Operations Director - Security and Risk at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

• IPA seeks a Director – Security and Risk to provide strengthening and support to the safety and security, safeguarding and risk management of its global network of Country Offices. The Director, in close collaboration with the Global/ Regional Programs team, will focus on supporting IPA’s safety and security and safeguarding, travel and risk management standards globally and across country offices. The position will, in addition, provide additional capacity in operations should crises within existing or new country expansion need extra high-level support for a concentrated period. They will work under the direction and guidance of the Chief Global Program Officer and will work in close collaboration with the Operations Director – Systems and Procurement and the Regional Directors in support of IPA Country Offices. The Global Operations Director will also coordinate support and assistance with the key Global Functional Teams led by the Chief Finance Officer, Chief People Officer, General Counsel, Director of Technology, and others as required.

Responsibilities
SAFETY AND SECURITY

• Oversees, trains and mentors the safety and security team
• Oversees safety and security analysis, planning and management including the implementation and regular update of Global Safety and Security Policy and Procedures and Country Offices SOPs.
• Coordinates the incident reporting process across all global teams and country offices
• Leads crisis management response in case of safety, security and health-related emergencies.
• Coordinates sub-regional safety and security assessments and works with Country Office leadership to analyze safety and security risks and improve procedures.
• Provides regular S&S analysis and information to SMT
• Spearheads the Safety and Security Community of Practice to ensure a common understanding and application of IPA’s S&S policies and procedures across all COs.

SAFEGUARDING

• In collaboration with the HR Department, oversee the implementation and regular update of IPA’s Safeguarding Policy and Anti-trafficking Policy, incl. ensuring that relevant projects have up-to-date compliance plans.
• Promote safe programming concepts in all of IPA’s projects by ensuring that safeguarding risk assessments are conducted.
• Spearheaded capacity developments efforts, training, coaching on safeguarding matters for Country Office leadership.
• Leading the review of safeguarding incidents and concerns with program teams and consolidating lessons learned to improve program quality

INTERNAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

• In collaboration with the relevant Functional Teams and Country Office leadership, participates in the development, improvement, roll-out, and implementation of global operations and administrative policies and procedures (including but not limited to safety and security, safeguarding, travel, risk management) at Country Office level, including global and Country Office-specific SOPs.
• Participates in cross-team initiatives to improve our safety and security, travel and risk management processes
• Fields and responds to operations-related questions and ad hoc requests related to S&S, safeguarding, travel, risk management, environmental performance.
• Collaborates with the Global Learning & Development Specialist to identify training needs of country office operations staff and to develop training materials to address these needs
• Actively promotes collaboration across country offices, seeking opportunities for similar offices or offices with similar issues to share experiences.

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Define and keep updated, in collaboration with Country Office and Regional leadership and in coordination with the Legal Department, a compliance tracker at the Country Office level to provide a clear overview of the Offices’ compliance status with local laws and regulations and global policies.
• Lead the development and management of the country risk registers at the project and Country office level
• Support, in collaboration with the Regional Directors and the Country Directors, the implementation of project and country-level risk registers, and assist Global Teams on risk management in general.
• Provide operational support in country, country visits, emergency deployments, surge needs for start-ups or gap filling.
• Assist in country-level audit planning and follow-up that can include reviews of country office operations departments, drafting and reviews of operational improvement plans, compliance sturdiness of country offices, audit readiness, internal audit interface.

TRAVEL

• Regularly updates the IPA travel and environmental policy and works with country offices to update the related SOPs
• Oversees the relationship with IPA’s travel agency and ensures dissemination and compliance with IPA’s travel policy.
• Provides day to day support and guidance to IPA staff travelling
• Provide statistics about travel volume and works with the travel agency to offset emissions in accordance to IPA’s policy
• Coordinate the provision of data, on a yearly basis, for the environmental management report

Qualifications
Required

• Minimum of 7 years relevant experience with a minimum of 3 years of extensive management experience, preferably in an international NGO.
• Extensive safety and security experience in a development organization; previous experience working on safety and security in fragile contexts is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating the logistics and/or travel function in an international company
• Previous experience in risk management including the definition of risk registers and business continuity plans
• Experience of working with non-for-profit organizations in a developing country is required.
• Excellent management, project management, leadership and organizational skills and ability to work independently.
• Fluent English, written and spoken. Ability to fluently communicate in Spanish or French is an advantage.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in development or security related discipline; Masters’ Degree an added advantage
• Advanced training or certification in safety and security preferred .
• Strong communication and representational skills
• Sensitivity to working in a culturally diverse organization and regions.
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player.