Liaison and Safety Officer at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since December 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. In mid-2014 Mercy Corps has decided to address the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities by in the northeast Nigeria and started its humanitarian program.
• With funding from humanitarian donors including OFDA, FFP, EU and ECHO the humanitarian program has been focusing on food assistance, non-food items distribution, protection, livelihoods support, WASH and capacity building of humanitarian response actors.
• All Mercy Corps interventions in Nigeria are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.

General Position Summary

• Reporting to the Country Safety & Security Manager (CSSM), the Liaison & Safety Officer will be responsible for the security analysis and strategic planning support required by the team within the geographical locale in which operations are situated.
• The Liaison & Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring security protocols are in place at the responsible field sites, maintaining security information networks and assisting all the responsible personnel in operational, programming security and liaison activities.
• The post-holder will likewise be responsible for outreach and coordination to local NGO networks, as required, to support coordinated engagement work within the relevant geographical locale.

Essential Job Functions
Security Analysis & Operational Security:

• Work with the Country Safety & Security Manager, Field Managers, Team Leader and field teams to monitor the security environment in the designated areas of Nigeria, with particular focus in the program areas of operations.
• Stay informed (through media, social media, contacts, etc.) about the safety and security situation in Central & Northern Borno on daily basis.
• Liaise with security counterparts in other parts of the state and the country in order to understand how security situations in other areas affect
• Verify acquired information through secondary sources.
• Maintain regular contact with field teams about the safety and security situation in their area
• Produce advisories (longer term), incident reports, security updates and other work products as directed for CSSM review and dissemination to staff
• Produce immediate security advisories to be put out on various security channels in order to ensure staff safety
• Review staff movement to the field and give advice in order to mitigate risks as necessary. Produce road assessments, etc. for dissemination to staff
• In conjunction with the CSSM prepare and deliver relevant security trainings for relevant staff (i.e. guards, drivers, program staff, etc.)
• Vehicle & Staff Tracking: Track vehicle movements where and when required until the safe, arrival
• to destination. Give advice regarding road movement as needed prior to movement (i.e. identifying safe areas, sharing road assessment, etc.
• Provide initial analysis of relevant security development and communicate them to the CSSM
• Update Local Area Security Plans, Contingency Plans, Security Bulletin Boards and other documents on at least a quarterly basis or as directed by the CSSM. Ensure plans are shared with and disseminated to relevant staff.
• Reporting:
  • Daily Risk Ratings per location
  • Monthly Go / No-Go for key roads and districts
  • Incident Reports and Incident Log – always up to date (provide incident analysis for CSSM review)
  • Risk Assessment – quarterly minimum
  • Flash Reports – immediate dissemination of critical incidents in our area of work
• Prepare weekly security brief and share with all staff in the meetings
• Be readily available at all times to the applicable field teams to give feedback on relevant security developments
• Alongside the relevant operational focal people, ensure that relevant staff members have and are able to use this equipment, including radios, satellite phones, fire extinguishers, etc through regular training and orientations for new staffs.
• Alongside with the relevant operational focal people, conduct comprehensive security/risk assessment in potential new program/field sites in Northern & Central Borno and elsewhere as directed by the CSSM.
• Work with the relevant program and operational focal people as well as the Team Leader, on community acceptance messaging and other operational strategies in the area of operations in Northern & Central Borno and other locations as directed.
• Gain movement clearances through INSO as required.

Liaison Activities:

• Stay abreast of political developments and humanitarian trends in Nigeria, with an emphasis on the humanitarian crisis in the NE, informing the CSSM.
• Ensuring sufficient capacity and knowledge to support policy analysis and strategic planning around the humanitarian architecture and operational issues.
• Collaborate with the Operations Manager, Team Leader and CSSM to act as official representative at meetings with external engagement targets.
• Identify and liaise with external partners
• Develop a calendar of upcoming lobby opportunities to be tapped into.
• Liaise with leads from relevant international coordination structures
• Engage with peace building and resilience working groups, through calling for meetings, drafting action-oriented meeting notes, support in sourcing for presenters and developing agenda for the meetings.
• Ensure collaboration with the OCHA-chaired Humanitarian Communications Working Group.

Other:

• Carries out other duties as assigned.
• The Operations Officer will conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
• to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Accountability:

• Supervisory Responsibility: None
• Reports Directly To: Country Safety & Security Manager
• Works Directly With: Country Safety and Security Manager, Deputy Safety and Security Manager, Liaison & Safety Officers, Field Managers, Operations Manager, Team Leader, Program Managers, Field Teams.

Knowledge and Experience

• Advanced university degree in related field.
• 5 years of security management experience is desired. At least 03 years of security management experience with an INGO in NE is a must.
• Relevant work experience in policy analysis, influence, strategic planning, communications, research, media, data gathering and/or information management
• Demonstrated capacity to develop and implement strategies with clear theories of change
• Excellent writing, editing and analytical skills and ability to formulate well-targeted strategic documents
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced and often demanding environment
• Fluency in English required, with demonstrated writing skills
• Computer literacy in using Microsoft Office and email/internet.
• Demonstrated understanding of complex emergencies, related security concerns, and appropriate responses to such emergencies. Good context analysis skills.
• Excellent negotiation and representation skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment.
• Effective skills in coordination, organization and prioritization as well as in Microsoft Office applications.
• Demonstrated attentions to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work cooperatively with team members.
• Experience living and working in Nigeria, and experience in the Northeast preferred.
• Knowledge of Mercy Corps systems and procedures highly desirable.
• English proficiency required; excellent written and oral skills.
• Ability to speak Hausa or Kanuri and any other North East local languages (desired but not essential)

Success Factors:

• Critical to this job is the ability to carry out liaison & networking activities, think critically, keep abreast of security situations within volatile terrains, work out methods to deliver successful programs, be able to comply with Mercy Corps and donor regulations while maintaining strong cooperative relationships with other departments.
• The successful candidate will have the ability to interact effectively with national and international staff members and demonstrate ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and provide relevant advice and support in a fluid security environment.
• The candidate will also have to be able to demonstrate a high degree of professionalism and must be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense environment.
• Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.