INSO is a global charity dedicated exclusively to issues of humanitarian safety and to the operation of NGO Safety Offices (NSO) in volatile or insecure contexts. INSO KENYA aims to support security awareness and security management capabilities amongst NGOs within Kenya. INSO Kenya has more than 160 NGOs (international and national) in its membership.
Based in: Dadaab, Kenya.
Starting Date: 15 December 2015
INSO supports the humanitarian community with vital coordination and information free services that save lives and improve access.
We are now seeking an experienced individual to join our team as a Safety Advisor (SA) who will be based out of the INSO office located in Dadaab.
This is a highly rewarding role, enabling vital aid to be delivered to thousands of people whose lives have been disrupted by violence. This is a unique hybrid position, combining the roles of an analyst and an operational safety advisor.
The position requires advanced analytical capacity, together with operational experience in insecure/post-conflict environments and a strong understanding of the humanitarian community.
Successful applicants will be able to build and maintain a diverse network of contacts, articulate complex political and socio-economic analysis from an objective, neutral perspective, and produce and disseminate written products and deliver briefings on a time-sensitive basis.
In addition, the applicant will be able to identify trends and patterns within quantitative datasets of security incidents, linking this information to broader political and socio-economic developments.
The applicant must use his or her experience as a functional practitioner within insecure/post-conflict environments and his or her knowledge of the humanitarian community to ensure that analytical products are tailored to offer practical guidance and operational support.
The applicant must also be an appropriate representative of INSO among a diverse and important audience of members and a wide network of contacts, including UN agencies, international donors and organisations, local communities and their leaders.
In addition to providing potentially life-saving advice and analysis, our Safety Advisors must consistently represent INSO's mandate of neutrality and independence, while upholding humanitarian principles and actively promoting the improvement of operating practices, to allow access to be retained and expanded and vital services to be delivered safely and promptly.
Further responsibilities include:
(The list of responsibilities is not exhaustive, other tasks may be requested to adapt to operational needs).
- Establish and maintain an active information network, which includes NGOs, the UN, military forces, and other national and international security actors to obtain credible and relevant safety information.
- Provide NGOs with timely and credible security information and contextual analysis of the local security situation through: daily FLASH alerts, weekly incident lists and bi-weekly analytical reports.
- Facilitate and lead regular NGO community security roundtables in your region of responsibility, presenting trends and facilitating discussions.
- Assist NGOs in developing their own security management capacities by reviewing policy documents, conducting site-security surveys, and assisting in crisis evacuation planning.
- Manage a small office team including supervising national staff (10) and oversight of local logistics and administration.
- Effectively represent, promote and protect INSO's mandate of independence, impartiality and neutrality.
Mandatory Requirements:
- Exemplary command of the English language (written and spoken).
- Bachelor degree in Journalism, Communication, Political Sciences, History, or other relevant field
- Minimum of one (1) full year of experience in an insecure/post-conflict environment.
- Minimum of two (2) years of experience with written analysis (samples requested).
- Experience with datasets and quantitative analysis.
- Knowledge of humanitarian community and operations.
- Acceptance and strong understanding of humanitarian principles.
- Solid understanding of practical risk management.
- Outgoing and confident personality and a calm demeanor during crises.
- Excellent networking, diplomatic, and representative communication skills.
- Flexibility to frequently work within irregular hours and within austere environments.
Preferred Characteristics: (Not mandatory, but advantageous. Please specify in cover letter)
- Masters degree in Journalism, Communication, Political Sciences, History, or other relevant field
- Employment history that reflects experience in both security and civilian fields
- Minimum of two (2) recent years of experience in Kenya, and demonstrate advanced knowledge with the historical and current social, political, and security contexts within the region.
- Minimum of two (2) years experience in an NGO.
- Understanding of principles and practices in humanitarian action, NGO safety and risk management, humanitarian access, and civil-military coordination.
- Direct experience and involvement in a crisis management role.
- Experience in a highly-visible interagency role.
- Detailed understanding of INSO mandate and services.
- Existing (relevant) local information networks and contacts.
- Information management and GIS skills
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested persons are requested to send the following to jobs@ngosafety.org and reference ‘INSO SA Kenya’ in the subject line of your email. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
- Cover letter specifying how you meet the mandatory requirements, your motivation in applying and what you hope to bring to INSO (2 page maximum).
- Up to date CV (5 page maximum).
- One relevant and substantive writing sample in English, which demonstrates your analytical and reporting abilities (10 page maximum).
Please do not send any additional information (certificates, other writing samples, etc.) and keep the total size of your application under 2MB if possible.
