Head of Access and Safety – Sudan

Employment terms

Job title: Head of Access and Safety

Location: Geneina, West Darfur, with travel within Darfur States, Port Sudan, Wad Medani (Sudan) and Ouddaï Province (Chad)

Duration: 6 months renewable, starting February 2024

Conditions : Salaried contract, monthly gross salary of €2 369 to €2884 €, monthly per diem of €600 , 100% medical coverage + repatriation insurance + provident insurance, accommodation, international and local transport for the duration of the assignment, break every 3 months. Non family duty station

TGH has chosen a simple and transparent remuneration policy, accessible on our website www.trianglegh.org. The salary levels advertised in our job offers are set within the framework of the salary scale and are non-negotiable.

More information at www.trianglegh.org under “Participate”.

TGH background

“A player in sustainable, shared solidarity”.

Founded in 1994, TGH is a French association for international solidarity based in Lyon. It designs and implements emergency, rehabilitation and development programmes in the fields of water, hygiene and sanitation, food security and rural development, socio-education and psychosocial support. TGH is currently active in 10 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Presentation of the mission

TGH has a long-standing presence in Sudan: first implementing a multi-sectoral program targeting displaced people and host communities in Geneina (West Darfur) in 2004, it soon extended its presence to Central Darfur (Bindizi and Um Dukhun in 2005 and 2006 respectively). Since then, TGH has maintained a continuous presence in both states, despite an increasingly complex context. TGH has also intervened for shorter periods in Khartoum (2004-2005), Gedaref State (2012) and South Kordofan (from 2020 to August 2022).

In Sudan, TGH has more than 50 national staff in the field, and is recruiting more, based in the NGO’s offices in Golo, Um Dukhun, Geneina, Port Sudan and Medani. It will have approximately 10 expats (based in Chad & Sudan depending on Sudan visa availability).

This extensive presence enables us to understand the context and continuously monitor the evolution of humanitarian needs and identify priorities for action. Mobile and coordination staff complete the team. They were based in Khartoum before the war and are now in Port Sudan and Chad.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, TGH has developed multi-sectoral projects in consortium with other international NGOs to meet the needs of crisis-affected populations in Darfur, Khartoum and Jazeera states.

Due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, the complex context and the scaling up of TGH activities in response to the humanitarian crisis, there is a need to strengthen the mission’s safety/security management planning and procedures and to invest in developing a safety/security culture within the mission’s staff (expat and nationals).

Job description

Under the supervision of the Country Director, the main responsibilities of the Head of Access and Safety are as follows:

• Advise and support the Country Director to define and develop the safety/security strategy of the mission and relevant SOPs and contingency planning.
• Ensure that adequate structures and systems for safety of TGH staff are in place and are respected, and that the strategy of the mission is implemented fully.
• Ensure capacity building and technical support to staff who are responsible for safety of colleagues in the field, and in particular train and mentor a national staff Access & Safety Manager
• Provide strategic and operational advice to mission management, field coordinators and program teams on humanitarian access, staff safety and risk management.

The Head of Access and Safety is expected to visit all offices on a regular basis in order to develop better knowledge of the context in each of TGH’s areas of operation, review relevant processes and procedures, and work with managers to make improvements for the safety of staff.

The Head of Access and Safety will focus primarily on the Sudan context/s but will provide support for TGH staff in Chad working on cross-border activities for Sudan humanitarian activities.

STAFF SAFETY POLICIES & STRATEGIES

• Under the supervision of the Country Director, lead the development and updating of the mission’s staff safety strategy, planning and procedures, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), contingency plans, and guidelines for all TGH personnel, premises and operations in Sudan as well as Chad cross-border activities
• Ensure that minimum safety and security standards, consistent with TGH standards, are in place including SOPs for premises, travel management, safety equipment and training, contingency supplies, documentation, reporting, communications and more
• Review the mission’s existing template documents relevant to staff safety and the protection of premises (building and road assessments, risk analyses, context and incident reporting, inductions and briefings, etc), and revise and upgrade them as necessary
• Make strategic recommendations to the Country Director and other senior management relevant to staff safety, including designation of areas to be monitored or not monitored, risk assessment and TGH posture, operational security risks and appropriate mitigation measures
• Provide advice on relevant staffing in the field bases, budgeting of personnel and other costs, etc.

HUMANITARIAN ACCESS AND SAFETY CONTEXT ANALYSIS

• Stay well informed of political, security, humanitarian and economic developments which may have implications for staff safety and the protection of TGH assets
• Collect, analyse and report data on access or safety incidents on a regular basis, and translate this into actionable recommendations to improve humanitarian access and make staff safer
• Provide the Country Director, other senior management, field coordinators and program team with timely and credible information and contextual analysis on relevant issues, including regular updates on specific contexts (Khartoum, Darfur, etc)
• Provide input to integrate access, conflict and displacement analysis and trends into planning, forecasting and programmatic thinking within Sudan and around the Sudan-Chad border.

