Organisation Background
The International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international charity that supports the safety of aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training.
INSO services help NGOs with their day-to-day risk management responsibilities and improve their overall situational awareness to support evidence-based humanitarian access decisions.
Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation has grown from innovative start-up to become a globally recognised charity and a highly valued component in the humanitarian safety coordination system. With operations in 14 countries, INSO has revolutionized the humanitarian safety coordination sector by introducing a robust and high-quality field safety platform model that has been deployed in some of the world’s most high-risk settings.
The strong focus on humanitarian principles and exclusive NGO-only membership criteria have meant that INSO is now accepted as a standard component of modern humanitarian response offering independent frontline reporting and coordination services that save lives, strengthen operational practice and enable humanitarian access.
Today the organisation provides daily support to more than 1000 NGOs in 14 of the world’s most insecure countries and has earned a strong reputation for performance, principles & professionalism.
INSO Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso has witnessed a dramatic conflict escalation during the last three years. An estimated 2.90 million people need humanitarian assistance with humanitarian indicators deteriorating at fast pace. The conflict has rapidly spread from the north to the East and North-West, occasionally leading to loss of NGO access in large parts of the territory. INSO Burkina Faso was established in this context in 2018 – starting as rather a small project with a coordination center in Ouagadougou and a field office in Dori, the project has evolved nowadays with the addition of two field sites (Fada N’Gourma) and Ouahigouya, and the opening of a new field office in Bobo Diolasso projected for early 2021.
More than 120 NGO partners access our services on daily basis, which are funded by a large donor base including USAID-BHA, DG ECHO, Sida, the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs and FCDO.
To enable a quick start in 2018 and to generate regional analytical capability, INSO’s platform in Burkina Faso was initially integrated under a joint programme management team with INSO Mali. Due to the concurrent growth of both platforms, and for conformity with INSO’s standard country office model, the joint Mali-Burkina Faso programme will be transitioned to two autonomous country offices in the first quarter of 2021.
Our strategic objective for 2021 includes building upon the strengths of three separate country offices in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, to maintain strategic regional outlook and develop a more effective outreach to partners.
INSO Burkina Faso is now seeking an experienced professional to join our team as Deputy Director.
Job Summary
The Deputy Director oversees all aspects of service delivery and plays a key role in ensuring that INSO provides the best support possible to NGOs responding to the Burkina crisis. Specific responsibilities include the recruitment, training and management of a team of senior analysts (Safety Advisors), editorial review of key INSO Burkina products, monitoring and continual improvement of compliance with service delivery standards and support to the Burkina Director in the broader development of the programme.
The successful candidate will have a strong background in NGO safety and security, be outgoing, inquisitive and detail oriented, and have significant experience building and leading high performing teams. He/she will also have the ability to analyse complex security issues and contexts, communicate to an excellent standard of English and French, both verbally and in writing, and above all else share INSO’s commitment to humanitarian principles.
Major Responsibilities
* Compliance monitoring of all INSO Burkina mandated products and services including 24/7 flash reporting, safety and access roundtable meetings, analytical reports, training, orientations, crisis assistance, site security reviews and other demand-based services.
* Management of the INSO Burkina programme team and information management team, including recruitment, training, orientation and on-the-job mentoring of team members.
* The development and implementation of locally specific internal security management policy, SOPs and guidelines.
* Leadership and representation of the programme in the director’s absence.
* Development of annual strategy to include programming priorities, proposals, reports, budget management, forecasts and maintaining contractual compliance in all areas at all times.
* Support to programme development and implementation, including the delivery of annual planning and scheduled donor reporting.
* Application of INSO global policy in both administrative and operational areas including HR, Finance, Logistics, Security etc.
* INSO’s organisational development including support to the set-up and operation of INSO Burkina offices and on-going improvement of internal operational protocols and services.
Mandatory Requirements
* Exemplary command of French (written and spoken). Strong command of English (written and spoken) is a very strong asset.
* Graduate level education in a relevant field.
* Significant experience in insecure/conflict-affected environments with progressive seniority and at least one year at senior management level.
* Proven writing, editing, and analytical skills and a keen eye for detail – the position entails substantial report editing and reviewing.
* Acceptance and strong understanding of humanitarian principles.
* Demonstrable understanding of humanitarian safety practices and their application.
* Outgoing and confident personality.
* Mature leadership and staff management experience in a diverse multi-cultural setting.
* Excellent networking, diplomatic, and representative communication skills.
Preferred Characteristics
* A year’s (recent) experience working in Burkina Faso and demonstrable understanding of the central Sahel humanitarian context.
* Experience in staff capacity development and training.
* Experience with NGO project management, including donor reporting and relations.
* First-hand experience of crisis management.
* Prior experience in an inter-agency role.
* Existing information networks and/or local language skills.
* Detailed understanding of INSO mandate & services.
Key Personal Competencies
* A good listener
* An effective communicator
* Excellent analyst
* Team player
* Excellent interpersonal skills
* A people manager
INSO’s Safeguarding Policy:
* INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process. As such, the following safe recruitment practices will be applied:
* All offers of employment will be conditional on receiving at least two satisfactory professional references.
* INSO will ask candidates about significant gaps in employment history or frequent changes of employer and address.
* All essential qualifications and relevant professional accreditations and memberships will be verified.
* The successful candidate will be required to provide a valid proof of identity (passport, ID card);
* All new hires will receive an orientation in INSO’s safeguarding policy and procedures and associated documents (Code of Conduct, Whistleblowing etc.);
* All new hires will be required to sign and abide by the Code of Conduct as a condition of employment.
Terms & Conditions: 12-month contract, €5000 per month salary, 4 days annual leave per month and 7 days of R&R every 3 months with €1250 Allowance, global medical coverage (excluding USA), USD 200,000 AD&D coverage.
How to apply
Interested applicants are invited to send a completed application (requirement below) to [email protected] referencing “Deputy Director” in the subject line of the email. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.
Application requirements:
* Cover Letter specifying how you meet the mandatory requirements, any preferred characteristics, your motivation for applying, and what you hope to bring to INSO (2 pages maximum).
* Updated CV (5 pages maximum).
* One relevant and substantive writing sample in English that demonstrates your analytical and report writing abilities (10 pages maximum).
Please do not send any additional information (such as copies of certificates, copies of diplomas, other writing samples, etc.) and keep the total size of your application under 2MB if possible.
More Information
- Job City Ouagadougou
