This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced security or safeguarding professional to lead on security, safeguarding, and safety of International Alert’s (Alert) global personnel, assets, and operations. Reporting to the Director of Global Development, you’ll provide expert advice to staff across International Alert, particularly in our Country Offices, to enable us to keep our staff, partners and participants safe and well. You’ll lead on the development and implementation of global policies, procedures and training, working closely with focal points in all our offices, ensuring is compliant with national and international safety, security and safeguarding legal and donor requirements. The Senior Security, Safeguarding and Safety Officer plays a key role in critical incidents, providing coordination and expert advice on appropriate responses, and leads on security and safeguarding serious incident reporting and lesson learning.

We’re seeking candidates with experience in global security or safeguarding management, preferably in a multinational organisation, providing safeguarding and/or security advice, support and coordination. Your understanding of security risk assessment and management principles, crisis management and emergency response protocols will be essential. We’ll also benefit from your knowledge of safeguarding principles, international standards, and best practices in preventing and responding to abuse, exploitation, and harm. You’ll bring experience managing security incidents and working fragile or conflict-affected contexts, as well as conducting safeguarding risk assessments and investigations. In this role you’ll use your skills writing and implementing organisational policies, including through designing and delivering basic security, safeguarding or safety training. Fluent in English, with a clear and concise writing style, your excellent interpersonal skills will help you relate to people at all levels and from diverse backgrounds in a trauma-sensitive manner. We’re looking for excellent problem solving and ability to work under pressure. Fluency in French, and understanding of Health and Safety compliance requirements and safety management systems, are desirable but not essential.

Role duties and responsibilities:

Security

• Provide expert advice to Alert staff about security plan development, incident response and security analysis.
• Provide leadership to country team security focal points and senior management to develop and review security plans and procedures, including contingency and crisis response plans, serious incident management, standard operating procedures and emergency communications.
• Support staff to integrate security considerations into project planning and implementation.
• Lead a network of security focal points across Alert, providing opportunities for information and experience sharing.
• Lead on the organisation's crisis preparedness and incident response processes, including the development of emergency response plans and conducting drills or simulations. Ensure each team has a business continuity plan, and update plans for the UK and Netherlands teams.
• Provide expert advice to country teams and senior Directors in the event of a security incident. Provide advice to and coordination between those involved in managing the response.
• Play a key role in Alert’s Crisis Management Group, in coordination with the Executive Director, DGD and Regional Directors, providing advice, coordination and action.
• Report serious security incidents and review our incident and crisis responses.
• Develop and test organisational emergency communication procedures, including supporting teams to develop and test phone trees.
• Coordinate and where appropriate deliver training on security issues to Alert staff, consultants, trustees and partners, including ensuring provision of Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) to staff located in, and travelling to, high risk environments.
• Monitor the reporting and data gathering of security incidents and generate analysis/reports on security trends, responses and vulnerabilities and any relevant lessons learned from security and safety incidents.
• Lead on Alert’s organisational security policy, refreshing it periodically (and at least every two years) as agreed with the Director of Global Delivery (DGD).
• Collaborate with the Head of People to ensure provision of post-incident personnel well-being support.

Safeguarding

• Stay abreast of donor and legal safeguarding requirements and sector standards, and provide guidance to the organisation to maintain compliance.
• Provide expert advice Alert staff to develop, implement and review safeguarding procedures, including on project and event safeguarding risk assessments.
• Lead the network of safeguarding focal points across Alert, to provide training, share experience and information.
• Develop and deliver or signpost staff and trustees to basic safeguarding training.
• Provide expertise advice on how to investigate a safeguarding report, decide on actions, support survivors and report. Lead safeguarding investigations where agreed with DGD.
• Lead reporting of safeguarding incidents to the Executive Team, Board, Charity Commission and, with Director of Resource Development, to core donors.
• Work with the Head of People to ensure that safeguarding considerations are integrated into recruitment, onboarding and performance management processes.
• Support trustees to carry out their safeguarding governance responsibilities, through training, regular reporting and support in the event of an investigation.

Safety

• Ensure Alert complies with UK and Netherlands’ Health & Safety legislation, Fire Safety Regulations and other statutory requirements. Maintain necessary records.
• Lead the development, implementation and review office of health and safety procedures for the UK and Netherlands. Provide expertise advice to country teams to develop health and safety procedures in their offices.
• Ensure fire drills are held in all offices, that fire and security alarms are maintained and tested, and maintain records.

Other tasks

• Prepare and present reports to senior management, including the Executive Team and the Board of Trustees, on controls and compliance activities, findings, and recommendations.
• Contribute to Global Delivery and wider Alert learning and experience sharing.
• Undertake any other task reasonably requested by the Director of Global Delivery.

Please note that the above are just some of the role requirements. Please click here to view the job description.

How to apply

Please follow this link to apply.

All applicants must have existing right to work in the country they wish to be based in.​

International Alert prides itself on being an Equal Opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from underrepresented people including Black, Indigenous and people of colour, LGBTIQ+, people with disabilities, and other historically marginalised people. We particularly encourage applications from the Global South.

While International Alert will endeavour to contact all candidates within a reasonable time, this may not always be possible due to limited resources. Therefore, if you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, you can assume your application has, on this occasion, been unsuccessful.