Fresh Openings at International Alert

Role duties and responsibilities:

Security

• Provide expert advice to Alert staff about security plan development, incident response and security analysis.
• Provide leadership to country team security focal points and senior management to develop and review security plans and procedures, including contingency and crisis response plans, serious incident management, standard operating procedures and emergency communications.
• Support staff to integrate security considerations into project planning and implementation.
• Lead a network of security focal points across Alert, providing opportunities for information and experience sharing.
• Lead on the organisation's crisis preparedness and incident response processes, including the development of emergency response plans and conducting drills or simulations. Ensure each team has a business continuity plan, and update plans for the UK and Netherlands teams.
• Provide expert advice to country teams and senior Directors in the event of a security incident. Provide advice to and coordination between those involved in managing the response.
• Play a key role in Alert’s Crisis Management Group, in coordination with the Executive Director, DGD and Regional Directors, providing advice, coordination and action.
• Report serious security incidents and review our incident and crisis responses.
• Develop and test organisational emergency communication procedures, including supporting teams to develop and test phone trees.
• Coordinate and where appropriate deliver training on security issues to Alert staff, consultants, trustees and partners, including ensuring provision of Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) to staff located in, and travelling to, high risk environments.
• Monitor the reporting and data gathering of security incidents and generate analysis/reports on security trends, responses and vulnerabilities and any relevant lessons learned from security and safety incidents.
• Lead on Alert’s organisational security policy, refreshing it periodically (and at least every two years) as agreed with the Director of Global Delivery (DGD).
• Collaborate with the Head of People to ensure provision of post-incident personnel well-being support.

Safeguarding

• Stay abreast of donor and legal safeguarding requirements and sector standards, and provide guidance to the organisation to maintain compliance.
• Provide expert advice Alert staff to develop, implement and review safeguarding procedures, including on project and event safeguarding risk assessments.
• Lead the network of safeguarding focal points across Alert, to provide training, share experience and information.
• Develop and deliver or signpost staff and trustees to basic safeguarding training.
• Provide expertise advice on how to investigate a safeguarding report, decide on actions, support survivors and report. Lead safeguarding investigations where agreed with DGD.
• Lead reporting of safeguarding incidents to the Executive Team, Board, Charity Commission and, with Director of Resource Development, to core donors.
• Work with the Head of People to ensure that safeguarding considerations are integrated into recruitment, onboarding and performance management processes.
• Support trustees to carry out their safeguarding governance responsibilities, through training, regular reporting and support in the event of an investigation.

Safety

• Ensure Alert complies with UK and Netherlands’ Health & Safety legislation, Fire Safety Regulations and other statutory requirements. Maintain necessary records.
• Lead the development, implementation and review office of health and safety procedures for the UK and Netherlands. Provide expertise advice to country teams to develop health and safety procedures in their offices.
• Ensure fire drills are held in all offices, that fire and security alarms are maintained and tested, and maintain records.

Other tasks

• Prepare and present reports to senior management, including the Executive Team and the Board of Trustees, on controls and compliance activities, findings, and recommendations.
• Contribute to Global Delivery and wider Alert learning and experience sharing.
• Undertake any other task reasonably requested by the Director of Global Delivery.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Proven experience in global security or safeguarding management, preferably in a multinational organisation or a high-risk environment.
• Strong understanding of security risk assessment and security management principles, crisis management and emergency response protocols.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding principles, international standards, and best practices in preventing and responding to abuse, exploitation, and harm.
• Experience providing safeguarding and/or security advice, support and coordination.
• Familiarity with safeguarding considerations in areas such as child protection, gender-based violence, and vulnerable populations.
• Experience working in fragile or conflict-affected contexts.
• Experience of managing security incidents.
• Experience conducting safeguarding risk assessments, investigations, and managing confidential and sensitive information.
• Experience designing and delivering basic security, safeguarding or safety training.
• Experience writing and implementing organisational policies.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to engage with staff at all levels, partners and trustees, in diverse cultural environment, in a trauma-sensitive manner.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess complex situations and make informed decisions.
• Clear and concise writing style, including ability to simplify and explain technical issues.
• Ability to multi-task and work under pressure.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Existing long-term right to work in one of Alert’s countries of operation (DRC, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan,Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tunisia, UK,Ukraine).

