Hiring Organization: Search for Common Ground
Job location: Central and East Africa
Closing date13 Jan 2025
This position is not open to International Hires.
Search for Common Ground (Search) is the world's largest dedicated peacebuilding organization, founded in 1982. With programs across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the United States, Search transforms conflict with a diverse set of tools inspired by its Common Ground Approach. Search is currently implementing a 10-year strategy aimed at driving enduring change and transforming many of the world's most consequential conflicts.
The Region: The Central and East Africa region is the largest of Search's four regions, with a diverse portfolio of programs in 10 countries and about $16 million in annual forecasted revenue. The programming streams include stabilization, preventing violent extremism, atrocity prevention, civil society strengthening, media and digital peacebuilding, security sector reform, and support to women and youth-led organizations.
Job Summary: Search is seeking a regional Safety & Security (S&S) Specialist to support our Central & East Africa country offices by increasing capacity and offering technical support and advice on all aspects of staff safety and security.
The position holder will be responsible for conducting security analyses, adapting country security plans, ensuring good security management capacities, developing standard operating procedures (SoPs), and providing training for country and regional staff. The Specialist will review and analyze incident reports and security updates. In addition, the Specialist may be called on to travel to countries experiencing emergencies to assess and support security systems and responses.
The Specialist reports to the Director of Global Security and is part of a team consisting of 2 regional Specialists (of which this position is one) as well as designated Security Focal Points in countries of operation.
Responsibilities:Work closely with the Regional and Global teams, including the S&S Director, to ensure security strategies for all country offices and that responses are appropriate and aligned with regional and global priorities with consideration to the respective local context
Deliver oversight of security prevention, preparation, response, and recovery activities in all Central & East Africa countries and counter threats emerging from changing political, social, and economic situations
Develop, review, and ensure effective implementation of the Search Security Management Plans, SOPs/Contingency Plans, including a security plan in assigned offices, together with key staff, based on Search’s S&S Protocols and Framework
Manage the implementation of a comprehensive security and business continuity management system, taking cognizance of the evolution of situations
Lead incident management, lessons learned, and any follow-up actions/procedure changes.
Provide crisis management support (evacuation and hibernation) as required
Work with the Security Focal Points of each country office to provide safety and security orientation for all new staff/visitors/guests, and update training for existing staff
Develop and implement a structured training program, including virtual and in-person sessions, to enhance staff security awareness and skills, particularly in accident prevention, crisis response, and occupational safety
Provide support to partners in developing their security guidelines and promoting a security culture
Prepare timely security updates based on information from internal and external sources to support policy and procedure reviews as well as to mitigate risks to programming
Report, analyze, and communicate the current socio-political context, the security situation, and the broader context (country, region, global trends as applicable)
Develop incident reporting systems and ensure that the incident register is updated regularly
Establish and maintain regular contact with other agency security focal points, including NGOs, UN, and local authorities, to share security intelligence and establish best practices for coordinated crisis response
Attend security & emergency-related briefings and meetings and share security-related information with third-party security and risk management service providers
Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)At least 9 years of INGO safety and risk management experience and proven leadership experience in security assessment, planning, and implementation of procedures in the context of UN or NGO humanitarian operations
Experience living and working in fragile environments
Experience working in one of the following sectors: Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding, Resilience, Protection, Governance and Livelihood
Experience in liaising with communities, civilians, police, and/or military government authorities, as well as with regional institutions
Extensive experience in setting up and managing safety and security systems and protocols and providing training to staff and partners
Experience in coordinating activities across multiple locations
Experience with different donors, such as EU, German, USAID, DFID, French, UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF
Experience in staff management of both international and national staff in challenging environments
Professional fluency in English. Fluency in other languages, such as French or Arabic, is a plus
Excellent coordination, communication, and networking skills
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral
Strong leadership skills – ability to motivate and manage a diverse team in a complex environment
Excellent cross-cultural communication and working skills and enjoys a multicultural work environment
Ability to work under stringent deadlines with acute attention to detail
Self‐starter with the ability to manage time effectively
Education:University degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or a related discipline
Formal security qualification or advanced security management training
This position will require travel, and the successful candidate will likely need to travel approximately 30% of the time, including to high-risk locations. Candidates must have proven experience managing security logistics in volatile regions and demonstrated crisis management capabilities.
The position will be based in the region, which currently consists of offices in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Burundi, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan, with other operations in Ethiopia and Somalia. The home office of the successful candidate will be determined upon hire, but the candidate should already have a work/residency permit in a Search regional country and be based in an appropriate, relevant, and well-connected area to complete all job functions.
This position is not open to International Hires.
Search for Common Ground (Search) is the world's largest dedicated peacebuilding organization, founded in 1982. With programs across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the United States, Search transforms conflict with a diverse set of tools inspired by its Common Ground Approach. Search is currently implementing a 10-year strategy aimed at driving enduring change and transforming many of the world's most consequential conflicts.
The Region: The Central and East Africa region is the largest of Search's four regions, with a diverse portfolio of programs in 10 countries and about $16 million in annual forecasted revenue. The programming streams include stabilization, preventing violent extremism, atrocity prevention, civil society strengthening, media and digital peacebuilding, security sector reform, and support to women and youth-led organizations.
Job Summary: Search is seeking a regional Safety & Security (S&S) Specialist to support our Central & East Africa country offices by increasing capacity and offering technical support and advice on all aspects of staff safety and security.
The position holder will be responsible for conducting security analyses, adapting country security plans, ensuring good security management capacities, developing standard operating procedures (SoPs), and providing training for country and regional staff. The Specialist will review and analyze incident reports and security updates. In addition, the Specialist may be called on to travel to countries experiencing emergencies to assess and support security systems and responses.
The Specialist reports to the Director of Global Security and is part of a team consisting of 2 regional Specialists (of which this position is one) as well as designated Security Focal Points in countries of operation.
Responsibilities:Work closely with the Regional and Global teams, including the S&S Director, to ensure security strategies for all country offices and that responses are appropriate and aligned with regional and global priorities with consideration to the respective local context
Deliver oversight of security prevention, preparation, response, and recovery activities in all Central & East Africa countries and counter threats emerging from changing political, social, and economic situations
Develop, review, and ensure effective implementation of the Search Security Management Plans, SOPs/Contingency Plans, including a security plan in assigned offices, together with key staff, based on Search’s S&S Protocols and Framework
Manage the implementation of a comprehensive security and business continuity management system, taking cognizance of the evolution of situations
Lead incident management, lessons learned, and any follow-up actions/procedure changes.
Provide crisis management support (evacuation and hibernation) as required
Work with the Security Focal Points of each country office to provide safety and security orientation for all new staff/visitors/guests, and update training for existing staff
Develop and implement a structured training program, including virtual and in-person sessions, to enhance staff security awareness and skills, particularly in accident prevention, crisis response, and occupational safety
Provide support to partners in developing their security guidelines and promoting a security culture
Prepare timely security updates based on information from internal and external sources to support policy and procedure reviews as well as to mitigate risks to programming
Report, analyze, and communicate the current socio-political context, the security situation, and the broader context (country, region, global trends as applicable)
Develop incident reporting systems and ensure that the incident register is updated regularly
Establish and maintain regular contact with other agency security focal points, including NGOs, UN, and local authorities, to share security intelligence and establish best practices for coordinated crisis response
Attend security & emergency-related briefings and meetings and share security-related information with third-party security and risk management service providers
Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)At least 9 years of INGO safety and risk management experience and proven leadership experience in security assessment, planning, and implementation of procedures in the context of UN or NGO humanitarian operations
Experience living and working in fragile environments
Experience working in one of the following sectors: Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding, Resilience, Protection, Governance and Livelihood
Experience in liaising with communities, civilians, police, and/or military government authorities, as well as with regional institutions
Extensive experience in setting up and managing safety and security systems and protocols and providing training to staff and partners
Experience in coordinating activities across multiple locations
Experience with different donors, such as EU, German, USAID, DFID, French, UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF
Experience in staff management of both international and national staff in challenging environments
Professional fluency in English. Fluency in other languages, such as French or Arabic, is a plus
Excellent coordination, communication, and networking skills
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral
Strong leadership skills – ability to motivate and manage a diverse team in a complex environment
Excellent cross-cultural communication and working skills and enjoys a multicultural work environment
Ability to work under stringent deadlines with acute attention to detail
Self‐starter with the ability to manage time effectively
Education:University degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or a related discipline
Formal security qualification or advanced security management training
This position will require travel, and the successful candidate will likely need to travel approximately 30% of the time, including to high-risk locations. Candidates must have proven experience managing security logistics in volatile regions and demonstrated crisis management capabilities.
The position will be based in the region, which currently consists of offices in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Burundi, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan, with other operations in Ethiopia and Somalia. The home office of the successful candidate will be determined upon hire, but the candidate should already have a work/residency permit in a Search regional country and be based in an appropriate, relevant, and well-connected area to complete all job functions.
How to apply
Please apply here.
Please apply here.