Regional Safety Advisor - Horn of Africa & Yemen

Employer: Danish Refugee Council
Closing date: 15 Sep 2013

Regional Safety Advisor - Horn of Africa & Yemen
Background DRC is an international non-governmental organization that promotes and supports durable solutions to the problems faced by refugees and internally displaced people all over the world.

DRC and the Danish Demining Group (DDG) have been operating in the Horn of Africa and Yemen for over a decade, running a combination of livelihood, protection, advocacy and relief programmes. DRC has programme offices in various areas in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen, with a regional office in Kenya. There are numerous sub- offices, and also plans for new offices and programmes in Somalia and Yemen.

DRC’s Safety Risk Management system in the HoA&Y area has been developed to a robust level over the past three years. Procedures, protocols and policies are in place and largely implemented throughout the region. Training modules have been standardized and delivered on a regular basis, and safety management receives strong support and attention from managers at all levels. In the HoA&Y region, DRC’s safety management structure currently includes a Regional Safety Advisor, a Deputy RSA covering Yemen and Ethiopia, and one Area Safety Coordinator covering South Central Somalia. There are plans to hire an Assistant RSA to support operations in the Somali regions of the Horn of Africa.

Overall Objective The Regional Safety Advisor will advise and assist the Regional Senior Management Team and Country Directors to develop and implement DRC’s Safety Risk Management (SRM) system for both DRC and DDG programmes in the Horn of Africa and Yemen region.

Specific Objectives The RSA, in consultation with the safety team, local safety staff and CDs, is expected to pursue the following objectives in his/her daily work: • Oversee the Safety Risk Management (SRM) process within the HoA&Y region • Develop and maintain regional safety management policies, protocols and procedures, and support the contextualization of country and area level plans and procedures. • Facilitate Safety Risk Assessments (SRAs) and support the implementation of mitigation measures • Analyze, manage and report relevant information at country and regional levels • Quality assurance monitoring and reporting • Support and deliver safety-related training • Mentor and provide technical supervision to international and national safety staff • Develop the capacity of, and coordinate, the Regional Crisis Management Team and Country Incident Management Teams • Provide surge support to country programmes • Facilitate travel planning for VIPs and other higher profile visits to areas in the region

Responsibilities and Tasks To achieve the position objectives, the RSA will perform the following tasks and undertake the following responsibilities: • Oversee the development and implementation of the SRM process. Specific tasks include: • Assist and monitor the development of SRAs;supervise and endorse the assessment of Safety Levels • Advise the SMT, CDs and Area Managers on available safety management strategies, including the transfer, avoidance, acceptance and/or control of risks. • Assist in the development of country and area-specific safety plans, including Local Safety Rules (LSR); Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Contingency Plans (CPs); mitigation action plans; and Minimum Operating Safety Standards (MOSS). • Support the implementation of safety improvement plans and other related functions; and assist in the implementation of staff capacity training plans, including the delivery and prioritization of training modules • Develop and maintain Regional Safety Operating Procedures (RSOPs) and support the contextualization of the RSOPs at country and area level, as necessary.

• Provision of dependable advice in relation to programme access and continuity, including: • Provision of regular analysis, statistics and reporting on key developments within the region • Tailored analysis and assessments, including SRAs, on specific areas, themes, issues or scenarios • Maintain a register of negotiations and developments related to access and humanitarian space • Establish and maintain a list of contacts throughout the region • Provide safety advice as part of programme development and during programme implementation, including programme assessments • Identify potential scenarios, indicators of change and key decision points

• Represent the country programmes within inter-agency fora as related to safety issues, including: • Focal point for safety co-ordination between relevant actors within the area of operations • Attend NSP, UN and other relevant external fora • Establish a network of contacts and represent DRC/DDG at security meetings

• Capacity building of all staff, , including: • Provide operational safety briefings and orientation to new staff and visitors • Brief new international and non-local staff on specific cultural norms and behaviours • Train national and international safety in the delivery of establish safety training modules • Organize and coordinate the delivery of Personal Safety Training (PST) , Incident Management Training, Hostage Survival Training, as a minimum on a regular basis

• Incident and crisis management and response, including: • Support the establishment and maintenance of the CMT and Country IMTs • Coordinate the CMT in the event of a critical incident or crisis • Ensure effective country level Critical Incident Management Plans are in place • Brief CMT members on their responsibilities and ensure alternate members are available and briefed • Assist in the management of safety incidents and provide timely and accurate incident reports

• Quality assurance of safety-related policies, protocols, procedures and regulations, including: • MOSS audits of all programme areas • Systematic reviews of SRM Systems at the country and area levels • Assess the level of implementation of mitigation measures within the safety improvement plans

• Act as the focal point for technical advice on procurement and installation of safety-related equipment, facilities and other resources, including: • Assist logisticians and administrators with the procurement, delivery and control of safety equipment • Act as the focal point for radios and satellite phones

• Supervise the DRSA and ARSA, and provide technical supervision of all safety staff; • Develop the skills and knowledge of safety staff through constructive feedback, training events and supporting personal development goals. • Assist Country Offices with the selection, recruitment and professional development of full and part time safety staff.

Reporting Arrangements The RSA will report to the DRC Regional Director (RD) but work directly with DDG Regional Director as well as DDG and DRC senior programme staff in the relevant areas of operations.

Conditions: Contract: 12 month renewable contract Other employment conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Global Expatriates recruited by the Horn of Africa Regional Office or the DRC national staff salary scale, as relevant. This position is rated as A4 on the DRC Expatriate salary scale available at www.drc.dk Availability: October 2013
Duty Station: Nairobi

General Commitments: DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability committments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework

Personal Specifications • At least 3 years as a safety and security manager with an INGO at a country/programme level on an international contract • Proven ability to develop and implement effective and contextualized protocols and systems • A high level of personal integrity • Ability to be flexible and demonstrate an innovative approach to safety risk management • Demonstrated experience with information gathering, analysis and report writing • Demonstrated ability to conduct and produce high quality safety risk assessments (SRAs) • Demonstrated experience with critical incident management • Demonstrated experience with delivering safety-related training • Proven ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines • Proven ability to work effectively with minimal supervision • Stable, dedicated team-player with a good sense of humor • Excellent communication skills • Willingness to travel at least 50% of the time • Physically fit • Fluent in written and spoken English

Preferable: • Experience with the Somalia and Kenyan contexts and to a lesser degree, the Yemen and Ethiopian contexts • Knowledge of Arabic and/or Somali • Sub-regional or regional security management experience • Programme experience is considered highly desirable

How to apply:

Application and CV

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated CV and cover letter explaining why they are suited for the post. Only applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications will be considered.

Please forward the application and CV, in English and marked “Regional Safety Advisor”, to drcintjobs@drchoa.org no later than 15 September, 2013.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted