Head of Safety

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Head of Safety to manage all aspects of the DRC Safety Risk Management System (SRMS) for both DRC and DDG programmes within Iraq.

About the job

The Head of Safety has a country focus and ensures compliance to DRC procedures and guidelines within the country. He/She contributes to the development of country strategies, which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. The Head of Safety provides support and/or technical guidance to country operations while overseeing country activities. The location for the role is Erbil with regular travel to other DRC Iraq duty stations (e.g. Baghdad, Basra, Dohuk, Kirkuk, Mosul) and trips to the field. 

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Safety Risk Management

• Provide timely and practical safety information to the Country Director, the Senior Management Team and staff in general which includes analysis identifying key personal safety aspects, implications on access (present and future) and possible impacts on organizational reputation.
• Oversee the implementation of the Safety Risk Management System
• Develop area and country safety management policies, protocols and procedures
• Facilitate Safety Risk Assessments (SRAs) and support the implementation of mitigation measures
• Analyze, manage and report relevant information within geographical area of responsibility
• Update operational safety tools (e.g. standard operating procedures, minimum operating safety standards, safety level system, contingency plans, etc.) in accordance with DRC’s Safety Risk Management System and monitor staff compliance with these.
• Develop the capacity of, and coordinate, relevant Incident Management Teams (IMTs)
• Technically advise on the procurement of safety-related equipment, facilities and other resources.

Training Supervision and Support

• Support and deliver safety-related training
• Mentor and provide technical supervision to local safety staff
• Mentor safety colleagues on the subject of reporting by fostering the use of the SIR data base and advance analysis products, in particular access-focused assessments
• Be a standing member of the incident management team. Assist with the implementation of the CIMP (Critical Incident Management Plan) by office/location and act as surge capacity in case regional emergencies demand so
• Based on an assessment of training needs develop, support, facilitate and/or deliver safety trainings to all staff members and partake in regional training initiatives. Become familiar with/instruct DRC Iraq’s Personal Awareness Safety Training (PAST)

As Coordinator the post-holder is responsible for the following:

• Responsible for coordinating strategy and operations within safety in Iraq
• Has technical line responsibilities within safety for both strategy and operations
• Provides expert advice and support to set strategy and assure operational quality and compliance
• Represent DRC as an active member of the OCHA led Access Working Group Steering Committee.
• Maintain a reliable network of safety information resources that includes other professionals in external agencies and open sources.
• Undertake and support others to undertake site/area assessments as well as safety risk assessments and facilitate the implementation of corresponding mitigation measures.
• Evaluate access prospects for new operations and facilitate programme access/continuity through the provision of informed advice.

As a member of Country Senior Management Team (SMT):

• Attend Country SMT meetings and contribute to strategic decision making on range of programmatic and operational issues related to the country program

About you

To be successful in this role we expect the following:

Required

• Master's degree in political science, peace & conflict studies, history, disaster management or a military education or equivalent experience
• Minimum 3-5 years of working experience as a safety manager/coordinator with an INGO
• Experience working in multicultural work settings
• Proven ability to develop and implement effective and contextualized protocols and systems
• Experience with information gathering, analysis and report writing
• Ability to conduct and produce high quality safety risk assessments (SRAs)
• Experience with critical incident management
• Experience with delivering safety-related training
• Experience working in hostile or hazardous environments 
• Full professional proficiency in English
• Prior regional experience is a plus

Desirable

• Prior regional experience is a plus
• Arabic not essential but an advantage

    

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies: 

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.  
Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.  
Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 
Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 
Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 12 months 
Level: Band E
Designation of Duty Station: Non-family Duty Station
Start date: as soon as possible

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates; please refer to drc.ngo under Vacancies. 

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 6 October 2019

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.