Safety and security consultant

Background

Vibrant, diverse, and robust civil societies are essential to achieving peace, human rights, and environmental justice. But most of the world lives in countries with threatened civic spaces and global freedom continues to decline year on year.

Courageous people and communities around the world are fighting to make rights and justice universally possible within this context. But they face attacks, harassment, and censorship from powerful vested interests. Many pay the ultimate price.

Open Briefing is a vital part of the response. We provide holistic security support and resources to empower people and communities to agitate and advocate without fear of attacks and reprisals. We also provide consultancy and retained support to help high-impact nonprofits and foundations understand and meet their risk management and duty of care commitments to staff and local partners.

Last year, our international teams of protection specialists, digital security trainers, and counsellors and psychologists answered over 300 calls for assistance and provided over 6,000 hours of direct support to civil society organisations and activists under threat in 41 countries.

We are experiencing a surge in the scope and scale of the demand for our holistic security support. This is where you come in.

Role description

The work is fascinating and varied. Those we support are high risk and high profile, and threatened by highly-capable adversaries, including state security forces, corrupt corporations, armed opposition groups, and organised crime gangs, including cartels.

1. Provide safety and security mentoring and remote accompaniment to high-risk defenders, communities, and CSOs, including high-profile activists, such as winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize and Right Livelihood Award.
2. Conduct risk assessments, produce security plans, and deliver trainings to our NGO and foundation clients working for rights, justice, and peace.

Person specification

Essential

• You will have at least three years professional experience in the protection of human rights defenders or in NGO security risk management with local partners working on rights and justice issues.
• You will have excellent technical knowledge and experience, and be confident in conducting security risk assessments, producing security plans, and delivering remote trainings.
• You will have a deep understanding of managing security risk with limited resources in violent environments and closed civic spaces.
• You will have experience in providing security advice to individuals at risk.
• You will be sensitive to the progressive and rights-based agendas and diverse profiles of our clients and beneficiaries.
• You will be an established consultant and not currently seeking full-time employment.
• You will have excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable

• You may have a strong understanding of the digital security and psychosocial aspects of holistic security and how they interact with physical security.
• You may have excellent written and spoken French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic.

Terms and remuneration

This is a remote, working-from-home consultancy role. We welcome applications from established consultants with a range of backgrounds, experiences, and profiles, and from anywhere in the world. The hours can vary from month to month, depending on demand and your availability; however, we are seeking applications from consultants wanting to be part of our team and to build long-term and valued working relationships with us and our clients. As such, this role will not suit those between jobs or searching for full-time employment.

We recognise that as well as being hugely rewarding, the work can also be challenging. So, you will be properly onboarded, continually supported by experienced managers and co-workers, and receive ongoing technical support and mentoring. Our consultants work remotely, from wherever they want to, but the role may require occasional travel, including to high-risk contexts by mutual agreement.

You will receive £52.50 an hour (equivalent to £420 a day), a package of mental health and psychosocial support, and access to motivated colleagues working on the frontlines of risk.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Open Briefing values diversity. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all can be their authentic selves. We encourage applications from all who meet the person specification.

Please read our diversity, equity, and inclusion policy for more information. Our ethical and environmental policies are also available.

We will make reasonable adjustments for disabled and neurodivergent people during the recruitment process and any subsequent contract. Please let us know in your application how we might support you best.

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