Senior Officer, Security
Job Summary
The Senior Security and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring effective security planning and establishing robust management structures within the IFRC Afghanistan Country Delegation. This role guarantees the implementation of security plans and adherence to institutional compliance, guided by accurate, relevant, and multi-sourced situational monitoring, as well as quality security management training and incident data analysis. The Senior Security Officer also fosters relationships with counterparts in other organizations and key stakeholders in the operational area.
Additionally, the Senior Security Officer is tasked with protecting the confidentiality and integrity of the organization, ensuring the highest level of security for country office staff and delegates by providing quality advice and managing watchmen to ensure safe access to IFRC properties.
Collaboration with ARCS and ICRC is essential to support the ongoing development of ARCS security systems.
Duties & Responsibilities
Security Assessments, Planning, and Training:
- Oversee safety and security matters in Afghanistan.
- Implement the IFRC Minimum Security Requirements (MSR) and relevant Federation Security Manuals and Training. Maintain a checklist of MSR and track compliance status.
- Ensure updated security plans for the Afghanistan Country Delegation and staff compliance.
- Train all staff on the security plan and ensure understanding and adherence to procedures.
- Analyze the security environment in Afghanistan, identify threats and risks, and provide guidance to management on necessary measures.
- Conduct regular field visits to monitor and assess operational areas and field offices.
- Keep a daily log of security conditions by monitoring news, unofficial reports, and other sources.
- Monitor events, incidents, and near-misses daily and assess associated risks.
- Conduct or participate in security-related training inside or outside the Federation.
- Ensure all safety and security matters are effectively assessed, resolved, documented, and communicated.
Security Communication:
- Serve as the primary contact for the Head of Country Delegation during incidents in Afghanistan when the Security Coordinator is absent.
- Maintain continuous communication with the Security Coordinator during incidents.
- Provide daily reports to the Security Coordinator on relevant security issues and offer advice on security regulations and measures.
- Collaborate with the Security Coordinator to facilitate the “green light” for exceptional expatriate movements within Kabul.
- Track all security incidents and update electronic information maps (including ARCS incidents, NGO incidents, and incidents in Kabul and IFRC field offices).
- Prepare and disseminate security-related updates for staff meetings or immediate incidents via SMS or email.
- Inform the Security Coordinator and, as instructed, update the Administration/HR department regarding any incidents or breaches of the staff Code of Conduct (CoC).
- Support the Security Coordinator in delivering comprehensive security briefings to new delegates and visitors, ensuring familiarity with IFRC regulations and emergency protocols.
- Ensure guards, drivers, and radio operators are informed of all safety/security procedures and movement restrictions in Kabul.
Lateral Relationships:
- Maintain close communication with the Senior Driver to relay relevant daily security information.
- Collaborate with the Senior Driver to monitor and assess routes for staff movements within the city.
- Support the Security Coordinator by attending security meetings organized by ICRC, INSO, UNDSS, and government security departments, providing updates as necessary.
- Foster a strong relationship with ARCS through its security focal point, sharing necessary security information and supporting the development of the ARCS security management system as approved by the Head of Delegation (HoD).
- Coordinate with ICRC and attend Movement Security and Access Working Group meetings.
Passive Security:
- Collaborate with the Security Coordinator to ensure safety and security measures are in place for IFRC premises, including offices, residences, warehouses, and other assets.
- Ensure all offices and premises are securely locked outside working hours.
- Equip office and residential safe rooms with necessary supplies for extended stays.
- Verify that all fire-fighting equipment, including extinguishers, is checked, not expired, and that staff are trained in its use.
- Regularly inspect and maintain passive security measures around all relevant premises.
Management & Supervision:
- Prepare monthly duty rosters for all watchmen/drivers and display them in designated locations within offices, residences, and warehouses.
- Ensure daily presence of all watchmen/drivers at their assigned locations through physical checks and ad hoc inspections.
- Report security breaches and concerns to the Security Coordinator.
Reporting:
- Immediately report any security incidents in Afghanistan or involving an I/NGO to the Security Coordinator.
- Assist the Security Coordinator in preparing weekly and quarterly security reports, including mapping for the Regional Security Coordinator and Geneva Security Unit.
