Safety and Security Coordinator

Job Overview/Summary

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The mission of the IRC is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and regain control of their future.

In Burkina Faso, IRC launched its first phase of emergency response programming in the city of Djibo in April 2019, mainly with WASH, and Protection activities. IRC Burkina Faso is present in the Sahel, North and Boucle de Mouhoun region carrying out wash, health, nutrition and protection activities.

The Senior Safety & Security Coordinator is a member of the Senior Management Team Plus (SMT+), reporting to the Country Director (CD). She or he will develop and oversee the implementation of humanitarian access and security management systems and protocols in line with humanitarian principles, humanitarian needs, duty of care principles, and IRC’s strategy.

She or he will identify changes and trends in the humanitarian access and security environment in Burkina Faso, develop and oversee the implementation of responsive plans, standard operating procedures and contingency plans, and facilitate training and capacity building of both management and field staff.

She or he will ensure that expert humanitarian access and security risk management advice are provided to all levels of IRC staff in the country office on building relationships with stakeholders, negotiating and mediating humanitarian access, contextual understanding, managing critical incidents, and providing timely advisories.

She or he will work closely with the Country Director (CD) and the Field Coordinators to ensure that organizational security policies and procedures are responsive to the context, adequate and known to staff, and in line with global safety and security standards. Working closely with the Deputy Director of Programs and Program Coordinators, the she or he will help maximize the effectiveness of IRC’s activities in Burkina Faso by contributing to the design and ongoing adaptation of programming to ensure it is contextually appropriate. Where applicable, she or he will also provide guidance and support to partner organizations and ensure the capacity building of IRC staff, incentive workers, and partners with active hands-on collaboration.

Major Responsibilities

Humanitarian Access Management:

She or He will support the Safety, Security and Access coordinator to:

• Develop and implement humanitarian access strategies and approaches tailored to local contexts in field sites throughout Burkina Faso

• Ensure humanitarian access approaches are responsive to local context and include overarching community engagement components

• Ensure that the IRC field humanitarian access teams conduct principled and sustainable negotiations with relevant actors in Burkina Faso in line with humanitarian principles, humanitarian needs, duty of care principles, and the IRC’s Strategic Action Plan (SAP)

• Work to ensure that IRC, its mission and work in the areas of operations is known and accepted

• Work to encourage stakeholders to work with the IRC in ensuring that staff and programs are safe and allowed to continue humanitarian activities in Burkina Faso

• Provide technical input and advice in assessments to consider new IRC programs in new geographic areas, and regular assessment reviews for existing locations

•Assist in the continued development of humanitarian access and security teams and activities across Burkina Faso

• Contribute in developing and implementing guidelines for humanitarian access and engagement with non-state actors articulating standard IRC policy and guidance

• Oversee and advise on the implementation and review of tailored acceptance strategies

• Maintain a high level of preparedness vis-a-vis predicted contextual fluctuations operationally and programmatically

• Enhance IRC image and acceptance within the community and amongst stakeholders by providing guidance on inclusive visibility strategies

• Work with appropriate IRC units, including HR, to ensure timely and appropriate follow-up to violations of IRC’s Code of Conduct, in addition to operational breaches to humanitarian principles

Safety and Security Risk Management:

• Provide technical support on all policies, procedures, guidelines and planning for staff safety, operational security and program continuity in Burkina Faso

• Evaluate, review and update the security management plans on a regular basis in compliance with global safety and security standards and requirements

• Work with Field Coordinators to develop, consolidate and implement operating procedures and contingency plans

• Develop and maintain a network of IRC Security Focal Points at each field office and program sites enhancing gender balance.

• Evaluate, review and update the hibernation and evacuation plans for all IRC offices and residences in Burkina Faso and ensure that the practical preparations are in place and known to all staff involved

• Conduct risk assessments of contracted and prospective offices and residences. Follow up on actions to be taken to ensure compliance with safety and security standards

• Undertake continual assessments of equipment, and the protocols by which that equipment is used, to ensure that minimal conditions for security are being met

• Provide and implement best possible solutions for use of equipment to facilitate communication between staff.

• Ensure safety and security protocol, reporting mechanism, and capacity building initiative account for gender-specific risks, staff profiles and background, and are sensitive to local contexts

Networking and Liaison:

• Maintain a network of IRC security focal points in the country program as well as external professional contacts and counterparts

• Provide timely feedback on questions and technical assistance requests from country program team members

• Monitor and provide support and reporting on NGO field security initiatives as required

• Identify, create and maintain a network with NGO/UN and other humanitarian access and security specialists suitable for Burkina Faso

• Maintain a network with other IRC security Coordinators within the Region.

Context Understanding and Reporting:

• Compile and submit regular reports that track incidents and trends in humanitarian access and local security contexts within the IRC’s area of operation.

• Submit daily contextual updates as needed to the SMT and relevant field and program management staff

• Work closely with IRC field management teams to ensure all incidents and accidents are followed up with an official written report, which is then shared with relevant stakeholders and filed appropriately. Ensure that final incident reports are provided when IRC is closing the case.

• Monitor the operating environment in the country , identify new threats, assess IRC vulnerabilities and recommend possible responses

• Coordinate regularly with the Regional Safety & Security Advisoron safety and security, and fulfill reporting requirements to the region

• Contribute to local-level conflict sensitivity analysis and macro- level analysis of trends within the Burkina Faso conflict

• Provide credible information and contextual understanding of localized and country-wide security situations and incidents along with appropriate advice to IRC field and program management staff

Training and Capacity Building:

• Identify safety, security and access learning and development needs for country program staff

• Provide regular trainings for IRC staff on humanitarian principles and safety and security preparedness. Training(s) may include Standard Operational Procedures; Humanitarian Negotiations; Contextual Understanding; Safety & Security Risk Management; Incident Management &Reporting; etc.

• Liaise with partners to assess capacity building needs and provide advice and support where feasible and necessary

• Work with relevant internal focal points to develop and review the IRC Burkina Faso information and on-boarding package for new hires and visitors

Program Development:

• Ensure that safety and security needs are included in the country program’s budgets

• Support program coordinator and field management staff in developing conflict-sensitive and contextually-appropriate approaches in Burkina Faso

• Participate in program review meetings and contribute to implementation plans to ensure the timely, safe, and secure delivery of IRC service to beneficiaries

• Advise program and field management teams on context-specific risks pertaining humanitarian access, safety, and security, and contribute to the development and implementation of mitigation measures and plan.