OPERATIONAL SAFETY AND SECURITY

• Conduct regular visits to TGH areas of operation to meet with field team members, analyse the operational context, and assess practices and processes related to the team’s safety capabilities
• Work with teams to ensure TGH’s minimum safety and security standards are well understood and met; build awareness and commitment to a “safety culture” among the teams in their daily work
• Work closely with the operational teams to schedule and prioritize support requests, such as for the opening of new project areas or activities
• Lead and participate in field assessments and other staff safety processes, and provide operational guidance on the conducting of activities in a safe manner.

COMMUNICATION & DOCUMENTATION

• Ensure a comprehensive of system of security briefings for all new staff in the field at coordination level; personally deliver safety briefings to new expatriates and senior management members in particular
• Inform international and national staff about any changes made to procedures, or contextual changes which may pose elevated risks, in order to promote a safer environment
• Conduct or supervise pre-deployment trainings/briefings to field team members going to new areas of operations or other situations of heightened risk
• Review existing relevant communication and coordination mechanisms for the operational bases and provide recommendations to improve the flow of information
• Facilitate the set-up of clear communication channels within the mission related to staff safety and protection of assets, including for incident reporting, and the maintenance of communication trees at different levels (state, locality, etc)
• Ensure that safety incidents and access obstructions or constraints are reported promptly internally by field staff and managers, and that serious incidents/issues are brought to the attention of the Country Director
• Represent TGH in inter-agency safety coordination meetings, under the direction of the Country Director
• Effectively represent, promote and protect TGH’s mandate of independence, impartiality and neutrality.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT & CAPACITY BUILDING

• Participate in recruitment of an Access & Safety Manager (national staff) and train and mentor this individual to gradually take over the tasks of the expatriate HO Access & Safety
• Provide training, coaching and technical support to other mission safety focal points; develop and implement capacity-building plans for all key staff
• Identify training needs and develop and facilitate (internal or external) trainings for selected mission staff, including field coordinators, program staff, watchmen and drivers (defensive driving, safety SOPs, HEAT, first aid, etc.)
• Build staff awareness of movements’ procedures and other fundamental security-related SOPs
• Develop and refine tools used by TGH related to humanitarian access and staff safety.

INCIDENT & CRISIS MANAGEMENT

• Act as the main focal point for response to critical incidents and crises; provide any urgently-needed advice and guidance to staff involved in incidents
• Ensure that incidents are reported promptly to the Country Director
• Support and advise the Country Director on incident and crisis management and in coordination with other parties (governmental or non-governmental) as directed
• Participate in TGH critical incident management teams
• Prepare and follow up on incidents reports and investigations into security incidents and events affecting TGH staff and offices; prepare or supervise the preparation of incident reports to be sent to the Country Director
• Review and analyse incidents and contextual changes to make recommendations on revisions to SOPs or contingency planning according.

Safety, working and living conditions

Working conditions in Geneina today present risks that are known and controlled by TGH and other international NGOs operating in Darfur. The incumbent will be accommodated by TGH (guesthouse with basic standards, cold water, and electricity). Telephone network and internet coverage are limited. Social life is limited for security reasons. The position involves travel to other locations within Sunday with similar living conditions.

The Head of Access and Safety will strictly follow TGH Security Plan depending on the place of assignment. TGH will monitor the security situation on a weekly basis and will take decisions on accommodation and working conditions consequently. As the context is unpredictable, TGH will take all the necessary precautions to ensure the safety and decent working and living conditions without putting the team at risk.

The person assigned should be adaptable and ready to move if the context evolve.

Profile

• In-depth practical and theoretical understanding of risk management and risk assessment processes.
• At least 3 years’ experience of NGO work in high-risk areas, including fragile and conflict-affected states
• Fluency in written and spoken English; French language skills are a significant asset, as is Arabic
• Experience in capacity building, especially developing and delivering safety training and workshops
• Experience in developing and implementing SOPs, contingency plans and other safety documents.
• Experience in critical incident or crisis management.
• Previous experience in Sudan and/or Chad is an asset.
• Ability to network and build relationships under difficult conditions.
• Communicate clearly and effectively.
• Proven writing and analytical skills.
• Good information technology skills (MS Office and preferably specific relevant hardware and software tools (mapping, communications, etc.)
• Highly developed interpersonal, collaboration and communication skills, including influencing, negotiating and mentoring.
• Willingness to work and travel frequently in often challenging and insecure environments.
• Formal training is a plus (HEAT, K&R, personal safety, first aid, etc.).