Senior Security and Access Officer

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war and disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC has been working in Pakistan since 1980, managing and delivering large, complex programs to meet the needs in health, education, safeguarding, environmental health and livelihoods for displaced, poor and disaster affected communities. With the support of the federal and provincial governments, and generous donors, the IRC is currently implementing multiple projects across the country.

Job Overview/Summary:

Under the direct supervision of the SS&BC Coordinators, the Sr. Security & Access Officer – Quetta, Balochistan. is expected to maintain, improve, and expand the principled humanitarian access to and by the populations affected by adversity in Pakistan. S/he will ensure the same through assisting the implementation of humanitarian access and security management plans in compliance with IRC’s strategy and in line with the humanitarian principles, humanitarian needs, duty of care and gender equality principles. The job holder is expected to assist the SS&BC Coordinators for Safety, Security and Business Continuity related matters of IRC Programs being implemented in the job posted area. The major focus is to enable the secure delivery of humanitarian assistance through access by securing the Government approvals/NOCs/Enlisting, Safety Security, program delivery, and to proactively identify deficiencies and risks. S/he is expected to work closely with the managers and field staff and to ensure proper liaison with the relevant government officials. S/he will also be responsible for adherence to and implementing the IRC SOPs/CPs/Tools in the relevant operational areas and for supporting the program teams to effectively and efficiently use standard tools, systems and procedures related to access, safety, security and ensuring duty of care.

Management in Partnership:

The position will report directly to both the Technical/Operational Coordinators of SS&BC. For the humanitarian access and engagement component reports the Access & Engagement Coordinator and for Safety & Security component, to the Safety & Security Coordinator. The administrative / indirect reporting will be Head of Office for day-to-day operations. Moreover, no document can be submitted to any Government Department without the coordinators’ review and signatures by the Country Director or those delegated as such, by the country directors.

Major Responsibilities:

• Liaison with relevant government offices for timely acquiring LOU/MOU/NOC/Approvals/Submission/ endorsements, receiving and approvals.

• Develop documentation as per federal and provincial government’s requirements for each ongoing/new project at the start up stage and updating and submitting the documents as and when required.

• Responsible for maintaining MOI-MOU signed clauses in adhering to IRC policies and documents submission and data management.

• Monitor program activities in adherence to the MOI-MOU signed clauses and ensure IRC’s business continuity.

• Develop and maintain work plan, logbook, and stakeholder engagement contact details’ list.

• Maintain strong internal and external including government coordination for the preparation of relevant documents, NOCs checklists, and letters as per required approvals.

• Ensure that all government requirements for successful documents submission are prepared in a timely manner and maintain a tracking sheet.

• Spearhead on day-to-day operations related to humanitarian access and liaison with government authorities and other entities for administrative and substantive staff, program, and organizational needs and timely update Access and Engagement coordinator.

• Assist to develop and maintain contact lists, stakeholder analyses and humanitarian access profiles in the area of responsibility.

• Support AE coordinator in identifying accessible/inaccessible Access Security areas and develop sitreps.

• Identify and preemptively design program risk mitigation plans for smooth Humanitarian Access

• Assist line manager for arrangement of meetings with different stakeholders.

• Work to ensure that IRC, its mission, and work in the areas of operations is known and accepted.

• Work to encourage stakeholders to work with the IRC in ensuring that staff and programs are allowed to continue humanitarian activities in areas of operations.

• Assist A&E Coordinator to establish and maintain relations and networks to facilitate understanding and influences on humanitarian access.

• Contribute to local-level conflict sensitivity analysis and macro-level analysis of trends.

• Maintain regular contact with relevant government bodies to establish a relationship based on trust and reciprocal respect and to ensure their regular involvement in IRC’s activities.

• Support the access and engagement coordinator to develop, maintain and establish positive and transparent relations with the key stakeholders in IRC’s areas of intervention.

• Align and uniform all IRC documents across Pakistan as per MOI, EAD, SAFRON, MOFA, FBR, SECP and LEA in close consultation with Access and Engagement coordinator.

• Collect, analyze, and share information in areas of operation as assigned by the line manager including significant contextual changes to supporting the department in access and engagement context.

• Ensure IRC’ implementing partners’ (Local NOGs) for timely acquiring and sharing projects NOCs.

• Complete any other tasks as directed by line manager.

Safety & Security:

▪ Identify and respond to incidents and resolve emergent risks to the security of IRC personnel or assets.

