Regional Humanitarian Access & Security Coordinator - MENA

Job Overview/Summary:

Working as a member of the regional team and under the direct supervision of the Regional Safety & Security Director (RSSD), the Regional Humanitarian Access & Security Coordinator (RHASC) will support the delivery of consistent and high-quality humanitarian access and security risk management across the MENA region. S/he will support the RSSD in providing technical support to meet the needs of country programs in the region and ensuring compliance with IRC’s internal standards and policies. The RHASC will lead regional capacity strengthening, learning and development initiatives for safety, security and access management for IRC staff and partner organizations. The candidate will be required to travel extensively throughout MENA as well as deploy outside the region, including at relatively short notice.

Major Responsibilities:

Technical Support (Up to 60% of time)

• Identify and implement improvements to key processes, guidelines and tools to enhance security risk management and access across the region. 
• Provide technical advice and direct support to Country Programs on safety & security risk management, trends, processes and best practices. This will include reviewing risk assessments, security management plans, SOPs and contingency plans as requested.
• Advise on the development, implementation and monitoring of contextualized access strategies.
• Develop tools to analyze mitigation measures across the region, including their prioritization, status and resourcing. Use this analysis to then identify and prioritize Regional support and implement strategic projects that can have impact across multiple Country Programs.
• Conduct annual analysis of incident reporting data to identify key trends and recommend mitigation measures at the Regional or Country Program level.
• In coordination with the RSSD, monitor adherence to the IRC’s Security Minimum Standards and analyze the results to prioritize support needs.
• Support initiatives across the region to integrate Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) in safety, security and humanitarian access management. Ensure safety and security risk management efforts at the field level are inclusive of staff with diverse social identities and backgrounds.
• Develop a Regional approach towards capacity-sharing with partner organizations for security risk management and access.
• Collate, edit and release the Regional Daily Situation Report. Advise Country Programs on improvements to the quality of reporting.  
• Travel to country programs to provide gap coverage, support key projects or during the onset of an emergency and/or in support of entry to additional countries in MENA. Some of this support may be delivered remotely.
• Deputize for RSSD when needed.

Training, Learning and Knowledge Sharing (Up to 20% of time)

• Identify regional learning and development needs, informed by the country programs in order to continue delivering high-quality, durable and contextually relevant programming.
• Design and facilitate the delivery of learning programs to support staff in Country Programs to gain the knowledge and skills they require to achieve programmatic and organizational objectives and improve the capacity of IRC staff in safety & security risk management and humanitarian access.
• Develop a Regional tool for tracking learning and development activities across all Country Programs.
• Develop tools to assess the impact of learning and development activities across the Region.
• Support capacity-sharing initiatives with implementing partners in coordination with the Country Programs.
• Build a core group of Trainers across the MENA region who can support capacity-building initiatives.
• Support Country Programs in liaising with established external training providers to identify and assess effective training options.

Global Roving Capacity (Up to 20% of time)

• Provide gap coverage for Country Programs and Regions outside the MENA region.
• Deputize for RSSDs in other regions as requested.
• Deliver training courses including READI (the IRC’s flagship security training programme).
• Provide surge support during humanitarian emergencies.
• Support may be provided remotely or in-person, and could require international travel for up to 2.5 months per year.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Regional Safety & Security Director

Position directly supervises: None

Indirect Reporting: None

Key Internal Relationships: Country Humanitarian Access & Security Leads, Regional Context Analyst, Regional GEDI Director, Regional Partnerships Advisor, Senior Director Safety & Security

External: Partner organizations, peer humanitarian agencies, training providers, specialized networks and forums. 

Job Requirements:

• At least 6 years of progressive experience in safety & security risk management roles in humanitarian contexts, of which at least a minimum of 3 years should have been at a senior management level.
• A willingness and ability to travel approximately 40% of the time within MENA and to other regions.
• Experience or exposure to humanitarian operations and emergency relief is a must with a preferable focus on risk and crisis management.
• Ability to coordinate and partner with regional and local stakeholders either directly or remotely.
• Sound working knowledge of humanitarian access and security, and a commitment to humanitarian principles.
• Sound appreciation of the personal and technical issues facing aid workers, such as international law, codes and standards, gender and conflict issues.
• A strong track record in learning and development initiatives in Humanitarian Access and Security
• Demonstrable competence in and enthusiasm for practical training methods
• Ability to manage a complex workload and meet tight deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to influence without authority.
• Strong track record in project management, including project planning, scoping and delivery, proposal writing, budget planning/spending, and delivery.
• English and Arabic fluency required.
• Computer literacy in MS Office packages, such as Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn new tools such as PowerBI and ArcGIS.
• The position may require some unsociable hours due to regional coverage, online meetings and in the event of an emergency.

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.