This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced security and safeguarding professional to lead on the security and safeguarding of International Alert’s (Alert) global personnel, assets, and operations.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you’ll provide expert advice to staff across Alert, particularly in our Country Offices, to enable us to keep our staff, partners and participants safe and well. You’ll lead on the development and implementation of global policies, procedures, systems and training, working closely with country focal points, ensuring compliance with national and international security and safeguarding legal and donor requirements. The Senior Officer – Security and Safeguarding plays a key role in critical incidents, providing coordination and expert advice on appropriate responses, and leads on security and safeguarding in serious incident reporting and lesson learning.
We’re seeking candidates with experience in international security or safeguarding management, preferably in a INGO, providing security and/or safeguarding advice, support and coordination. Your understanding of security risk assessment and management principles, crisis management and emergency response protocols will be essential. We’ll also benefit from your knowledge of safeguarding principles, international standards, and best practices in preventing and responding to abuse, exploitation, and harm. You’ll bring experience managing security incidents and working fragile or conflict-affected contexts, as well as conducting safeguarding risk assessments and investigations.
In this role you’ll use your skills designing and implementing organisational systems and policies, including through designing and delivering basic security and safeguarding training. Fluent in English, with a clear and concise writing style, your excellent interpersonal skills will help you relate to a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, in a trauma-sensitive manner. We’re looking for excellent problem solving and ability to work under pressure. Fluency in French, and understanding of Health and Safety compliance requirements and safety management systems, are desirable but not essential.
Role duties and responsibilities:
Security
- Provide expert advice to Alert staff about security plan development, incident response and security analysis.
- Provide leadership to country team security focal points and senior management to develop and review security plans and procedures, including contingency and crisis response plans, serious incident management, standard operating procedures and emergency communications.
- Support staff to integrate security considerations into project planning and implementation.
- Lead a network of security focal points across Alert, providing opportunities for information and experience sharing.
- Lead on the organisation’s crisis preparedness and incident response processes, including the development of emergency response plans and conducting drills or simulations. Ensure each team has a business continuity plan, and update plans for the UK and Netherlands teams.
- Provide expert advice to country teams and senior directors in the event of a security incident. Provide advice to and coordination between those involved in managing the response.
- Play a key role in Alert’s Crisis Management Group, in coordination with the Executive Director, COO and Regional Directors, providing advice, coordination and action.
- Establish and maintain process for reporting of serious security incidents and lead reviews of incident and crisis responses.
- Develop and maintain organisational emergency communication procedures.
- Coordinate and where appropriate deliver training on security issues to Alert staff, consultants, trustees and partners, including ensuring provision of Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) to staff located in, and travelling to, high risk environments.
- Monitor the reporting and data gathering of security incidents and generate analysis/reports on security trends, responses and vulnerabilities and any relevant lessons learned from security and safety incidents.
- Lead on Alert’s organisational security policy, refreshing it periodically (and at least every two years) as agreed with the COO.
- Collaborate with the Head of People to ensure provision of post-incident personnel well-being support.
Safeguarding
- Stay abreast of donor and legal safeguarding requirements and sector standards and provide guidance to the organisation to maintain compliance.
- Provide expert advice Alert staff to develop, implement and review safeguarding procedures, including on project and event safeguarding risk assessments.
- Lead the network of safeguarding focal points across Alert, to provide training, share experience and information.
- Develop and deliver or signpost staff and trustees to basic safeguarding training.
- Provide expertise advice on how to investigate a safeguarding report, decide on actions, support survivors and report. Lead safeguarding investigations as agreed with the COO.
- Contribute to reporting of safeguarding incidents to the Executive Team, Board, Charity Commission and, where necessary, funders.
- Work with the Head of People to ensure that safeguarding considerations are integrated into recruitment, onboarding and performance management processes.
- Support trustees to carry out their safeguarding governance responsibilities, through training, regular reporting and support in the event of an investigation.
Other tasks
- Prepare and present reports to senior management, including the Executive Team and the Board of Trustees, on controls and compliance activities, findings, and recommendations.
- Contribute to wider Alert learning and experience sharing.
- Undertake any other task reasonably requested by the COO.
All applicants must have existing and permanent right to work in the country they wish to be based in.
International Alert prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from underrepresented people including women, people from the Global South, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people, and other historically marginalised people.
While International Alert will endeavour to contact all candidates within a reasonable time, this may not always be possible due to limited resources. Therefore, if you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, you can assume that your application has, on this occasion, been unsuccessful.
