Fondation Terre des Hommes seeks to recruit an access and security advisor – Maiduguri, Nigeria

Fondation Terre des Hommes seeks to recruit an access and security advisor – Maiduguri, Nigeria

Fonctions	Autre, Coordination, Gestion de projet, Encadrement, Direction
Activités	Animation, Formation, Education, Autre, Santé, Social
Contrat	CDD

Apply here

 

Position Start Date : ASAP

Duration : 3 months

Location : Maiduguri – Nigeria

Terre des hommes does not set closing dates for this position; recruitment is on-going until the position is filled

 

Tdh :

Terre des hommes (Tdh) is the leading Swiss organisation for children’s aid. Since 1960, Tdh has helped build a better future for deprived children and their communities, making an impact with innovative and sustainable solutions. Active in more than 45 countries, Tdh works with local and international partners to develop and implement field projects which improve the daily lives of over 3 million children and their relatives, in the domains of health, protection and emergency relief. This engagement is financed by individual and institutional support, with administrative costs kept to a minimum.

Context :

Prerequisite of Nigeria and North East statehood :

With the biggest population in Africa, (between 178.000.000 and 200.000.000 habitants), Nigeria is ranked as one of the first economy of the continent thanks to oil and petroleum products, as well as mineral resources (gold, iron, diamonds, copper etc…). But a great ethnic diversity (more than language groups led by the family or clan manner) mixed with a federal mechanism make it a real powder keg.

On top of that, the current North-East Nigeria joined the Federal State following a plebiscite in 1961. The territory concerned made up much of what is now Northeastern Nigeria, and a large part of the areas affected by the North-East insurgency.

Borno State Insurgency :

Boko Haram (JAS: Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād -> « People Committed to the Prophet’s Teachings for Propagation and Jihad ») was officially founding in 2002.

Boko Haram conducted its operations “more or less” peacefully during the first seven years of its existence (the Government of Nigeria – GoN – reportedly repeatedly ignored warnings about the increasingly militant character of the organization).

The situation changed in 2009 when the jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed strike against the military and civilian GoN’s target. Since then, the violence has only escalated in terms of both frequency and intensity.

In 2013, Nigerian started to apply a state of emergency in North Est Nigeria (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa) => Nigerian’s forces launched an offensive in the Borno State (Birthplace of Boko Haram). The violence escalated dramatically in 2014, with 10,849 deaths.

Regional/International impact :

In 2014, Boko Haram militants attacked several Nigerian towns in the North and captured them. The insurgency spread to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger thus becoming a major regional conflict.

In 2015, a coalition of military forces from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger began a counter-insurgency campaign against Boko Haram. The coalition offensive forced Boko Haram to retreat into the Sambisa Forest (South East of Maiduguri City).

Recent developments of the conflict :

Following the GoN counter-offensive and military support from the Occident, several capitals city of Local Governmental Areas (LGAs) of Borno State were liberated. But out of the city, in the country side, the Boko Haram superiority is still significant. => Since the current insurgency started in 2009, it has killed 20,000 and displaced 2.3 million from their homes and was ranked as the world’s deadliest terror group by the Global Terrorism Index in 2015.

Humanitarian consequences :

The HNO 2017 estimated some 14 million people in need across the six states of the north east. In determining the response for 2017, humanitarian partners agreed to focus on states assessed as the most affected by the violent conflict, infrastructure destruction, mass displacement, ongoing insecurity and ensuing factors. The highest numbers requiring humanitarian assistance are located in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe where 8.5 million people are in need of urgent life-saving assistance. The approach of the humanitarian community is to respond to the most life-threatening needs of 6.9 million people in the three most (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa) affected states of North East Nigeria, from an estimated 8.5 million people in need in the same states.

High rates of acute malnutrition – well beyond the emergency threshold – and worrying food insecurity levels remain a key humanitarian concern. Furthermore, 823 000 people remain in areas to which humanitarian organisations have no access.

