Closing date: 11 Jan 2010
Location: Kenya - Nairobi
Regional Security Advisor (216850-927)
Program/Department Summary:
Mercy Corps operates in ten countries in Africa – DR Congo, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Somalia, Sudan (north and south), Uganda, Zimbabwe employing approximately 900 national and 90 international staff.
Our operations in Africa have grown rapidly over the past five years and may continue to expand in the future. Many if not most of the countries we work in are instable and pose considerable security challenges to our operations and staff. Somalia, Sudan and the North Kivu region of DR Congo where Mercy Corps operates are rated as “Extreme Security Risk” by Control Risks Group.
The loss of three Mercy Corps staff in Eritrea in 2004 and one in Somalia in 2008 is perhaps the most ominous of the many indicators of the dangers we face with both security and safety. Mercy Corps is a humanitarian organization which values inter-agency collaboration and approaches security through principles that have been developed in close cooperation with others in the humanitarian community.
Among those principles are those embodied in the IFRC Code of Conduct and the centrality of community acceptance as the foundation piece of security.
General Position Summary:
The Africa Regional Security Advisor (RSA) will reduce the risk exposure of Mercy Corps’ staff and programs by empowering our field offices to better assess and respond to threats inherent in the region.
The RSA advances best practices through training, technical advice and support for improved assessment, analysis and planning and does not hold the authority to suspend operations, impose procedures or evacuate staff. The RSA will prioritize support to the highest risk countries, meaning that over half of the RSA’s time will be devoted to Sudan, Somalia and DR Congo.
Essential Job Functions:
Training and Orientation: The RSA will work with the Africa field offices to ensure that all new staff hired for the region national or expatriate as well as official visitors to the region, receive a consistent and thorough security orientation upon hire/arrival in the region.
Additional effort will be made to ensure that those deployed in extreme security risk areas receive enhanced training on personal security, first aid and the specific threats in those areas. During routine field visits, the RSA will also provide on-site training aimed at the special needs of staff, from guards and drivers to field managers and program staff.
At times, external consultants arranged in consultation with the Director of Global Emergency Operations (D-GEO) may be utilized. The RSA will seek and exploit opportunities for Mercy Corps staff to attend appropriate external security trainings sponsored by other NGOs, the UN, etc.
Security Planning and MOSS: The RSA will promote and support efforts by field offices to meet the InterAction Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) through effective planning and budgeting for security.
The RSA will support the development and maintenance of current security plans in a consistent format (using ECHO’s Generic Security Guide) through the provision of planning workshops, training, and the provision of feedback on plans. The RSA will maintain a file with all current security plans for the Africa Region.
The RSA will produce an annual report on the region’s adherence to InterAction’s MOSS guidance.
Information Management: Responsibility for monitoring the security environment falls to the Country Director and security focal points. The RSA will ensure that field office have access to good security information sources.
While the RSA is expected to remain conversant in the particular security challenges of each country, it is not the RSA’s responsibility to track and report security developments in each country.
The RSA should ensure that a system of incident reporting and after-incident review is in place reflecting Mercy Corps global policy and protocol;
Technical support: The RSA should be readily available at all times to Country Directors and field staff to advise on security developments. The RSA through the D- GEO or other connections should be able to call upon additional expertise where needed when requests from the field exceed the RSA’s technical depth or available time.
The RSA will make field visits, respond to emails and calls and review security plans, providing advice and feedback as appropriate.
Networking: The RSA will place high value on inter-agency coordination in security; encourage Mercy Corps field-level coordination in the NGO community; seek opportunities for formal and informal cooperation; develop a network of relationships with peers in the humanitarian community (UN, NGO, ICRC, appropriate governmental offices, etc); develop and engage Mercy Corps’ internal network of Security Focal Points and encourage inter-communications between them, and; pursue opportunities to engage others in our community in creative solutions to our security challenges through collaborative efforts.
General: The RSA does not have the authority to close programs, manage operations or evacuate staff so the effectiveness of the position will rely heavily on the incumbent’s ability to develop strong positive working relationships with the Country and Regional Directors, Security Focal Points, field staff and the Director of GEO to advocate change as needed through compelling presentation of risks, costs and benefits of enhanced security.Do This
Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: This position currently holds no supervisory responsibility.
Accountability:
Reports Directly To: TBD
Works Directly With: Director of Global Emergency Operations; Regional Program Director for West and Central Africa; Regional Program Director East & South Africa, Security Focal Points, Country Directors, HQ-based Program Officers.
Knowledge and Experience:
Location: Kenya - Nairobi
Regional Security Advisor (216850-927)
Program/Department Summary:
Mercy Corps operates in ten countries in Africa – DR Congo, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Somalia, Sudan (north and south), Uganda, Zimbabwe employing approximately 900 national and 90 international staff.
Our operations in Africa have grown rapidly over the past five years and may continue to expand in the future. Many if not most of the countries we work in are instable and pose considerable security challenges to our operations and staff. Somalia, Sudan and the North Kivu region of DR Congo where Mercy Corps operates are rated as “Extreme Security Risk” by Control Risks Group.
