Safety and Security Officer, Niger Delta - (SSO) at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from destructive approaches towards cooperative solutions. With more than 600 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 countries across the globe.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Safety and Security Officer, Niger Delta - (SSO)

Location: Port Harcourt, Rivers
Employment: Type Full-Time
Work Type: On-site
Category: Operations & Administration – Africa - West

Position Summary

• We are seeking a Safety and Security Officer who will be responsible for implementing all policies and procedures regarding security & safety and promoting its day-to-day management for Search in the Niger Delta Region on the above-mentioned project.
• They will continuously assess the safety/security environment and devise risk reduction measures as needed in coordination with National Safety and Security Manager (SSM).
• This full-time position is for 12 months initially, and subject to performance and funding availability, may be extended. 
• The Safety and Security Officer will be based in Port Harcourt with frequent travel to the field in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta States.
• S/he will report to the National Safety and Security Manager and work closely with the Head of Program Implementation on the project as well as the Procurement & Logistic Manager.

About the Project

• Search for Common Ground (Search), in consortium with local co-applications has proposed to implement an 18-month action with the overall goal of fostering inclusive community security approaches to address the systemic drivers of violence and criminality in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States. Bringing together four leading peacebuilding and development organizations in the Niger Delta, the consortium offers a holistic, community-centered approach to addressing core drivers of criminality, violence, and conflict in the region, with a specific focus on the empowerment and inclusion of youth in the security of their respective communities in the Niger Delta.
• The consortium partners will leverage existing relationships with the action’s diverse target groups, including at-risk youth, local communities impacted by oil production and oil bunkering, state security actors, the private sector, journalists and media actors, key civil society organizations, and policymakers at the state, regional, national, and international levels, to secure broad-based buy-in and participation in the action.
• Overall, the project will seek to shift how relevant actors think about and approach issues of oil bunkering, criminality, and security in the Niger Delta in favor of more bottom-up, human-centered perspectives.
• This institutional and social shift is necessary in order to sustainably reduce the prevalence of oil bunkering and other forms of criminality and violence in the region in the long term.
• The design of the action centers around four activity streams, each addressing a systemic driver of division, violence, and criminality in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta States:
  • Stream 1 will foster intra-community collaboration around issues of social exclusion, lack of economic opportunity, and environmental degradation.
  • Stream 2 will build trust and collaboration between communities, the government, and security actors for more participatory, community-centered security operations. 
  • Stream 3 will leverage arts- and culture-based approaches to foster social cohesion between divided communities, both online and offline.
  • Stream 4 will facilitate policy change to institutionalize community-centered security approaches at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels. 

Roles and Responsibilities

• Work closely with SSM to ensure security strategies for Search Nigeria and that response are appropriate and aligned with regional and global priorities.
• Deliver oversight of security prevention, preparation, and response and recovery activities, particularly in their respective offices and to counter threats emerging from changing political, social, and economic situations.
• Support 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 Head of Program Implementation 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.
• SSO will work closely with Search program staff to facilitate easy access to the program location and conduct regular security risk assessments of the Search program location and facilities.
• The SSO 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 is effectively enforcing the required regulations.

Analysis:

• Report, analyze, and communicate the 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 analyses 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.

Education and Required Experience

• 2-3 years of relevant experience at the national or 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.
• Excellent negotiation and representation skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment.
• Good context analysis and report writing skills.
• Must be Competent and literate in some of the relevant local languages of the south/south region.  
• Willingness to travel at short notice, and often in difficult circumstances.
• Highly organized and systematic with excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral.
• Excellent cross-cultural communication and working skills, enjoys a multicultural work environment;
• Ability in Training and facilitation skills using different training media
• Ability to conduct regular mock drills in all offices (e.g. fire drill, evacuation, etc.)

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 team and acts 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.
• 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).

Application Closing Date
31st July, 2023.