CALL FOR CV: Consultant – Safety and Security – Various Locations

***Selected consultants will be part of Mercy Corps mandate and not guaranteed employment. Consultants who have applied to previous calls are encouraged to reapply.

Background:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization driven by the belief that a better world is possible. In times of disaster, hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to implement bold solutions – helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

To fulfill our office and workplace security due diligence obligations and meet our global minimum safety and security standards, we deploy security team members and consultants to provide on-the-spot support or recurring to our national operations. The exact mission of a deployment is unique to the time and circumstances of the deployment, but is likely to include standard activities such as risk assessments, evacuation, relocation and hibernation planning, trainings, support for incident or crisis management or training related to safety and security. He is expected to document his work well and in some cases draft documentation elements used for the country’s Safety Management Plan (SMP). In most cases, a consultant will report directly to the Country Director or Regional Security Advisor. Mercy Corps uses a community acceptance strategy for safety and security and does not carry or use weapons.

Object / Description of the project:

Mercy Corps Safety and Security is looking to refresh its roster of consultants who will conduct tailored deployments to our country programs around the world. Consultants will be interviewed to ensure a mutually shared vision and approach to security management and general compatibility in addition to technical expertise. It is expected that consultants will be approached and invited to deploy on a case-by-case basis. (there is no mandatory deployment requirement) Each deployment would include a unique negotiated contract and scope of work. Mercy Corps encourages female candidates to apply for this position.

Objectives of the consultants:

Meet or exceed Global Security’s goal of implementing a security management plan a) appropriate to the risks in the environment and Mercy Corps’ risk tolerance b) consistent with our global minimum standards.

Planned and typical consulting activities (when deployed):

• Engage in and understand Mercy Corps security management planning, our approach to risk mitigation, emergency response, crisis response, and programs in selected locations.
• Assistance and ability to lead/advise during incident response during incident/crisis management situations.
• Conduct independent audit or assessments of ongoing safety and security operations
• Support the start-up of new program areas with activity-specific security planning.
• Evaluate planning and response to natural disasters and contingency plans.
• Lead or support the current in-country security team to perform site assessments on buildings, vehicles, or other assets and infrastructure utilized by Mercy Corps operations.
• Conduct a field visit to sub-offices or locations to perform:
  • Assessments of location, routes and planned program activities
  • A review of safety and security procedures
  • Guidance on staff safety and security in cooperation with local security personnel
  • Review and respond to safety and security needs and challenges identified by the Office Manager.
• Support for the review of the Safety and Security Management Plan and Standard Operating Procedures. Work with the Country Security Team to draft portions of these documents as required.
  • Ensure that each unique context is assessed and included in the country security management plan.
• Evaluate and support strategies that emphasize community acceptance.
• Work with security focal points so that they are constantly able to:
  • Guide the Country Team on the evolution and update of security plans and analyses.
  • Provide professional safety orientation to new hires and visitors
  • Confidently submit risk assessments and context analyzes based on dynamic environments
  • Contribute to program design and ongoing support of our program team.
  • Coordinate and debrief with CD or Office Manager to ensure urgent security issues are resolved.
  • Conduct security management skills training, including incident management and incident reporting; including incident management exercise, hibernation, relocation, evacuation.
  • Ability to operate and have a broad understanding of all dynamics, such as gender, culture, tribe, etc., in all operating environments. Ability to incorporate this thinking into our security management framework.

Deadline / Calendar:

September 2022 – 2024

The consultant will report to:

The Senior Director, Global Security is the line manager by default, but this may change for individual deployments.

The consultant will work in close collaboration with:

Regional Security Advisors, Country Directors, Country Leadership Team, Country Risk Management Team, Program Team, Office Managers.

Experience and skills required:

• 7-10 years of experience working in challenging safety and security environments.
• Knowledge and experience of working with NGOs and implementing a community-acceptable security management practice.
• Mature and with management experience. We are looking for someone who can work with leadership in our country programs with knowledge of the program management process.
• Strong training skills.
• First aid training is required. A certified first aid trainer or certified paramedic license is desired.
• Written and spoken English is required. French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian languages ​​are desired.
  • Please include details of your language skills in your application
• Ability to travel the world.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different backgrounds, beliefs, backgrounds and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the most challenging challenges. complexes of the world. We strive to instill a culture of trust and respect, where everyone brings their perspectives and authentic identities, achieves their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not practice or tolerate discrimination based on race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability ( including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, veteran status or any other protected group in the places where we work.

Safeguarding and Ethics Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all accountability efforts, particularly to our stakeholders and international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team Members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and comply with local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures and values ​​at all times and in all locations nationwide.