly update internal maps on safe and insecure areas.
Support the hub-based safety and security focal points in identifying barriers to access and develop develop strategies to address identified barriers.
Support the management of the hubs to develop and implement community engagement strategies that promote acceptance and access.
Safety and Security
Provide technical support to the hub-based safety and security focal points and management on all policies, procedures, guidelines and planning for staff safety, operational security and program continuity, including program specific technical support.
Lead the development of/reviewing and improving the Security Management Plan (SMP) and SOPs for each hub including program and support facilities (program facilities, offices, warehouses, guesthouses, etc.) and field sites where RI operates;
Assist the safety and security focal points in ensuring the implementation of SMP and SoPs in each hub.
Support the hubs in development and adaption of security guidelines for the field team.
Provide comprehensive, neutral and non-partisan information on security risks, threats and incidents
Provide recommendations for adjustments to SMP and SOPs for field team to maintain, improve or expand humanitarian access, safety and security and work with hub-based safety and security focal points to implement, including but not limited to incident reporting.
Provide technical input and advice in assessments to consider new RI programs in new geographic areas, and technical input in the writing of new program proposals as required;
Conduct in person and remote safety and security assessment/audit on regular basis in each hub to assess the level of compliance to RI safety and security SMP and SoPs designed for the geographical areas covered by each hub, including facilities conditions and preparedness from a safety and security perspectives, staff movement procedures, incident reporting, security files, staff information from a security perspective, security drills, etc.. This includes developing necessary tools for the assessment process.
Support the hub-based safety and security focal points in producing well-written and clear security incident reports on timely manner and based on RI system for incident reporting, ensuring CD and Global Support Office safety and security focal point review on the incident report.
Support the safety and security focal points in investigating safety and security incidents and provide conclusions/recommendations to the senior management based on the findings;
Map the incidents, analyze trends and work with the safety and security focal points and management in addition to Amman based management in providing mitigation measures to mitigate the risks or preventing incident from happening to the extent possible.
Support the hub-based safety and security focal points in facilitating the development of situation specific, coordinated evacuation plans as needed.
In coordination with the safety and security focal points and hubs managements, lead the process of developing hub-specific security strategy, and consolidate a WoS security strategy.
Set up and run an operations room (one per hub) that is assessable to the WoS CD, WoS DCD, hub team leader and safety and security focal point of the relevant hub for access to the latest updates, analysis and reports.
Ensure that all documentation must be orderly kept in BOX for access by those assigned viewer rights.
Other duties assigned by the Country Director.
Training & Capacity Building
Develop and deliver training materials, coaching and advice for staff and partners addressing humanitarian access, safety and security issues.
Promote and support integration of humanitarian access approaches into program design, implementation and operation
Assist the building of capacity, awareness and preparedness of staff to deal with security-related risks, threats and incidents through the delivery of high quality, regular trainings/ briefings to national and international staff and RI visitors when deemed necessary.
Assist the hub-based safety and security focal points in designing and delivering the required trainings to field-based staff, ensuring that course content remains up-to-date, is adapted according to the target audience, and that refresher trainings are carried out for all staff in accordance with a pre-determined schedule.
Assist in providing regular trainings for RI staff on security preparedness, prevention and response. Training(s) may include Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs); Contingency Plans (CPs); Security Management; Incident Reporting; Prevention and Response Mechanisms; and Communications
Coordination
Facilitate the proper circulation of information on the mission.
Participation in external security and access coordination meetings, and Liaises with local and regional UN & inter-agency security personnel on security matters for WoS programs
Participate in internal coordination meetings to cover the security and humanitarian access components, including but not limited to SMT weekly meetings, grant review meetings, coordination online groups etc.
Organize regular check-in calls with the safety and security focal points to ensure proper planning, follow up on security situation and technical support/guidance needed etc.
REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree or equivalent
A minimum of four (4) years' experience in a similar role with multi-geogrpahical coverage responsibilities
Proven ability in security management and/or crisis management in an unstable and insecure environment. Previous experiences managing humanitarian crisis/emergencies an added advantage
Effective technical/instructional skills
Strong analytical and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex tasks independently
Strong leadership and communication (interpersonal, verbal and written) skills
Excellent computer skills with solid knowledge of MS Office
Experience in training adults using modern methods.
Experience in a multi-cultural environment necessary
Experience in conducting assessments preferred
Ability to travel up to 30%
Arabic Language is preferred.
This is position is based in Amman, Jordan with frequent trips to possible high Risk locations.