Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organisation working for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We recognise that our staff and associates may work in or travel to hostile and complex environments that present unique safety and security risks, and we are proactive in identifying and mitigating these risks. We understand that security management should be an enabler rather than a barrier. Plan International is committed to fulfilling its duty of care to our staff and providing a safe and secure environment so that we can better fulfil our purpose and objectives.

Plan International is looking for experienced Safety and Security Specialists and Advisors who can be available on short notice (within 72 hours) for contracts of varying duration in various (often high risk context) countries to gap fill, support scale up and build capacity in inclusive safety and security management. The pre-qualified candidates will be included on an external roster and will receive on-call assignments, after receiving training on Plan International’s safety procedures and tools. The assignments will take place in countries where humanitarian operations are taking place and will have a variable duration of up to six months.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

A Humanitarian Safety & Security Specialist is a resource with the potential to work in any existing county office or emerging area of intervention. S/he will usually report to a Country Director with a technical dotted line to the Regional Security Advisor or a Roving Security Advisor. In deployment contexts, s/he will work closely with emergency response managers, country office management teams, and country and regional level security managers in proactively identifying and mitigating security risks, training and preparing staff as necessary, and acting as first line support to security incidents and crisis management efforts.

S/he will liaise with other relevant functions as necessary, including Safeguarding, HR, fleet, supply chain and logistics, sponsorship, gender and inclusion, and media and communications.

S/he will promote a positive security culture, focused on advancing our Security for All initiative to create a more inclusive and intersectional approach to security risk management. S/he will encourage staff to report security concerns and incidents, follow-up and/or investigate as needed, and ensure management incorporates lessons learned into future operations.

S/he will assist country offices manage security budgets and promote inclusion of security needs into grant and budget proposals.

The role is not anticipated to have any direct reports. However, based on operational needs other security resources may be assigned to this role in certain contexts.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

· Support, and at times oversee, delivery of the internal high-risk security training.

· Support regional security upskilling and capacity building initiatives, including mentoring country security focal points.

· Ensure offices and field sites have appropriate safety and security equipment in place.

· Conduct security risk assessments and incorporate a wide range of data sources to ensure emerging risks are included.

· Conduct site surveys, such as route, hotel, and field location security assessments.

· Support global security analysis efforts by providing relevant risk data collected in deployment contexts.

· Engage key stakeholders to ensure safety and security is appropriately incorporated into operational planning and security culture “stays in the conversation”.

· Oversee security KPIs in areas of intervention.

· Develop security SOPs addressing humanitarian program needs and ensure existing SOPs remain fit for purpose.

· Provide expertise to management in humanitarian access negotiations.

· Develop a network of contacts among local actors to facilitate Plan International’s work and enhance the security of its operations.

· Represent Plan International and coordinate amongst all actors (state, military, UN, NGO, etc) on all matters pertaining to safety and security.

· Develop and oversee monitoring of contingency plans, to include hibernation, relocation, and evacuation.

· Provide direct support in responding to incidents.

· Ensure security incidents are recorded and appropriately reviewed and/or investigated if necessary.

· Ensure post-incident support mechanisms are in place and promoted to staff, including medical, family, and psychosocial support.

Guide and support management in making timely and appropriate steps to resume operations following incidents.

· Champion the global security strategy and promote a positive security culture, ensuring and enabling a balance between organizational responsibility and individual ownership of security.

· Focus on people, and support initiatives focused on addressing the unique risks faced by our staff in all their diversity.

· Build and maintain relationships with relevant government departments, UN agencies and NGOs.

· Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Regional Safety & Security Advisor, Roving Security Advisor, Country Management Team, Emergency Response Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Finance Manager, Programs Team.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential

· At least five years’ experience overseeing security planning and operations in humanitarian or high-risk contexts.

· Experience of conducting security risk assessments.

· Experience providing technical support and oversight to security programmes.

· Experience of security capacity building in a variety of contexts.

· Understanding of field level representation with key stakeholders and coordination with peer NGOs and UN actors.

· Experience in Humanitarian access negotiation/strategy.

· In-depth knowledge or work experience in post-conflict and/or complex emergency environments.

· Clear understanding of humanitarian principles.

· Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities.

· Excellent negotiation, representation, skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment.

· Good attention to detail.

· Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure.

· Strong communication (written and spoken) skills in English.