In addition, due to inadequate hygiene and sanitation, Nigeria is regularly affected by epidemics such as cholera, lassa fever, polio, meningitis, and measles.

TdH’ strategy/position in the country :

Tdh has established a Country Office in Nigeria since the last quarter of 2017 to try to complete the covering a part of the needs of crisis affected people. For the moment, the organization is operating only in Borno State, essentially in the Eastern Part of the State, the Eastern Crescent -> from the North-East (Cross Kuawa, Kukawa, Monguno) to (Konduga, Gwoza, Banki). Some of the operations are implemented with the collaboration of a local partner (CHAD). TdH is targeting people’s affected by the crisis by addressing some humanitarian gaps related to the access to some primary needs (Water Supply, Non Food Items distributions, Hygiene Promotion) or social basic services (as Child Protection, Educational Support, Primary Health Care…).

In term of Access and Security :

TdH is currently addressing a humanitarian assistance on 13 different community, all of them located in volatile geographical areas (contested by the Government forces and the insurgency forces).

Given the recent establishment of the organization within the country, some key security process still need to be designed and implemented. Moreover, the dedicated security resources (human and material) need to be increase in order to watch properly the sites of intervention and to monitor properlythe integrity of private persons or property.

Responsibilities :

• The Tdh Access & Security Advisor (ASA) assists and supports the Country Representative (CR) in ensuring the safety and security of Tdh’ staff, assets and programs through the implementation and compliance oversight of relevant security policies and procedures, as well as the establishment of analysis grids of events ;
• To that end, S/He will work with the CR to confirm those related organizational policies/procedures/tools are responsive to the context, adequate and known to staff, and will advise on humanitarian access processes and approaches in close coordination with the heads of sectorial units ;
• Under the supervision of the CR, the ASA will analyze security trends, advise, update, and implement the Tdh’s Security Management Plan ;
• The ASA will streamline humanitarian access approaches in line with humanitarian principles, humanitarian needs, and the Tdh’s strategy action plan for Nigeria ;
• The ASA will conduct onsite security trainings for staff, facilitate the development and implementation of appropriate plans, standard operating procedures and contingency plans ;
• S/he will provide expert humanitarian security and access advice to all levels of Tdh staff in the country office including access negotiations and mediation, context and conflict analysis, advisories, and incident management.

Security Management :

• Elaborate / revise the relevant security documents (risk analyses, security plans, contingency plans, security and safety standard operating procedures (SOPs), etc.), in collaboration with the Country Representative ;
• Ensure the implementation of security and safety procedures in the country ;
• Design and drill warden systems, emergency communications networks, and provisioning of emergency supplies for field personnel ;
• Ensure internal incident tracking system is utilized properly and perform incident mapping and analysis ;
• Act as a key member of the Security Management Team when required during a crisis so that safety policies and procedures are implemented ;
• Audits communications equipment and facilitates communications-related assistance when necessary ;
• Recommends changes in country security plans to CR and Security Management Team as needed ;
• Support the CR in the management of security incidents ;
• Replace the CR (and Deputy CR) for security management during their absences (in case of need).

 

Access:

• Support the CR in the negotiations to obtain access with civilian and/or military authorities (in case of need) ;
• Support the organisation of assessment visits in security-sensitive areas (networking, road analysis, specific SOP, etc.) ;
• Participate to assessment visits ;
• Contribute to the elaboration / experimentation of adapted access modalities in security-sensitive areas (e.g. delocalised teams, innovative forms of partnerships, etc.).

 

Context analysis :

• Perform regular qualitative follow up of the political, military and security context in the country ;
• Perform regular quantitative analysis of the security incidents and trends (through internal and external data) in the country ;
• Support the CR for the analysis of local stakeholders, power dynamics, ethno-confessional factors, acceptance factors, and other relevant political, social and cultural issues.

