Safety&Security Specialist / Спеціаліст/ка з безпекових питань
Role Purpose
This position will play a key role in providing high quality safety & security support to staff in Ukraine, as well as across the other response locations, and to visitors from all Plan International entities and stakeholders. The job holder’s primary focus will be on Ukraine where the safety & security risks are the highest and the position will be based. The postholder will provide technical support and guidance to Plan International teams, visitors and partners in Ukraine and to a lesser extent Poland, Romania, and Moldova.
Dimensions of the Role
The post supports each response location, and our partners continually manage safety & security and adapt to a changing context. The post-holder will work closely with the Response Director and the CMT in Ukraine and the Heads of Mission and Safety & Security focal points in the other response countries to bridge global security strategy or initiatives and operational needs. Focus will be on ensuring implementation of the “essential elements” outlined in the global security strategy is timely and relevant for the local context. The post-holder will also spend a large amount of time overseeing capacity-building initiatives for Plan International staff and – where gaps are identified – our partners.
The post-holder will work with internal and external stakeholders and Plan International partners to analyse security trends in Ukraine and response locations and provide operational support and guidance to adapt to changing risk landscapes and resolve complex security problems.
The role is the primary point of contact for staff and partners in Ukraine, and to a lesser extent in Poland, Moldova, and Romania, on all safety & security support requirements.
Accountabilities
- Ensures all Safety & Security work has a strong gender focus in line with Plan International’s Global Strategy.
- Ensure duty of care to staff and visitors is guaranteed at all times.
- Provide Safety & Security related technical assistance to teams in Ukraine, and to a lesser extent in Poland, Romania, and Moldova, in the ongoing monitoring of the context, and implications for our work and the work of our partners.
- Support preparedness activities across all response locations.
- Develop Safety & Security capacity building plans and provide training, coaching and mentorship to staff and partners.
- Build and maintain relationships with relevant UN agencies and NGOs on Safety & Security related issues.
- Actively contribute to safety & security Coordination Mechanisms. Support partner organisations take a co-leadership role in relevant Working Groups as and when requested by partners.
Safety and Security Capacity Building (reflecting the “Prepare” element of the global security strategy)
- Oversee implementation and advancement of the FAST security course initiative. Work with Response Director, Heads of Mission and partner organisations to ensure courses are delivered on a continuing basis and track course penetration.
- Develop innovative mechanisms to increase the skills and knowledge of response staff across Plan International and partner organisations, many of whom do not come from a safety & security background. This can include formalized inductions, workshops, webinars, etc.
- Work with the ECE Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Response Leadership Team to ensure response offices have required safety and security equipment in place.
Safety and Security Analysis (reflecting the “Assess” element of the global security strategy)
- Oversee the Security Risk Assessment process, ensuring alignment with our inclusive and intersectional approach which considers the risk to our staff in all their diversity (e.g. gender risks, risks to LGBTIQ+ colleagues, and risks due to ethnic background)
- Manage integration of regional security analysis efforts.
- Support the ongoing contextual analysis of the situation, providing the organisation and partners with reports based on data visualisation approaches.
- Provide Safety & Security related input to the regular response sitreps and other corporate reporting mechanisms.
Operational Support and Guidance (reflecting the “Act” element of the global security strategy)
- Provide direct support for operational safety and security issues, advice to key stakeholders, and act as a “sounding board” and mentor for staff from Plan and partner organisations.
- Manage security KPIs.
- Work with the ECE Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Response Leadership Team to ensure SOPs are fit for purpose and relevant to local context.
Incident and Crisis Management (reflecting the “Respond” element of the global security strategy)
- Develop capacity for cascading crisis management training to Response Teams.
- Oversee implementation of global standards for contingency planning, including hibernation, relocation, and evacuation.
- Provide direct support to the Response Director in responding to incidents. Act as liaison between external resources or services and Response management teams.
Incident Reviews and Investigations (Reflecting the “Learn” element of the global security strategy)
- Oversee the safety and security incident reporting and review process for Response Teams.
- As required, manage serious security incidents.
General Responsibilities
- Align with the global security strategy and act as a champion for a positive security culture, ensuring and enabling a balance between organizational responsibility and individual ownership of security.
- Focus on people over process, and work to build an inclusive and empowering security program that acknowledges and addresses the unique risks faced by a diverse staff portfolio.
- Promote a security approach focused on training and preparation.
Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
Key relationships
Internal
- ECE Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Response Leadership Team
- Ukraine Country Management Team
- Plan International Ukraine Team and Team members in response offices in Moldova, Romania and Poland
- National Organisations
- Global Hub departments (including safety & security, logistics, humanitarian, legal)
External
- Civil Society Organisations
- UN Agencies
- Interagency Coordination groups
- Institutional Donors
- Embassies
Technical expertise, skills and knowledge
Essential
- Deep conceptual understanding of security risk management and risk assessment processes
- Experience working in high-risk areas, including disasters and fragile and conflict affected states
- Experience teaching or training security courses and workshops, especially with technical or specialized material (e.g., security analysis or crisis management)
- Experience building and implementing an entire, or significant portion of, a large-scale security program
- Experience directly managing complex security incidents or crises
- Experience working in an international NGO
- Experience leading diverse and geographically dispersed teams
- Able to build networks and relationships under challenging conditions
- Communicate clearly and effectively
- Comfortable in challenging at all levels
- Able to deliver on time, to work under long term pressure and to prioritise
- Able to work with standard IT equipment and software suites (e.g., Office)
- Experience providing technical support to teams and partner organisations.
- Experience of capacity building with a variety of audiences.
- Fluency in English, written and spoken
Plan International’s Values in Practice
We are open and accountable
- Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
- Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
- Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
- Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
- Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people
We strive for lasting impact
- Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
- Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
- Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
- Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
- Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.
We are inclusive and empowering
- We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential
- We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
- We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.
If you are interested in this position – please, apply with your CV through e-mail: [email protected]
