Deputy Safety Advisor South – Iraq

Organisation Background:

The International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international charity that supports the safety of aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training.

INSO services help NGOs with their day-to-day risk management responsibilities and improve their overall situational awareness to support evidence-based humanitarian access decisions.

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation has grown from innovative start-up to become a globally recognised charity and a highly valued component in the humanitarian safety coordination system. With operations in 16 countries, INSO has revolutionized the humanitarian safety coordination sector by introducing a robust and high-quality field safety platform model that has been deployed in some of the world’s most high-risk settings.

The strong focus on humanitarian principles and exclusive NGO-only membership criteria have meant that INSO is now accepted as a standard component of modern humanitarian response offering independent frontline reporting and coordination services that save lives, strengthen operational practice and enable humanitarian access.

Today the organisation provides daily support to more than 1000 NGOs in 16 of the world’s most insecure countries and has earned a strong reputation for performance, principles & professionalism.

INSO Iraq launched in 2014 and currently serves more than 220 international and national NGOs. INSO Iraq supports partners from its country office in Erbil. Our partners rely on INSO analysis and advice to deliver services to people in need. Humanitarian organisations in Iraq continue to face safety and access challenges across the country. Working with INSO Iraq will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of humanitarian programming in a country affected by protracted instability and conflict.

INSO Iraq is now seeking an experienced professional to join our team as Deputy Safety Advisor for the South Region.

Overall Purpose of Role:

The Deputy Safety Advisor works with the Safety Advisor (SA) to fulfil INSO’s core mission of helping NGOs in a given region understand the context and mitigate risks. The Deputy Safety Advisor is involved in information collection and data input, analysis and reporting, crisis management support, networking with various stakeholders, among other areas. The DSA supports SA in ensuring INSO services are relevant and correspond to evolving partners needs in the field (principle of proximity). Moreover, this position supports SA in the management of a local information network and manages the team/office in SA absence.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist the SA with the regional representation of INSO and the delivery of service.
• Coordinate the national team in the region, and lead service delivery in SA absence.
• Collect and verify incidents and events in the region that relate to the safety of NGO workers operating in the area.
• Manage and update incident databases to ensure the organization’s records are accurate and complete. Support and verify incident entries to CHDC made by SAA.
• Assist the Safety Advisor to prepare and issue regular reports, area assessments, and other INSO products requested by the aid community.
• Work with the Safety Advisor to analyse the operating environment and identify trends. Use data and databases to create charts, data visualizations, and maps.
• Lead and delivery on field assessments by conducting frequent field missions and engaging with stakeholders/authorities.
• Work in proximity with NGO partners in the field
• Attend regular humanitarian coordination meetings to build relations with partners and remain up to date on humanitarian activities in the area.
• Work with the Safety Advisor and the SA Assistant to identify, hire and train field monitors for the purposes of ensuring robust and even information collection.
• Translate relevant communications from local language(s) into the working language of the country office (English/Arabic/Kurdish) and vice-versa.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent certification in one of the following: Journalism, Communications, Conflict Studies, Political Sciences, History, International Affairs, Security Studies, Criminology, or any other relevant fields.
• Working proficiency in English/Arabic/Kurdish with excellent writing skills.
• Willingness to frequently travel around the region
• A good understanding of NGO safety best practices and a willingness to learn.
• A proven ability to develop and maintain working relationships with partners.
• Excellent computer skills and knowledge of Windows and Microsoft Office programs
• Previous experience with or demonstrated capacity to learn how to work with data analytics tools.

Nice to Have:

• 2 years or more prior experience with NGO security and/or project management.
• Experience in project/team management.
• Proficiency in other languages relevant in the context.
• Experience in drafting situation reports and short briefings, experience in crisis management and support to NGOs.
• Capacity to work with minimum supervision and maintain high level of engagement.

Personal Attributes

• Dynamic, flexible and pro-active in analysis and engagement with stakeholders.
• Analytical mind and credible & mature demeanour
• Confidentiality, integrity, and a sense of conflict-of-interest prevention.
• Self-motivation, courtesy, and humility.
• Team spirit and good management of interpersonal relationships.
• Know how to plan and organize your work.
• Be able to work under pressure.
• Effective communicator.
• Capacity to work in multicultural environments

 

INSO’s Safeguarding Policy:

INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process. As such, the following safe recruitment practices will be applied:

• All offers of employment will be conditional on receiving at least two satisfactory professional references.
• INSO will ask candidates about significant gaps in employment history or frequent changes of employer and address.
• All essential qualifications and relevant professional accreditations and memberships will be verified.
• The successful candidate will be required to provide a valid proof of identity (passport, ID card).
• All new hires will receive an orientation in INSO’s safeguarding policy and procedures and associated documents (Code of Conduct, Whistleblowing etc.).
• All new hires will be required to sign and abide by the Code of Conduct as a condition of employment.

Terms & Conditions: 12 months contract with expected start date ASAP.