 

Reporting :

• Ensure regular (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) security reports are completed and sent to headquarters, providing timely updates of all situational and security developments including investigation of security incidents ;
• Conducts and submits Security Risk Assessments of programs, as required ;
• Conducts and submits full Site Security Surveys of every site visited ;
• Conducts and submits Trip Reports of all high-risk field deployments ;
• The above should be completed using the TdH security approved templates, and be submitted to the Security Management teams (Country Office and Head Office) and the other HQ security staff ;
• Keep excellent records and logs to ensure continuity of this position.

 

Human Resources :

• Oversee the recruitment and selection of qualified national security field staff, recommend promotions, disciplinary action and termination of staff in consultation with the CR ;
• Make frequent site visits to facilities to carry out security assessments and ensure appropriate care and training are being conducted. Maintain open lines of communications with all field staff.

 

Training/ Capacity Building :

• Supervise and train national Security staff and Security Focal Points ;
• Ensure systematic induction security briefings are conducted to all arriving staff, visitors or volunteers ;
• Ensure that all field staff is fully cognizant of prevailing security threats and fully advised on means to reduce staff vulnerability to those threats ;
• Provide ad hoc training on specific security and/or safety issues to relevant staff (when needed) ;
• Train senior national staff to increase their responsibilities in order to build capacity and ensure sustainability ;
• Monitors the security preparedness of country staff and works with CR to enforce staff compliance with internal security policies and SOPs.

 

Representation and coordination :

• Attends security coordination meetings and updates CR on current security issues ;
• Represent Tdh in bilateral meetings with humanitarian actors and with local actors (in coordination with the CR) ;
• Maintain / expand Tdh’s network of security, context and access contacts, among local NGOs, international NGOs, local authorities and other relevant entities ;
• Maintain regular discussions / organise regular updates on security and context with the Roving Risk Specialist and the HQ Risk Department ;
• Contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organization, notably through the application of the organizations Code of Conduct, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to internal and external actors.

Profile :

• 5 years of field security experience in hostile environments, Previous experience working in NGO ;
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions independently ;
• Extremely flexible with the ability to cope with stressful situations and frustrations ;
• Demonstrated knowledge of linking security activities with other humanitarian sectors ;
• Ability to effectively present information (both written and verbally) and respond appropriately to questions from senior managers in the field and HQ, counterparts, senior government ;
• Experience and understanding of key intuitional donors’ policies, guidelines and strategies e.g. USAid, OFDA, ECHO, DFID and UN ;
• Ability to understand gender related challenges within the beneficiary groups ;
• Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well ;
• Demonstrated experience of working closely with support functions (finance and logistics) on activity and procurement planning ;
• Fluent in English is mandatory.

Salary :

Expatriate contract under Swiss regulations 3’400 CHF (~2’950 €) 4’750 CHF (~4’100 €) net /month according to experience x 13 times, Vacancy: 25 days annual leaves local accommodation and transportation, Health insurance, accident and medical repatriation insurance, return flight.

 

Child Safeguarding Policy :

• Raising awareness within the Foundation on violence against children ;
• Providing guidance to employees and others and defining expectations when it comes to preventing, raising, denouncing and responding to issues of child abuse ;
• Reducing the risk of child abuse by selectively recruiting employees and others ;
• Reducing the risk of child abuse by developing a culture of open and informed leadership within the organization and in our work with children.

We offer an exciting and varied work, useful and meaningful, in a team that wants to make a difference for vulnerable children.

Are you interested? Do you want to face this challenge?

Procedure :

Please applying directly online : here

Application files sent through our official website will be processed only if complete (CV + cover letter). Additional documents (diplomas, work certificates, etc.) will be requested at a later stage.

We will be in touch with the shortlisted candidates only in the selection process – with the large number of applications received, we unfortunately cannot provide personal follow-up to the larger candidate pool. Thanks for your understanding.

For any questions you can consult the FAQ below the job advertisements.

To know more about Terre des hommes : here

Apply here