The loss of three Mercy Corps staff in Eritrea in 2004 and one in Somalia in 2008 is perhaps the most ominous of the many indicators of the dangers we face with both security and safety. Mercy Corps is a humanitarian organization which values inter-agency collaboration and approaches security through principles that have been developed in close cooperation with others in the humanitarian community.
Among those principles are those embodied in the IFRC Code of Conduct and the centrality of community acceptance as the foundation piece of security.
General Position Summary:
The Africa Regional Security Advisor (RSA) will reduce the risk exposure of Mercy Corps’ staff and programs by empowering our field offices to better assess and respond to threats inherent in the region.
The RSA advances best practices through training, technical advice and support for improved assessment, analysis and planning and does not hold the authority to suspend operations, impose procedures or evacuate staff. The RSA will prioritize support to the highest risk countries, meaning that over half of the RSA’s time will be devoted to Sudan, Somalia and DR Congo.
Essential Job Functions:
Training and Orientation: The RSA will work with the Africa field offices to ensure that all new staff hired for the region national or expatriate as well as official visitors to the region, receive a consistent and thorough security orientation upon hire/arrival in the region.
Additional effort will be made to ensure that those deployed in extreme security risk areas receive enhanced training on personal security, first aid and the specific threats in those areas. During routine field visits, the RSA will also provide on-site training aimed at the special needs of staff, from guards and drivers to field managers and program staff.
At times, external consultants arranged in consultation with the Director of Global Emergency Operations (D-GEO) may be utilized. The RSA will seek and exploit opportunities for Mercy Corps staff to attend appropriate external security trainings sponsored by other NGOs, the UN, etc.
Security Planning and MOSS: The RSA will promote and support efforts by field offices to meet the InterAction Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) through effective planning and budgeting for security.
The RSA will support the development and maintenance of current security plans in a consistent format (using ECHO’s Generic Security Guide) through the provision of planning workshops, training, and the provision of feedback on plans. The RSA will maintain a file with all current security plans for the Africa Region.
The RSA will produce an annual report on the region’s adherence to InterAction’s MOSS guidance.
Information Management: Responsibility for monitoring the security environment falls to the Country Director and security focal points. The RSA will ensure that field office have access to good security information sources.
While the RSA is expected to remain conversant in the particular security challenges of each country, it is not the RSA’s responsibility to track and report security developments in each country.
The RSA should ensure that a system of incident reporting and after-incident review is in place reflecting Mercy Corps global policy and protocol;
Technical support: The RSA should be readily available at all times to Country Directors and field staff to advise on security developments. The RSA through the D- GEO or other connections should be able to call upon additional expertise where needed when requests from the field exceed the RSA’s technical depth or available time.
The RSA will make field visits, respond to emails and calls and review security plans, providing advice and feedback as appropriate.
Networking: The RSA will place high value on inter-agency coordination in security; encourage Mercy Corps field-level coordination in the NGO community; seek opportunities for formal and informal cooperation; develop a network of relationships with peers in the humanitarian community (UN, NGO, ICRC, appropriate governmental offices, etc); develop and engage Mercy Corps’ internal network of Security Focal Points and encourage inter-communications between them, and; pursue opportunities to engage others in our community in creative solutions to our security challenges through collaborative efforts.
General: The RSA does not have the authority to close programs, manage operations or evacuate staff so the effectiveness of the position will rely heavily on the incumbent’s ability to develop strong positive working relationships with the Country and Regional Directors, Security Focal Points, field staff and the Director of GEO to advocate change as needed through compelling presentation of risks, costs and benefits of enhanced security.Do This
Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: This position currently holds no supervisory responsibility.
Accountability:
Reports Directly To: TBD
Works Directly With: Director of Global Emergency Operations; Regional Program Director for West and Central Africa; Regional Program Director East & South Africa, Security Focal Points, Country Directors, HQ-based Program Officers.
Knowledge and Experience:
- Graduate degree in a relevant field preferred
- Minimum of five years’ field experience related to humanitarian response
- Substantial prior experience with adult learning and organizational development and training
- Minimum 2 years previous experience in NGO security management
- French language fluency
The successful RSA will have strong communication and diplomacy skills. As this is an advisory role, the RSA must focus on understanding the conditions and concerns of the various Mercy Corps field offices and respond to them in a way that meets local needs, while enhancing the security environment.
S/he will not protect Mercy Corps staff per se, but will strive to empower our Country Directors and staff to better protect themselves. It is imperative that the RSA have a clear understanding of, and willingness to work within the culture and mandate of humanitarian response.
Living Conditions:
The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Nairobi is an accompanied post. Nairobi is a major metropolitan center with world class healthcare and excellent education options. However violent criminal attacks in, can occur at any time particularly in Nairobi. Telephone and internet access is available and there are dozens of excellent restaurants along with easy transport links to the rest of Africa and Europe.
Significant travel is expected with this position at 60% of the time to remote and insecure environments. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Mercy Corps is an AA/EOE.
How to apply
Apply via URL:
http://hostedjobs.openhire.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjob&jobid=216850&company_id=15927&jobboardid=479