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​Role duties and responsibilities:

Controls and audits

• Act as a focal point for controls expertise within the organisation, providing advice and practical support for country programmes and HQ teams.
• Working with the Head of Finance and Director of Global Delivery (DGD), identify potential areas of weak controls, advise on and support implementation of corrective action plans and provide guidance on how to avoid similar situations in the future.
• Develop an annual internal audit plan, based on key risks and an assessment of audit needs, and agree it with the Head of Finance, Director of Global Delivery and the Risk and Audit Committee.
• Oversee implementation of the internal audit plan, through deploying staff teams, procuring external auditors or undertaking the audit themselves. Prepare reports and follow up on recommendations.
• Maintain a log of project and statutory audit findings, follow up and track implementation.

Statutory and donor requirements

• Act as a focal point within Alert for information and expertise about anti-bribery, dishonest practices and data protection including GDPR, to ensure we meet donor and statutory requirements.
• Maintain a detailed, up-to-date understanding of statutory and key donor requirements, policies and procedures, ensuring that current and future obligations are shared and understood across the organisation.
• Monitor compliance with donor and statutory requirements across the organisation, throughout the project cycle.
• Coordinate the collation of information necessary to comply with control and compliance requirements at the institutional level.
• Provide advice and practical support to country and HQ teams responding to and carrying out project-specific due diligence processes, including supporting partner due diligence processes.

Learning and process improvement

• Develop and implement, in collaboration with the DGD, Heads of Finance and HR, basic training on controls and compliance issues.
• Coordinate the identification and sharing of best practice in controls and compliance, supporting country offices to benefit from each other's learning and experience.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures for controls and compliance within Alert, through liaison across teams, in consultation with the DGD, and ensure that they are understood and observed throughout Alert.
• Support development of efficient and user-friendly tools and processes to track and meet control and compliance requirements across the organisation, including when subcontracting and working with partners.

Investigations

• In consultation with the DGD, lead, oversea or assist with investigations of whistleblowing, fraud, safeguarding and other confidential complaints or allegations of misconduct.
• Conduct interviews, gather evidence, and prepare reports on investigation findings, including recommendations of appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
• Provide guidance and support to country teams investigating concerns (including whistleblowing, fraud, safeguarding and other complaints).
• Maintain Alert’s log of serious incidents and prepare reporting to the XT, Risk and Audit Committee and Board of Trustees. Support with reporting to core donors.
• Support serious incident reporting and other engagement with the Charities Commission.

Risk management and reporting

• Coordinate bi-annual organisational risk assessment updates, supporting Alert teams to undertake their own risk assessments, and consolidate as the organisational risk matrix for reporting to the Executive Team and the Board of trustees.
• Prepare and present reports to senior management, including the Executive Team and the Board of Trustees, on controls and compliance activities, findings, and recommendations.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Experience working in either a controls or project management role in an INGO.
• Good understanding of internal controls and audit principles and methods.
• Up-to-date knowledge of contractual terms and conditions.
• Experience undertaking audits or confidential, sensitive investigations.
• Experience building effective, trusting relationships at all levels of an organisation, to influence staff in relation to implementation of effective controls
• Experience communicating complex information in an accessible way
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to engage with staff at all levels, partners and trustees.
• Clear and concise writing style, including ability to simplify and explain complex or sensitive issues to a wide variety of audiences.
• Ability to handle several high priorities at once and work under pressure.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Existing long-term right to work in one of Alert’s countries of operation (DRC, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan,
• Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tunisia, UK,Ukraine)