International Rescue Committee
Humanitarian Access, Safety and Security Advisor
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International Rescue Committee (IRC) - Advisor Position
Overview
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. The IRC’s Emergency Unit (EmU) leads IRC’s global emergency preparedness and response to sudden-onset crises, complex emergencies, and high-risk contexts.
This position is part of the 'ASAP' (Analysis, Security, Access and Preparedness) team, which aims to strengthen global and regional support to IRC teams to deliver in the most complex, volatile, and high-risk operating environments to reach the worst-affected and least-served people in need.
Role Summary
The Advisor will work alongside the Director, and the Emergency Response Team Humanitarian Access, Safety and Security Coordinator, to provide strategic, technical, and operational support to enable IRC to open, expand, and sustain programs in emergencies, major crises, and complex environments. The role involves effective analysis, scenario planning, and support to deliver on IRC’s mandate.
Key Responsibilities
Humanitarian Access Management
- Plan and deliver scenario development workshops to support frontline program teams.
- Support frontline teams to develop and track indicators for tracking crisis developments.
- Develop and implement specific access and acceptance strategies to enable humanitarian access.
- Build and maintain a network of humanitarian access and security staff.
- Stay updated with methods, approaches, and professional developments in relevant topics.
Safety and Security Management
- Support country leadership and teams to identify, analyze, and mitigate safety and security risks.
- Support the implementation of safety and security standards and approaches.
- Support country/response teams in incident management, where relevant.
Emergency Preparedness
- Support country programs to develop and implement humanitarian access, safety, and security approaches in their emergency preparedness and contingency plans.
- Support EmU in the development and adaptation of humanitarian access, safety, and security systems, practices, and resources.
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Learning & Development
- Co-develop a humanitarian access framework with consortium partners.
- Support the development, revision, and uptake of IRC’s technical resources for analysis, security, access, and preparedness.
- Guide, train, coach, and mentor IRC country leaders and frontline staff on humanitarian access, safety, and security.
Partnerships
- Champion a culture of effective and respectful partnerships.
- Ensure partners play a central role in the development of access, security, and engagement strategies.
- Collaborate closely with consortium partners to ensure shared delivery of analysis, security, access, and preparedness approaches.
Team Culture
- Build and maintain strong working relationships across EmU, the Global S&S Department, and regional/country colleagues.
- Cultivate and maintain a positive, collaborative, safe, and protective work environment.
- Contribute to efforts to promote a safe, diverse, and inclusive culture and ways of working.
Requirements
Work Experience
- At least 8 years of non-profit or NGO work experience within international humanitarian assistance programs.
- Demonstrated successes in planning, organizing, and managing safety and security in complex and volatile environments.
- Significant practical experience in humanitarian access, humanitarian negotiation, civil-military coordination, security management, or related competencies.
- Substantial and documented prior experience as a facilitator.
- Experience with collaborative/inclusive development of tools, guidance, and learning materials.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies
- Knowledge of legal and normative frameworks for humanitarian action.
- Familiarity with principles and current approaches to humanitarian access and acceptance models of security management.
- Ability to gain a precise understanding of local, regional, country, and international policies, operational positions, and interactions.
- Advanced skills in humanitarian negotiation, humanitarian-military relations, and engagement with armed groups.
- Strong communication, diplomatic, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills.
- Proficiency in facilitating challenging conversations and delivering training and coaching support.
- Ability to summarize sophisticated topics and information inclusively, clearly, and succinctly.
- Commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in humanitarian settings.
- Experience working with diverse teams and communities, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other groups at risk of exclusion.
- Commitment to ongoing learning and reflection on personal and organizational biases and willingness to adapt practices to promote inclusion.
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Language Skills
- Proficiency in English and French required; Arabic and Spanish of additional added value.
Key Working Relationships
- Reports to: Director of Emergency Humanitarian Access, Safety, and Security
- Directly supervises: N/A
- Other Internal and/or external contacts: ASAP colleagues, Regional Safety and Security Directors, Emergency Safety & Security Coordinator
Working Environment
- Up to 40% international travel may be required, including to environments affected by armed conflict.
Compensation
- (Switzerland Pay Rate: CHF 100,000 - 115,000/yr; UK Pay Rate: GBP 60,000 - 66,000/yr). Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience, and skills relative to the defined job requirements.
Professional Standards
All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to taking all necessary preventive measures and creating an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.
Location: This position is open to national candidates or candidates who have residency in either Kenya, UK, or Geneva. Candidates from any other country that has an IRC Office are welcome to apply as well and will be hosted in that country.
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