Security Officer at Heartland Alliance

Job Summary

The Security Officer will work closely with the HALG Security Consultant as well as the Director of Finance and Operations on security matters, including bringing local expertise and intelligence to bear when maintaining a safe operating environment for all HALG staff. Develop and maintain all plans and protocols relating to personal safety and the management of security programs and policies to include security management plan, current risk, and vulnerability assessment, incidents, and crisis response plan, pre and post arrival security briefing and business continuity plan as required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

a) Unarmed Guards

• Supervise unarmed guards in project offices.
• Perform scheduled and unscheduled inspections of unarmed guard performance.
• Advise the Director of Finance and Operations as necessary on the recruitment and hiring of unarmed guards.

b) Local Security Intelligence Gathering and Distribution

• Establish relationships with national law enforcement, military, civil authorities and development organizations across the states of operations.
• Coordinate and distribute security alerts to office staff via e-mail, phone, SMS, and WhatsApp platform.        

c) Local Staff Security Liaison

• Act as point of contact for HALG staff on security matters.

d) HALG Travel

• Coordinate with the Transport Assistants on the movement of all project personnel in the states.
• Provide guidance with security threat information and recommendation on travel prior to any field trips outside of cities with established project offices. This will include assessing route security, hotel security and threat conditions in the areas where project meetings/workshops are scheduled to occur. The security Officer will also provide the field teams with area specific emergency contact information (local hospitals, police stations, etc.)
• Coordinate pickups of all expatriates upon arrival in Nigeria.
• Brief staff on all safety and security considerations for project personnel arriving in the country from overseas within 24-48 hours of arrival.  To include information on security risks, security guidelines, communication procedures, travel precautions, emergency procedures and movement restrictions (as needed).

e) Motor pool Coordination

• Perform daily reviews of planned vehicular travel according to up-to-date local intelligence.
• Coordinate with the Transport Assistants on management of motor pool.

f) Security Plan

• Develop and update project emergency action, security and contingency plans.  These plans should include incident response, evacuations, physical security and information security protocols/procedures. Brief staff on the Security Manual update no later than 30 days after its completion. Notify the Director of Finance and Operations of any violations of security policies.

g) Security Management

• Provide timely and accurate security advice to the Chief of Party and Director of Finance and Operations.
• Immediately report all security-related incidents involving project staff and dependents to the Director of Finance and Operation, Chief of Party and the HALG HQ.
• Ensure that project staff members are provided with situational reports and other appropriate security related information.
• Conduct periodic threat and risk assessments of operations, including locations where project staff, dependents, and assets are present. This will include written rapid security assessments with verbal debrief that analyze threats, evaluate risk and provide specific recommendations.
• Assist project staff with incident and crisis management. This will include assistance during a possible evacuation of expatriate staff and response to other security incidents.  Coordinate with companies that provide security services.
• Assist projects running incident management drills (communication and fire)/rehearsals.

h) Office and Hotel Security

• Conduct periodic security assessments of project premises and equipment and advice on shortcoming in security preparedness with recommended improvements and solutions.
• Advise on proper security measures for HALG Offices.  
• Conduct security assessment on hotels where project staff may stay.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or competency required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience: 

• 3-5 years of progressively responsible security experience in terms of the job tasks and responsibilities outlined above.
• Prior experience working for an international organization preferred.
• Well-versed in Nigerian security issues, including office security; role of local security forces, best practices; and Nigerian security policy.
• Familiarity with Nigeria-specific geographical, transportation, and infrastructural constraints.
• A collegiate education: a B.A. or B.S. strongly preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills (e.g., tact, diplomacy and patience) in the context of dealing with staff members, as well as with the general business community required.

Other Competencies:

• Time Management – Ability to prioritize tasks, manage time and complete projects in a fast-paced, changing environment with minimal supervision.
• Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.
• Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs; presents numerical data effectively.
• Adaptability - adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Cultural Sensitivity – Respects cultural environment in which person is working and does not act in a manner that is outwardly offensive to the local community.
• Non-discriminatory- Does not discriminate persons based on sexual orientation or gender identity, age, preferred jobs or behavioral habits.

Language Skills:

• Excellent oral and written English communication skills.
• Knowledge of Local Language preferred.
• Demonstrated competency in public speaking.

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems, Power Point.
• Other software routinely used by Heartland Alliance.

Work Environment:

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The employee will be required to co-locate with local partners usually in the same office.
• The employee is required to travel regularly to often insecure and limited resource environments.