Safety Advisor at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Locations: Maiduguri, Borno

The Position

• The Country Safety Advisor (CSA) will manage all aspects of the DRC Safety Risk Management (SRM) system in all of Nigeria, for both DRC and DDG programmes. 
• The CSA, in consultation with local safety staff and programme manager, under the technical supervision of Regional Safety Advisor and under the direct line management of the Country Director is expected to pursue the following objectives and duties in his/her daily work: 

Overall objectives 

• Manage the development and implementation of the Danish Refugee Council’s (DRC’s) Safety Risk Management System (SRMS)
• Ensure compliance with DRC safety policy as stated in Chapters 19 & 20 of the DRC Operations Handbook
• Supervise and mentor the Local Safety Officers (LSOs) in Yola and Mubi and the Safety Focal Point (SFP) in Abuja
• Develop policies and procedure, in coordination with project staff, for the safe delivery of program activities  

Responsibilities

• Risk Analysis
• Conduct regular Safety Risk Assessments (SRA) for each programme area pursuant to DRC Safety Policy
• Provide quality control for SRAs
• Safety Improvement Plans
• Based on the SRA, advise programmes on achievable and cost-effective mitigation measures through the development of contextualized Safety Improvement Plans
• Supervise and monitor the progress of Safety Improvement Plans
• Minimum Operating Safety Standards (MOSS)
• Ensure Nigeria is compliant with the DRC global MOSS
• Based on the SRA, advise programmes on context specific MOSS requirements
• Monitor programme compliance with MOSS
• Local Safety Rules (LSR)
• Based on the SRA and MOSS, ensure all areas have updated LSR
• Ensure all staff are provided with a copy of the LSR and are briefed on their responsibilities
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Ensure each programme area has appropriate SOPs developed and implemented
• Monitor compliance with SOPs
• Contingency Plans (CPs)
• Facilitate the development of context-specific contingency plans for each programme area
• Support Incident Management Teams (IMTs) with the implementation of contingency plans
• Conduct regular reviews with IMTs to ensure CPs are up to date, realistic and understood
• Capacity Building
• Conduct – or facilitate the delivery of – safety training for staff at all levels
• Ensure watchmen and guards are trained and aware of their responsibilities, in accordance with the SOPs governing access control
• Liaison
• Develop a network of contacts through other NGOs, UNDSS, Government agencies and other useful contacts
• Act as the primary representative for DRC Nigeria on safety matters
• Crisis and Critical Incident Management
• Act as the Country level coordinator for the Incident Management Team (IMT)
• Ensure IMT members are aware of their responsibilities
• Ensure IMT logs are maintained and updated as required
• Advise the IMT at country and area levels on safety related issues
• Act as the primary point of contact for safety related matters with the Regional Office and other local actors (UNDSS, etc)
• Conduct after action reviews of all critical incidents to facilitate organizational learning
• Information Management and Reporting
• Maintain detailed soft and hard copy files of all relevant safety documents
• Monitor the overall situation and provide regular situation reports
• Maintain an up-to-date incident tracking database
• Provide staff with relevant and concise safety related information and analysis, both through external and internal reports, publications, etc
• Coordinate the submission of Safety Incident Reports and ensure that all SIRs are completed within 48 hours of an incident occurring
• Conduct post-incident inquiries, if required, and monitor compliance with action points on SIRs
• Briefings
• Ensure an up-to-date visitor briefing package is provided to all visitors and international staff
• Conduct safety briefings for all visitors and international staff at the country level; at the field level, ensure that individual areas do the same
• Provide briefings on thematic and specific issues, as requested by the Country Director or Regional Safety Advisor (RSA) Field Travel
• Ensure compliance with the Field Travel SOP
• Assist with the planning of field travel, including briefing escorts if required
• Act as the focal point for issues related to armed escorts
• When required, manager and coordinate field travel 

Qualifications 

• Essential Requirements
• University degree or equivalent degree in relevant discipline
• Emergency First Aid qualification (within the last year)
• At least 3 years’ experience working with NGOs and/or other international agencies on similar position and/or with similar duties
• No less than 2 years’ experience in volatile contexts and conflict-ridden environments
• INGO Security Management Experience with a proven ability to develop and implement effective and contextualized protocols and systems
• Proven experience as a trainer/instructor and experience with delivering safety-related training and ability to train and convey information to non-safety personnel
• Management and/or supervisory experience within an NGO
• Strong initiative and self-motivated and, with a strong commitment to humanitarian principles and accountability practices
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment
• Proven ability to prioritize and cope with competing demands under tight deadlines
• Excellent communication skills, and fluent in written and spoken English
• Stable, moral and robust character, a good team-player, calm and a good sense of humour

Preferable Requirements :

• Previous exposure to HEAT is considered to be an advantageExperience working in the designated area of operations (Nigeria, West Africa)
• Training in safety, fire and evacuation procedures
• Training in safety and disaster management
• Fluent in written and spoken Housa  or notions of Housa
• Military/Police experience (those with officer-level or senior non-commissioned officer rank should apply)

All employees should master DRC's core competencies: 

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values 

We offer - Conditions

• Line Management: The SA will report to the DRC Country Director Nigeria. The SA has a technical compliance reporting line to the Regional Safety Advisor in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. 
• Duty Station: Maiduguri, Nigeria with up to 50% travel between DRC offices in Nigeria - Non-family duty station
• Contract: One-year contract length, renewable - Salary and other conditions in accordance with DRC’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates, which can be found on our website under Vacancies. This position is at employment category A12.