- Create maps of security incidents and update electronic information maps (including incidents in Kabul and IFRC field offices, ARCS incidents, NGO incidents).
- Ensure all relevant incident reports are documented, reviewed by the Security Coordinator, and filed appropriately.
- Report any violations of security regulations by staff to the Security Coordinator, including unauthorized movements.
- Provide feedback on the performance of watchmen/drivers and advise the Security Coordinator on necessary actions, additional training, and recommendations.
Job Requirements
Required:
- Relevant education at a minimum bachelor’s level.
- Five years of experience in a similar role, preferably with an INGO/NGO/UN/Military.
- Field experience in humanitarian security work.
- Strong communication skills.
- Strong analytical abilities in political, socioeconomic, and security contexts.
- Ability to thrive in a multicultural environment.
- Effective stress management skills.
- Proficient in computer applications (Windows, Microsoft Office, databases, email (Outlook), etc.).
- Fluent in spoken and written English.
- Good command of Dari and Pashto.
Preferred:
- Completion of Stay Safe e-learning courses (basic and Managers).
- Experience collaborating with military, security agencies, and law enforcement.
- Knowledge of another IFRC official language.
Submission Guideline
Interested and qualified candidates are requested to fill out the application form by clicking the link below and send a copy of their updated CV.
www.ifrc.org/jobs/details.html?jobId=145946&jobTitle=Senior%20Officer%2C%20Security
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.
IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.
IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.
IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegations and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.
IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.
About Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA)
Community engagement and accountability is a way of working that recognises and values all community members as equal partners, whose diverse needs, priorities, and preferences guide everything we do. We achieve this by integrating meaningful community participation, open and honest communication, and mechanisms to listen to and act on feedback, within our programmes and operations. Evidence, experience, and common sense tells us when we truly engage communities and they play an active role in designing and managing programmes and operations, the outcomes are more effective, sustainable, and of a higher quality.
Working in partnership with communities is at the core of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. We commit to involving people in the management of aid, holding ourselves accountable to those we seek to assist, and building on local capacity in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s Code of Conduct in Disaster Relief. The Principles and Rules for Red Cross and Red Crescent Humanitarian Assistance commit to including transparent communication and feedback mechanisms in emergency responses. In December 2019, the first set of ‘Movement-wide Commitments for Community Engagement and Accountability’ was approved at the Council of Delegates.
The Movement is not alone in its efforts to strengthen community engagement and accountability. There are several global initiatives also working to support this aim. These shared commitments support collective action on improving community engagement across agencies and include the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS), which sets out nine commitments that organisations and individuals involved in humanitarian response can use to improve the quality and effectiveness of the assistance they provide, the Interagency Standing Committee Commitments on Accountability to Affected People, and the Grand Bargain Commitments to increasing the participation of affected communities in addressing humanitarian needs.
About the Protection Gender and Inclusion (PGI)
The CEA approach also works together with PGI components as these both are a crosscutting issue that to be integrated in the programs and operations as an organization’s value. The Protection Gender and Inclusion identified as one of the strategic priorities in Strategy 2030 in its objective to mitigate violence discrimination and exclusion with particular attention to people who are vulnerable, excluded and marginalised. The PGI Policy approved at the 2022 General Assembly supported by the PGI Operational Framework developed in 2021 accentuate integration of value, power and inclusion as key features. The PGI policy define IFRC stand on addressing violence, discrimination and exclusion as “interlinked and to effectively address causes, risks and consequences of any of these issues we need to address them together” further affirmed by the framework that Protection Gender and Inclusion “integrates issues of gender, diversity and inclusion into any protection response to make it more appropriate, adapted and effective”.
The core emphasis of PGI approach has been to be mainstreaming PGI into programme and operations while also emphasising specific themes in mainstreamed and specialised work addressing the marginalised, excluded and vulnerable and to develop the tools, guidance and procedures that addresses them in an integrated way.
To support the programmatic guidance, institutional structures and systems to be developed and refined, with core PGI competencies being established for all staff and volunteers, and specific competencies being established for those specialised in PGI. Accompanying training and accreditation processes ensure a consistent quality across the national society.
All these policies, strategies, and tools have one single common aim to provide better help for people affected by violence, discrimination and exclusion.