Regional Safety & Access Advisor for Anglophone Africa

CORDAID

Cordaid works to end poverty and exclusion. We do this in the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected areas. We engage communities to rebuild trust and resilience and increase people’s self-reliance. Where poverty, conflict and exclusion divide societies, we connect people and communities. Cordaid is one of the leading Civil Society Organizations in the Netherlands, working in fragile contexts on Health, Resilience, Private Sector Development, Humanitarian Aid and Security & Justice. Cordaid has over 700 staff, working at Global Office in the Netherlands and in offices across the most fragile countries in the world. Within Cordaid we work on the basis of trust, accountability, cooperation and solution orientation. Cordaid recently merged with ICCO and thereby expanded its operations to more countries, themes and added over 300 additional staff.

Cordaid is looking for a Regional Safety & Access Advisor for Anglophone Africa

Position and responsibility

The position is an integral part of Cordaid’s security setup, in which safe implementation of programs is supported by Safety Focal Points (at field offices), National Safety Officers (at Country Offices), 3 Regional Safety Advisors (Middle East & Asia, Francophone Africa & Anglophone Africa) and 1 Global Safety Advisor (The Hague).

The Regional Safety & Access Advisor (RSA) will be hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and will advise and support Cordaid Country Directors within Anglophone Africa to enable safe access to people in need.
S(he) will spend 40% of his/her time in South Sudan, 40% in Ethiopia, 10% in Uganda and 10% in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and other Anglophone countries that Cordaid staff may travel to for work purposes. Upon hiring the RSA and Country Directors will develop a plan outlining the priorities in the countries served.
S(he) will travel frequently across the region, spending up to several weeks in the countries that are part of the portfolio. S/he will report to the Director of Cordaid’s Ethiopia Country Office with secondary reporting lines to the other Country Directors served, and work in close cooperation with the Global Safety Advisor (GSA) based in The Hague.

Specific objectives

• Leading the regular review of Country Safety Plans (CSP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Hibernation, Relocation & Evacuation Plans (HREP). Ensuring these are of high standards and approved by the Global Office Safety Committee, and implemented in practice.
• Support the National Safety Officer(s) to conduct Safety briefings to new staff, consultants, advisors, and visitors upon arrival, and ensure that Safety procedures are complied with accordingly.
• Support the National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s) to carry out annual Safety training needs assessments of staff and to provide staff training accordingly, keeping an overview of the security training status of all staff.
• Provide crisis management support on request, as part of the local response teams, including logging and analysis of lessons learned as well as helping local response team members to prepare for their role through regular training and exercises.
• Ensure monitoring by National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s) of Safety updates from (I)NGO, UN and Embassy Safety offices, media updates, government Safety instructions and any relevant Safety related information, and that safety information is shared with relevant staff.
• Ensure that assigned National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s) work closely with the communities that are supported by Cordaid programmes. Ensure that Cordaid programmes develop effective mechanisms to prevent and resolve (potential) conflicts that may lead to safety risks for Cordaid staff. Ensure that assigned National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s) prevent incidents through “community acceptance” and resolve incidents through “community engagement”.
• Support National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s) to undertake pre-travel checks for Cordaid staff (expat or national) moving in high risk context, and ensure security clearance is provided before movement.
• Support National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s) in the monitoring of field movements, including the tracking of vehicles and staff (if required). **
• Support regular Safety and risk assessments by National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s) for all operational areas, and especially for new programming.
• Support the National Safety Officers to be involved in the budgeting process for new programs and Country Office budgets, to ensure the risks identified are reflected in the budget assigned for security.
• Support National Safety Officers to meet field communications needs and that staff are trained in the use of satellite phones (where relevant) and other communications equipment.
• Supporting the National Safety Officer(s) to safeguard Cordaid premises in accordance with INGO best practices and in line with the contextual needs.
• Undertake other duties assigned by the primary supervisor and on request of the Global Security Advisor. The RSA may be asked to cover for the national Safety officers while on leave.

Qualifications

• University degree in a field relevant to Safety management in a conflict context or work experience that equals this.
• At least 5 years of proven field experience in tackling complex Safety issues in fragile states and environments, including in Anglophone Africa.
• Practical experience working in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and East Africa.
• Strong experience as a trainer, with an effective & participatory adult learner training style and the ability to develop, implement, facilitate and impart learning to staff with diverse backgrounds.
• Strong experience as a policy writer, able to produce clear & concise texts of high standards and in limited time.
• Knowledge of the humanitarian and development sector, including of NGO organizational culture.
• A strong understanding of humanitarian principles and humanitarian access.
• Knowledge of, and ability to train others in, communications technology, including VHF, HF radio and satellite communications.
• Able to coach and mentor colleagues, to build teams and coordinate team work with National Safety Officer(s)/Safety Focal Point(s), Local Response Teams (LRTs) in the countries served and the GSA based in The Hague.
• Self-motivated and able to work effectively without close supervision. Diplomatic and persistent when faced with aversion.
• Willingness to travel frequently between the countries served, sometimes on short notice, for longer periods, and to remote locations.
• Experience in incident and crisis management.
• Flexible and capable of remaining balanced while working in a stressful context.
• Good oral and written communication skills in English.

Specifics of station

The position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 60% travel to the operational areas. This is an accompanied posting.

Contract information

The contract period is for one year starting as soon as possible, with the intention to extend for a longer period. We offer a competitive, fair and comprehensive salary and benefits package that is justifiable to our donors. A Cordaid contract which includes R&R, a comprehensive insurance cover, social security and pension contribution, a holiday allowance, 13^th month, hardship allowance and cost of living allowance (if applicable).