Regional Security Advisor

Position: Regional Security Advisor

Annual Salary and Benefits: Competitive

**Internal Job Grade :**C1

Contract type : Fixed term 1 year (renewable)

Reporting to : MENA Regional Director

Staff reporting directly to this post –

Line management: None; Functional matrix management with Security lead of all countries and cluster in the region (Security Focal Points, Officers or Advisors),

Key relationships/interactions –

Regional Leadership Team, Regional Platform, Country Security Focal Points, OI Global Security Team, Country and Cluster Directors.

Location: The position is based in the Oxfam MENA region, preferably Beirut, or Amman, but Tunis and any other Oxfam offices in the region may be possible.

Budget responsibility: No budget responsibility

Shaping a stronger Oxfam for people living in poverty.

Department Purpose

The Regional Platform (RP) of Oxfam in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a mandate to:

• Provide strategic leadership, management & accountability of and to Oxfam country and cluster programmes in MENA.
• Deliver regional impact, developing partner relationships, brand and impact in the region through relevant influencing and advocacy work, public engagement and programming
• Connect, coordinate, convene – Connect practitioners to sources of expertise, convene people to share knowledge and learnings, and coordinate capacity building initiatives
• Enable operational agility and efficiency – Provide support to Oxfam country offices

In MENA, Oxfam works in development, humanitarian, and campaigning, with a large part of the current transformation focused on becoming a major influencing & advocacy, knowledge-for-impact global reach organisation.

Team Purpose

To ensure that the region has the capacity to effectively support the management of security risks in-country helping enable Oxfam to meet its programme objectives.

Job Purpose

Oxfam currently works in 10 countries in the MENA region: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, OPTI, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan. Six countries have Oxfam country programmes while four are organised in a sub-regional cluster. The Regional Security Advisor (RSA) will support the security lead / focal point in each country in the region in order to ensure that the country security strategy is developed, implemented, monitored and reviewed; consistent with Oxfam policies, standards and requirements and that country and cluster teams are sufficiently resourced and skilled for security management appropriate to their context.

Job Responsibilities

The Regional Security Advisor will be responsible for:

1. Technical Support

• Demonstrate sound understanding of security issues, constraints and challenges for Oxfam and partners in the MENA region, providing strategic and operational leadership in security management.
• Advise and assist the Regional Director in upholding Duty of Care for the region in line with the Oxfam Security Policy.
• Advise and support Country / Cluster Leadership Teams (CLT), Country Representatives, the Regional Director and country Security Focal Points/teams with country visits as required, which may be at short notice and in difficult environments.
• Matrix manage MENA country security leads/focal points, working with them on the development, understanding and maintenance of, and compliance with security procedures and Security Management Plans for each country as per agreed formats and timing.
• Ensure there is adequate security capacity within countries appropriate to the level of risk, including supporting recruitment, induction and briefing of security personnel in the countries.
• Advise and support country teams on development of partner security capacity.
• Support/lead on country level incident management, lessons learnt and any follow up actions/ changes to procedures and provide support to a Crisis Management Team as required.
• Facilitate / provide learning & development as well as exchange experiences at all levels. Identify staff security training, learning and development needs and ensure access to training across the region (including appropriate planning and resourcing).
• Provide security inductions, reports, analysis and briefings as required.
• Work with Country / Cluster HR in relation to Health & Safety and safeguarding issues in country.
• Work closely with regional and country colleagues from various departments to ensure that the work of the security teams in the region is line with Oxfam’s feminist principles, safe programming approach and adheres to data protection and other relevant requirements.

2. Monitoring & Evaluation/ Reporting & Analysis

• Monitor compliance with security policies, plans and procedures at a country level, including:
  • Monthly and Quarterly Reporting as per agreed formats and schedules;
  • Complete security audits of countries in the region and ensure a strong accountability between the region and countries;
  • Monitoring and reporting security incidents up and down the management line (using the OSIRIS on-line reporting system and database) ensuring advice and recommendations are appropriate and in line with Oxfam policy and ensuring follow on actions are implemented;
  • Provide a weekly report on incidents and headline analysis / trends to the RD, Global Security Team and Executing Affiliate (as appropriate).

3. Managing Resources

• Manage requests for support from MENA countries, consulting with the Global Security Team as appropriate.
• Support countries in their annual budgeting process to ensure that adequate budget is available for the proper management of security risks at country and field level.
• Cover for absences/back-up of in-country security leads for short periods, especially in countries that are highly volatile or high risk as needed.

4. Representation of Oxfam Security in the region

• Participate in and / or promote participation in external security networks.
• Make proposals and recommendations regarding security management coordination to the Global Security Team.
• Work in coordination and consultation with other departments in the region.
• Engage in emergency programmes, including planning input and potentially deploying to new or rapid onset emergencies in support.

Other

• Eager and required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values (click here) as well as the promotion of gender justice and women’s rights (click here).
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.

Job Requirements

Essential

• At least seven years of practical security risk management experience in the context of UN or NGO humanitarian operations
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Educated to University (or equivalent) level
• Expert knowledge of regional security context and trends as well as good understanding of the most volatile areas in the region
• Relevant working experience in volatile areas, including active conflict settings, preferably in the Middle East
• Proven influencing and negotiating skills with internal and external audiences including in complex and stressful circumstances
• Strong understanding of humanitarian principles and the role of security in programme delivery
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, together with the capacity to remain calm under pressure and not lose sight of strategic priorities. Must be organized and efficient
• Proven experience of field-based training
• Demonstrable ability to advise and support country staff from distance and in a consultative manner.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work across a wide variety of cultural contexts
• Willingness to travel at short notice, often in difficult circumstances
• A sound understanding of the importance of gender especially in relation to security risk and management
• Committed to Oxfam principles

Desirable

• Languages: French, Arabic highly desirable
• Experience in Health and Safety sector
• Experience with the use of telecommunications (satellite phone, HF, VHF, etc.)
• Experience with the management of vehicle fleet and related security aspects
• Experience with the management of sites / buildings and related security aspects
• Basic understanding of air safety

Other

• Must be able to travel in the region.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Most importantly, every individual at Oxfam International Secretariat needs to be able to:

• Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)
• Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):

1. Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behavior and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.”

2. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible

SAFER RECRUITMENT: Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. Offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.