Deployable Security Advisor at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Deployable Security Advisor

Location: Nigeria (Deployed 75% of the time to Plan International’s country programmes. Home-based when not deployed)
Type of Role: Permanent or maximum fixed term contract available as per employing office’s standard terms and conditions
Functional Area: Safety and Security, Disaster Risk Management - Global Hub
Reports to: Director of Safety & Security
Effective Date: February 2023
Travel Required: 75%(may be at short notice)
Grade: 4

Role Purpose

• Plan International country offices in response to an emergency, often need additional experts to support their response and help those affected by crises.
• Plan International’s core surge team is composed of technical, global experts who can deploy to emergency responses within 72hoursfor up to 4 months.
• The post holder will be expected to provide leadership to their area of technical specialism to support the country team they are deployed to.
• Core surge team members are globally roving and work away from their home base continuously, from a few weeks up to four months per assignment. Core surge is typically deployed to country programmes for up to nine months a year (pro rata for part-time posts). When not deployed (or on annual leave), core surge team members may be assigned project/proactive work.
• We recognise that our staff and associates may work in or travel to hostile and complex environments that present unique safety and security risks, and we are proactive in identifying and mitigating these risks. We understand that security management should be an enabler rather than a barrier.
• Plan International is committed to fulfilling its duty of care to our staff and providing a safe and secure environment so that we can better fulfil our purpose and objectives. 
• The Deployable Humanitarian Security Advisor works with both the Plan International Global Safety and Security Team and the Global HumanitarianTeam.
• They will deploy to Country Offices and provide operational advice and technical support to the country management team. Deployments will be to locations responding to humanitarian crises, including high-risk locations such as disaster areas and fragile or conflict-affected states.
• They will be prepared to deploy at short notice and support country management and staff in managing safety and security risks while rapidly scaling up humanitarian operations.

Dimensions of the Role

• The role is not anticipated to have any direct reports. However, based on operational needs other security resources may be assigned to this role in certain contexts.  No budget responsibility is required for this position.
• May deploy at short notice to a Country Office for up to 4 months
• The post is expected to be on deployment for up to 9 months per year.
• The position provides high-level guidance and advice to Country Management Teams to facilitate decision-making and support Plan International to reach the most at-risk populations.
• They will promote a positive security culture, focused on advancing our Security for All initiative to create a more inclusive and intersectional approach to security risk management
• They will encourage staff to report security concerns and incidents, followup and/or investigate as needed, and ensure management incorporates lessons learned into future operations.

Accountabilities

• Ensure offices and field sites have appropriate safety and security equipment in place.
• Conduct security risk assessments and incorporate a wide range of data sources to ensure emerging risks are included.
• Conduct site surveys, such as route, hotel, and field location security assessments.
• Support global security analysis efforts by providing relevant risk data collected in deployment contexts.
• Engage key stakeholders to ensure safety and security are appropriately incorporated into operational planning and security culture “stays in the conversation”.
• Oversee security KPIs in areas of intervention.
• Develop security Standard Operating Procedures(SOPs)addressing humanitarian program needs and ensure existing SOPs remain fit for purpose.
• Provide expertise to management in humanitarian access negotiations.
• Develop a network of contacts among local actors to facilitate Plan International’s work and enhance the security of its operations.
• Represent Plan International and coordinate amongst all actors (state, military, UN, NGO, etc) on all matters pertaining to safety and security.
• Develop and oversee monitoring of contingency plans, includinghibernation, relocation, and evacuation.
• Provide direct support in responding to incidents.
• Ensure security incidents are recorded and appropriately reviewed and/or investigated if necessary.
• Ensure post-incident support mechanisms are in place and promoted to staff, including medical, family, and psychosocial support.
• Guide and support management in making timely and appropriate steps to resume operations following incidents.
• Champion the global security strategy and promote a positive security culture, ensuring and enabling a balance between organizational responsibility and individual ownership of security.
• Focus on people, and support initiatives focused on addressing the unique risks faced by our staff in all their diversity.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant government departments, UN agencies and NGOs.
• They will assist country offices manage their security budgets and promote the inclusion of security needs into grant and budget proposals.
• Support regional security upskilling and capacity-building initiatives, including mentoring country security focal points. Support, and at times oversee, delivery of the internal high-risk security training.

Safeguarding:

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young Peopleand 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:

• Country office (Country Management Team, Emergency Response Manager, Safeguarding, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, gender & inclusion, media and comms.
• Implementing partner organisations 
• Global Hub departments (Safety & Security, Safeguarding, Media & Comms, Humanitarian, Risk)

External:

• UN agencies
• National Government representatives
• Community representatives
• In-country institutional donors
• Government embassies
• Peer agencies (INGO, NNGO, Partner organisations)
• Safety & Security networks in country.

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge
Essential:

• Able and willing to deploy at short notice to humanitarian crises.
• Significant experience overseeing security planning and operations in humanitarian or high-risk contexts.
• Experience in conducting security risk assessments.
• Experience providing technical support and oversight to security programmes.
• Experience insecurity capacity buildingin a variety of contexts.
• Proven experiencein field-level representation with key stakeholders and coordination with peer NGOs and UN actors. 
• Experience in Humanitarian access negotiation/strategy.
• Clear understanding of humanitarian principles and International Humanitarian Law.
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities.
• Excellent negotiation and representation skills and the ability to work comfortably with a diverse staff in a very sensitive environment.
• Good attention to detail. 
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure. 
• Strong communication (written and spoken) skills in English. 
• Committed to actively upholding Plan International's vision, values and behaviours and policies, including the Say Yes! To Keeping Children Safe Policy.

Desirable:

• Experience in programme design and proposal development.
• Experience overseeing the delivery of security training programs.
• Fluency in English and at least one other language (e.g., French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese).

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.

Physical Environment

• As part of the core surge team, the primary purpose of the role is to deploy to emergencies globally. The post holder will deploy to a diverse range of countries and contexts. This can range from insecure environments to countries that have just been impacted by a rapid-onset disaster.
• The post holder will be provided with the necessary support for such varied locations, including security training, well-being and mental health support and briefings before all deployments.
• While on deployment, the accommodation, transport, and availability of services will be dependent on the context and the specific country offices policies.

Level of contact with children

• Low contact: No contact or very low frequency of interaction.

Application Closing Date
5th March, 2023.