Head of Safety & Security - Ethiopia Country Office

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Ethiopia Country Office Senior Management Team            

LOCATION: Addis Ababa

GRADE: 1B        

POST TYPE: National

Child Safeguarding:

Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people

ROLE PURPOSE: The security environment in Ethiopia is complex and dynamic due to conflicts between tribal and ethnic groups; the rise of extremism in the region; the prevalence of arms; the presence of illicit trade; poverty; lack of visible improvements in living standards; banditry. The changing political landscape on the local, national and regional levels, contributes to the changing security environment.

There is a need to strengthen the Security Management function of SC in Ethiopia and provide a robust and efficient support function to country and local programmes and their programme managers. SC working in this insecure areas requires a National Security Advisor who will take a proactive role to inform and advise on the continually changing security environment.

The overall objective of this position is to reduce the risks posed to the program personnel and assets of all national and international SC staff in Ethiopia through the provision of specialized, coordinated and focused security management support

As member of the SMT, the position holder is also expected to play a significant role in ensuring gender equity among staff is maintained across the organization.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Country Director

Dimensions: Save the Children works in 9 regions in Ethiopia with a current staff complement of approximately 1,600 staff and current expenditure of approximately $90+ million each year.

Staff directly reporting to this post: TBC

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

As a member of the Extended Senior Management Team, contribute to:

• Leadership of the Ethiopia Country Office Security Management Team
• Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our dual mandate values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for our Members and donors
• Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to programme needs
• Ensure Ethiopia Country Office complies with all Save the Children Security Management Operating Standards and Standard Operating Procedures
• Ensure that all required security support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office

Policies and procedures

• Develop and maintain country-wide security Management Plan that is consistent with the acceptance model and Save the Children standards
• Ensure that all staff understand country-wide security plan and agree to abide by its policies and procedures
• Monitor the security environment and adjust security policies and procedures accordingly
• Ensure quality and relevance of area security plans to the prevailing security context.
• Undertake reviews of policies and procedures; identify opportunities to enhance security

Assessment and analysis

• Ensure that incident report forms are properly compiled by staff and distributed to Country Office and Region Office
• Monitor events, review incidents and coordinate analysis, follow-up actions and recommendations
• Provide security update, which includes situational analysis, actions taken and actions recommended, to SC Senior Management Team on a regular basis
• Submit written weekly and monthly reports to SC SMT and regional management
• Provide informed recommendations in the context of security assessments and reviews
• Assess application of security policies and level of vulnerability of SC facilities; recommend changes to enhance security
• Monitor HR/Finance/Logistics working practices within context of safety and security and alert Country Director if inappropriate decisions are impacting safety and security of the team or external perception of the organization, thereby creating security risks

Programme implementation

• Advise on safe movement of staff, e.g. proper vehicle fleet management policies, adequate safety and communications equipment in vehicles, and training of drivers in established procedures and requisite skills
• Assist with programme proposal development to ensure adequate consideration of safety and security needs and inclusion of safety and security costs
• Undertake security assessments of and field missions to programme areas and potential programme areas; report on findings and design necessary improvements
• Provide safety and security support and advice to area and field managers

Communication and training

• Liaise on a regular basis with UN, government, diplomatic and consular officials and community leaders in the process of gathering and verifying security information
• Coordinate the gathering and flow of security information with other relevant actors; classify security information according to its reliability and accuracy
• Maintain and review incident reporting and mapping system; ensure that up to date incident maps are available for all SC staff on a regular basis
• Ensure that appropriate systems are in place to effectively disseminate security information and updates of the security system to staff
• Coordinate and manage the proper use of SC telecommunications systems
• Ensure that regular security meetings are conducted with relevant SC staff
• Develop and implement security training plan for all staff; develop and apply evaluation processes to determine whether training competencies are met
• Facilitate security management training with staff in the country office and at project locations
• Build capacity of security focal points to conduct threat assessments
• Provide recommendations to SC staff as to ways in which they can effectively reach out to, gain acceptance from and improve their image in host communities
• Develop security briefing materials and provide orientation for incoming or newly appointed SC staff

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• Formal security qualification or advanced security management training
• Advanced level of understanding with the philosophy and mode of operation of NGOs
• 10 years’ relevant progressive experience out of which 5 years in managerial, in complex and insecure settings, preferably in more than one country with large teams of staff
• Experience in liaising with civilian, police and military government authorities, as well as with regional, national and international institutions
• Experience of incident reporting, incident mapping, intelligence collation and analysis functions, set up and execution of an incident warning system (warden system), compilation of security reports and assessments
• Strong analytical capacity, resourcefulness and creativity in developing the role of security within programmes and ensuring the most effective support to line management
• Ability to balance demands of beneficiary and security actors while maintaining appropriate contextual NGO security advice and coordination
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner
• Excellent planning, coordination and reporting skills, with the ability to organize a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities
• Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies
• Willingness to work and travel in often difficult and insecure environments
• Competency in Internet and Microsoft Office systems including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and other database/mapping systems
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken
• Ability to speak Amharic and preferably other local languages is an advantage
• Commitment to Save the Children values