Safety and Security Officer at Search For Common Ground’s International

Position Summary

Search Nigeria is looking for Safety and Security Officers for its operations in the Niger Delta covering Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States and also for its operations in the middle belt covering Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba States. These roles will report technically to the Country Safety & Security Manager. It involves maintaining, enhancing, and broadening principled humanitarian access to designated areas. The Safety and Security officers will support the Country Safety and Security Manager to develop and oversee the implementation of access and security management plans, ensuring alignment with Search’s strategy and adherence to humanitarian principles, Duty of Care, and Safeguarding principles. The post holders will provide professional advice to all Search areas of operation
specifically in the Middle Belt and the Niger Delta respectively, to identify changes and trends in the humanitarian access and security environment in the areas of operations and will ensure that adequate and up-to-date policies and procedures are in place and ensure people have the information they need to manage operations, to identify issues, and to recommend and implement measures to reduce them. The Safety and Security Officers will be based in Jos and Port Harcourt with frequent travels to the field in the Middle belt and Niger Delta respectively. S/he will report to the Country Safety and Security Manager and will work closely with Project Managers, as well as the logistics team in the various regions and other positions as required. .

Roles and Responsibilities

• Work closely with SSM to ensure security strategies for Search Nigeria and that responses are appropriate and aligned with regional and global priorities.
• Deliver oversight of security prevention, preparation, and response and recovery activities, particularly in areas of responsibility to counter threats emerging from changing political, social, and economic situations.
• Support the SSM in developing, reviewing and ensuring effective implementation of the Search Nigeria Security Management Plans, SOPs/Contingency Plans, including a security plan in assigned offices, together with key staff.
• Ensure that all safety and security management systems are in line with existing Search security policy, protocol and approach
• Implement and ensure effective monitoring of a personnel and vehicle tracking system in each office.
• Support the SSM in planning and implementing risk mitigation strategies (acceptance, deterrence, protection) to improve safety and security.
• Ensure that appropriate safety and security systems are in place to provide timely and accurate security information to all staff members and visitors.
• Provide crisis/Incident management support (evacuation and hibernation) as required.
• Be readily available at all times to the Project Manager and field staff to advise on security developments.
• Maintain an updated Search staff contact list and security notification tree and test the tree on a regular basis.
• Conduct regular site visits to field sites to assess safety/security arrangements.
• The SSOs will work closely with Search program staff to facilitate easy access to program location, conduct regular security risk assessment of Search program location and facilities.
• The SSOs will further assist the SSM in building up the capacity, awareness and preparedness of staff to deal with security-related risks, threats and incidents through the delivery of high quality, regular training or briefings to staff and Search visitors within the area of responsibility
• Supervise and liaise on a daily basis with the contracted guards to ensure the guard force is trained and aware of Search SOPs and are effectively enforcing the required regulations.

Analysis:

• Report, analyze and communicate current socio-political context and the security situation and the wider context (country, region, global trends as applicable).
• Ensure compliance with the incident reporting system, prepare weekly reports for  the Field offices and update data on available incident data tools and ensure that the incident register is updated regularly.
• Conduct ongoing threat assessments and compile daily/weekly situation reports/monthly security analysis and ensure that the information is shared in a
  timely manner.

Networking:

• She/he will develop a wide web of relevant contacts of stakeholders to engage with positively to address access challenges, collate and disseminate relevant
  security information
• Attend security & emergency related briefings and meetings and share security related information with third party security and risk management service
  providers.
• As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, International Relations, Political Science or a related discipline

Required Experience

• At least 3 years of relevant experience at international NGOs in safety and security functions
• Experience in liaising with communities, civilians, police and/or military government authorities as well as with regional institutions preferred.
• Substantial practical field experience in security management (direct INGO security management).
• Excellent negotiation and representation skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment.
• Good contextual knowledge, analysis and report writing skills.
• Must be competent and literate in some of the relevant local languages of the Niger Delta region and Middle Belt depending on location of interest.
• Willingness to travel at short notice, and often in difficult circumstances.
• Experience of incident reporting, incident mapping, intelligence collation and analysis functions, set up and execution of an incident warning system (warden system), compilation of security reports and assessments.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral.
• Knowledgeable in Training and facilitation skills using different training media
• Ability to conduct regular mock drills in all offices (e.g. fire drills, evacuation, etc.)
• Experience and knowledge of personnel and organizational security issues,threat/risk assessment, security management and security awareness in an
  insecure environment 
• Technical competency and training experience in field-based communications systems such as HF Codan, Motorola VHF, Thuraya, satellite systems and
  internet systems.
• Experience working successfully with stakeholders such as local and international NGOs, government, etc., with sensitivity and diplomacy.

Required Competencies

•  Leading and supervising: Has the ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of SFCG. Is able to
  build trust within the team and act with integrity.
• Accountability: Being accountable and passing on accountability for one\'s own actions and those of colleagues and the organization.
• Attention to detail: The ability to process detailed information effectively and consistently
• Collaboration: The ability to work effectively with others in order to achieve a shared goal - even when the object at stake is of no direct personal interest possibilities.
• Creativity: The ability to come up with original and innovative ideas and solutions, to adopt points of view outside the usual parameters.
• Solid ability to provide team building, coaching, and development for staff as well as encourage cross-functional collaboration and cooperation.
• Focus on Quality: Setting high quality standards and striving for continuous improvement and quality assurance.
• Learning Ability: The ability to absorb new information readily and to put it into practice effectively
• Adaptability: The ability to remain fully functional by adapting to changing circumstances (environment, procedures and people).

Note: This position is only open to Nigerian nationals