▪ Oversee safety and security for the IRC office and liaise with partners security focal points under direct supervision of Safety and Security Coordinator.

▪ Undertake regular district, offices, routes and location assessments of project areas and report on findings and design vital improvements.

▪ Help in identifying opportunities, addressing vulnerabilities, and reducing risks for staff, ensuring a safe working environment in the office and the field.

▪ Maintain record of all staff travel and carryout staff tracking.

▪ Promote the development of appropriate security information networks relevant to IRC teams working in program/province area.

▪ Support the Safety and Security team in collecting and disseminating relevant security information, thus enabling line management to manage security and safety effectively.

▪ Support staff in methods ensuring security information is recorded and analyzed regularly, and help management provide regular, concise, and clear verbal and written security updates, under the supervision of Safety and Security Coordinator.

▪ Attend relevant security meetings.

▪ Conduct investigations into security incidents that impact IRC Programs.

▪ Maintain an updated list and contacts with focal points across all programs.

▪ Develop daily, weekly, and monthly security updates and progress reports to the line management.

▪ Maintain confidentiality, impartiality, and neutrality in all aspects of security arrangements.

▪ In conjunction with Safety and Security Coordinator, organize refresher trainings on security and initiate simulation trainings in given risks (carjacking, robbery, evacuation, etc.).

▪ Assist foreigners during visits and get relevant approvals including LEA / travel NOCs from government/other relevant stakeholders.

▪ Assist Safety & Security Coordinator in compilation of documents required for travel NOCs for the expats and pursuing the same with the provincial home department and other officials at provincial and district levels.

▪ Maintain liaison with the security & LEA at all levels for effective coordination, security cover and information sharing when and where required.

▪ Monitor media (electronic, print and social) for awareness and disseminating required information with IRC staff and issuing advisories, if the situation warrants.

▪ Complete any other task as directed by line manager.

Key Working Relationships:

▪ Position Reports to: Access and Engagement Coordinator and Safety and Security Coordinator

▪ Position directly supervises: Security Guards

▪ Indirect Reporting: Head of Office

Job Requirements:

A. Education:

University degree/post graduate social sciences, business/public management, communications, or other

related fields

B. Work Experience:

▪ Total years of experience 5-8 years.

▪ 3-5 years of relevant job work experience with NGO/INGO.

▪ Ability to work under pressure in an unstable security environment. Able to handle sensitive information with strict confidentiality.

▪ Experience in training, capacity building and team building of staff.

C. Demonstrated skills and competencies:

▪ Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

▪ Excellent report writing skills.

▪ Ability and experience coordinating with government and partner organizations.

▪ Excellent training, capacity building and team building skills.

▪ Strong coordination, communication, and capacity building skills.

▪ Flexibility to work in a diverse multicultural team with respect for Pakistani culture and norms.

▪ Proven ability to live and work in an unstable, stressful, and insecure environment.

▪ Excellent knowledge of MS Office package (word, excel, and power point).

▪ Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

▪ Strong, creative problem-solving skills

D. External & Internal Coordination:

▪ Internal contacts Across Pakistan: Internal: AMU, Partnership, Finance, SC, HR, IT, Program, Coms, MEAL, Project leads/assigned focal, technical department, Head of offices, and relevant departments focal.

▪ External Contacts at Provincial & District level: Operation and other sectors staff of IRC, Cluster coordinators/ Leads, Government bodies, CAR, DC/AC, DDMOs, Home Departments, Social welfare department, P&D Department, LEA, PDMAs, UN Agencies, INGOs, NGOs and CBOs. Federal level government engagement would be assigned as per the need.

▪ Attend relevant IRC ongoing project cycle meetings currently implemented as per IRC interventions in lines with government regulations and to provide required SS&BC, the Humanitarian Access risks analysis and project coverage/support in close consultation with line manager.

▪ Extend support to ensure business continuity and Access and Safety and Security for IRC program as per government regulations.

E.Language Skills:

▪ Must be fluent in English, and Urdu languages. Local language will be preferred.

The IRC Core Values and Commitments.

▪ The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

▪ IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff is suitable to work with children and have the knowledge to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.

Level of interaction with children: Less Frequent direct contact with children

▪ IRC ensures that its staff must actively practice the roles and responsibilities related to client responsiveness, accountability to people in affected communities and must have competencies to solicits and listens to feedback and other’s perspectives, responds to feedback with maturity and sensitivity and takes appropriate decisions and makes changes to behavior or actions in response to feedback.

▪ IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures and actions demonstrate this commitment.