Regional Safety and Security Advisor (RSSA), Remote EARO and SARO at Catholic Relief

Background:

• Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

Job Summary:

• The Regional Health, Safety and Security Advisor provides operational –technical and tactical– safety and security solutions to the East Africa (EARO) and Southern Africa (SARO) Country Programs. The Advisor is responsible for coordination, support and where necessary facilitation of safety and security training initiatives and implementation of safety and security systems and policies. The Advisor will ensure effectiveness and efficiency in Country Program security documentation, operating procedures (SOPs), risk assessment processes and continuity of operations preparedness. The Advisor collaborates with relevant national and international security agencies and providers, through representation, relationship building, information sharing and advocacy. 

Job Responsibilities:

 Technical Assistance

• Provide technical support and coordination to EARO and SARO Country Programs to ensure that appropriate security systems and procedures are in place and are fully operational. 
• Advise senior regional and country program leadership in decisions affecting the health, safety, and security of CRS staff and partners.
• Provide international, regional and local security information and expertise, as well as technical input to all EARO-SARO CPs in the development and management of their Country Security Plans and other security risk management documents. 
• In close collaboration with the Deputy Regional Security Advisor and other Technical Advisors assist EARO-SARO CPs in aligning safety and security plans and systems with current and future program design. 
• Conduct initial security assessments before the opening of new CRS offices/programs and assignment of staff to a country and in case of office closures.
• Strengthen and drive the risk assessment process by carrying out regular threat and vulnerability assessments, adapting procedures accordingly and monitoring compliance, together with the CP Security Focal Points. 
• Provide guidance on security management procedures, policies and practices, including the management of incidents, to Security Focal Points. 
• Follow up on reported health, safety, and security incidents and close out incidents in the CRS reporting system. Support incident trend analysis and learning from incidents through periodic dashboards. 
• Stay up to date with international trends and developments, monitor open sources and cultivate different sources of information and analysis around safety and security trends in the region and share these with the Deputy Regional Safety and Security Advisor. 
• Monitor, review and adjust CRS’ staff tracking systems as necessary and monitor staff compliance. 
• Identify opportunities for interface with regional-level and country-level security committees, key contacts and staff from other agencies to support the update of FSPs. Carry out regular assessments to review and monitor compliance.
• Feed into and support CRS’ continuous process of improvement on safety and security risk management.

Organizational & Systems Implementation and Staff Capacity Strengthening

• Support the implementation of CRS’ health, safety and security risk management system in the regions. 
• Support Country Programs to roll out minimum standards, track and manage compliance.
• Assist and collaborate with CPs in defining roles and responsibilities for safety and security management. Optimizing organizational/departmental efficiency, performance, and accountability. 
• Support the facilitation of the regions’ community of practice for security focal points and other key staff to encourage learning and implementation of best practices in the area of health, safety, and security management. 
• Organize and facilitate incident and crisis management trainings and exercises.
• Liaise with other members of the CRS global safety and security community for additional sources of technical or training assistance, best practices, and learning.
• Act as the regions’ key point of contact for safety and security training requests
• Ensure compliance with CRS’s security training and learning policy 
• Implement agency wide trainings at the regional and country level, including those for drivers and guards. Guide the full regional roll-out of the (Advanced) Personal Security Training curriculum, both in person and virtually.
• Document and visualize (i.e., through periodic dashboards) dates and types of security training staff members have received and make recommendations on training needs. 
• Strengthen local training capacity and facilitate trainings as is needed.

Key Working Relationships: 

• Internal: Deputy Regional Advisor Safety and Security Risk Management, Deputy Regional Director(s), Regional Technical Advisors, Country Representatives, Heads of Operations, Heads of Programs, Security Focal Points, Global Safety and Security Unit and Humanitarian Response Department. 
• External: International and local partners, including local and US Catholic agencies, US Embassy RSOs within the region, contracted security service providers, security officers of other international and local NGOs operating in EARO and SARO.
• Supervises one Deputy Regional Safety and Security Advisor
• Language Required: Fluency in English required, Arabic and French strongly desired, Portuguese a plus.
• Travel: Approximately 50% of the time, primarily to/within the regions, and sometimes in remote areas with minimal amenities available. Often with short notice. 

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in security management, politics, international development, non-profit management, or related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years work experience in operational safety and security management with an international humanitarian organization, preferably at a regional or multi-country level. 

QUALIFICATIONS
Technical/Professional:

• Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in security and staff safety
• Experience working in delicate situations with partner organizations
• Knowledge of and working experience in the regions strongly preferred
• Strong cross-cultural skills
• Ability to train and convey information to non-security personnel
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiating skills
• Excellent writing skills and strong communicator
• Proficiency in MS Office
• Diplomatic, able to manage conflict and move groups toward consensus
• Good judgment and sound decision-making skills
• Excellent organization and planning skills, detail-oriented, ability to work on multiple task simultaneously
• Strong initiative and self-motivated, with a commitment to humanitarian principles
• Able to work without close supervision
• Quick learner, adaptable and creative

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Strong analytical and critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship
• Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences
• Ability to collaborate with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Preferred Qualifications 

• Demonstrated experience of successful security program support at regional level
• Experience engaging partners
• Ability to present and train different levels and compositions of staff and partners
• Formal technical training(s) in safety and security is a plus