CALL FOR CVs: Consultant – Safety and Security – Various Locations

*** Selected consultants will be part of Mercy Corps’ retainer and will not be guaranteed a job. Consultants who have applied to previous calls are encouraged to resubmit their application.

Background:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

To fulfill our duty of care requirements around office & workplace safety and adhere to our global minimum standards for safety and security, we deploy safety team members and consultants to provide one-time or reoccurring support to our country operations. The exact remit of a deployment is unique to the time and circumstances of the deployment but are likely to include standard activities such risk assessments, evacuation, relocation and hibernation planning, trainings, incident or crisis management support or trainings related to safety and security. S/he is expected to document their work(s) well and in some cases, draft components of documentation used for the Security Management Plan (SMP) of the country. In most cases, a consultant will report directly to the Country Director or the Regional Security Advisor. Mercy Corps uses a community-acceptance strategy to safety and security and does not carry or employ weapons.

Purpose / Project Description:

Mercy Corps’ Safety and Security department is seeking to refresh its list of consultants who will conduct bespoke deployments to our country programs across the globe. Consultants will be interviewed to ensure a mutually-shared vision and approach to security management and general compatibility in addition to technical expertise. It is anticipated that consultants would be approached and asked to deploy on case-by-case basis. (there is no compulsory obligation to deploy) Each deployment would include a unique negotiated contract and scope of work. Mercy Corps encourages female candidates to apply for this position.

Consultant Objectives:

Meet or exceed Global Security’s goal to implement a security management plan that is a) adequate for the risks in the environment and Mercy Corps risk tolerance b) meets our Global Minimum Standards.

Anticipated & Typical Consultant Activities (when deployed):

• Engage and understand Mercy Corps security management planning, our risk mitigation approach, emergency response, crisis response and programs in the select locations.
• Assistance and ability to lead/advise during incident response during incident/crisis management situations.
• Conduct an audit or independent evaluations of current safety and security operations
• Support the start-up of new program areas with activity-specific security planning.
• Assess planning and response to natural disaster events and contingency plans.
• Conduct, or support current country security team, to complete site assessments on buildings, vehicles or other assets & infrastructure used by Mercy Corps operations.
• Conduct field visit to sub-offices or locations to complete:
  • Assessments of the location, routes and also anticipated program activities
  • A Review of safety and security procedures
  • Orientations on safety and security to staff in cooperation with the local security staff
  • Review and address the safety and security needs and challenges identified by the Head of Office.
• Support in review of Safety and Security Management Plan and Standard Operating Procedures. Work with the country security team to draft parts of these documents as required.
  • Ensure each unique context is assessed and included in the country security management plan.
• Assess and support strategies which emphasize community acceptance.
• Work with the security focal points so they are consistently able to:
  • Orient the country team on evolving and updated security plans and analysis.
  • Provide a professional security orientation to new hires and visitors
  • Confidently submit risk assessments and context analysis based on dynamic environments
  • Contribute to program design and ongoing support to our program team.
  • Coordinate and debrief with CD or Head of Office to ensure pressing security concerns are addressed.
  • Conduct trainings on security management skills including incident management & incident reporting; including an incident management exercise, Hibernation, Relocation, Evacuation.
  • Ability to operate and have a broad understanding of all dynamics, such as gender, culture, tribal, etc., in all operating environments. Ability to incorporate this thinking into our security management framework.

Timeframe / Schedule:

September 2022 – 2024

The Consultant will report to:

Senior Director, Global Security is the default line manager but this may change for individual deployments.

The Consultant will work closely with:

Regional Security Advisors, Country Directors, Country Senior Management Team, Country Risk Management Team, Program team, desk officers.

Required Experience & Skills:

• 7-10 years of experience working in challenging safety and security environments.
• Knowledge and experience working with NGOs and implementing a community acceptance security management practice.
• Mature and with management experience. We are seeking someone who can work with leadership in our country programs with knowledge of the Program Management process.
• Strong training skills.
• First aid trained is required. A licensed first aid trainer or licensed paramedic license is desired.
• Written and spoken English is required. French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian languages are desired.
  • Please include the details of your language skills in your application
• Ability to travel globally.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.