Area Safety, Security & Access Coordinator – Southern Ukraine

Location: Mykolaiv with frequent travel to other CARE Ukraine office locations.

Reporting line manager: Area Director with technical Line management by Safety and Security Manager.

Duration: 12 months renewable

Conditions: 

• Employment contract, gross monthly salary starting from EUR 2857, depending on proven relevant experience for the post,
• Risk Allowance EUR300 (Mykolaiv based)
• Moving allowance to Kyiv: EUR 600 lump sum (one time), applicable for people recruited from outside the base. 
• Annual leave of 28 days per calendar year. 
• Medical insurance and PSS support

Starting date: As Soon As Possible

CARE INTERNATIONAL 

CARE International (CI) is among the world’s largest international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development confederations. Drawing on more than 75 years of experience, CI’s work reaches over 110 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. 

CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice; where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE focuses heavily on women and girls, and the areas of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty and social injustice until all people have equal rights and opportunities. 

CONTEXT IN UKRAINE  

On 24th February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine marked a significant escalation to the conflict that started in 2014. It continues to profoundly impact the lives of people across the country at various levels. The front line is continuously shifting and there are areas under Russian military control, as well as cities under siege. Attacks on military installations and critical civilian infrastructures are conducted in the whole territory of Ukraine, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties. The conflict has caused the largest population movement in Europe since World War II, with over 5 million currently displaced within Ukraine and 6 million refugees across Europe. OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) had counted 14.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. 

An ongoing priority for the international humanitarian response is to reach newly accessible areas in the East and South of Ukraine, and to provide aid to previously unreachable and particularly hard-hit areas of Ukraine. 

CARE UKRAINE 

As CARE, we strongly believe in the importance of localization and recognize the invaluable skills and knowledge present in the local context. By working together, we can achieve quality responses and make a lasting impact on the lives of those we serve. CARE seek to establish long-term, sustainable partnerships with civil society organizations especially WLOs/WROs that lead to more effective, locally driven, and impactful humanitarian responses, recovery, and development in Ukraine, improving the lives of the most vulnerable populations. 

In the first few weeks after the escalation of the war, virtually all humanitarian aid inside Ukraine was organized and implemented by local actors. These groups (together with local authorities) remain the principal aid providers but are quickly being exhausted of funds, fuel, and physical energy. Thereby, a considerable proportion of CARE’s resources is dedicated to strengthening and supporting the capacities of local partners. 

As of September 2024, CARE Ukraine has established partnerships with over thirty local/national organizations (incl. WLO’s/WRO’s). From the more than 75 million euro that have been raised for Ukraine thus far, more than 77% is allocated to national partners. Through the activities that have been implemented so far, CARE Ukraine has been able to reach more than 1,4 million people. 

While CARE Ukraine’s country office is currently located in Kyiv, we also have offices in Lviv,  Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv.   

Role Objectives:

CARE Ukraine is seeking a Safety, Security & Access Coordinator for Mykolaiv to enable safe humanitarian access and assistance directly and through partners in government-controlled areas. We are looking for a candidate that not only has experience in security management in hostile/complex areas, but also someone who is quick to learn, adapt and can show agility in a fast-moving context. We encourage candidates with experience in the private and public (government) sectors to apply, and particularly welcome applications from female candidates.  

 Role Responsibilities:

1. Planning and Preparation 

The Safety, Security and Access Coordinator will be responsible for: 

• Assisting in communication with implementing partners on their Safety & Security arrangements and advising them with the respect of Duty of Care and CARE standards.
• Developing and maintaining a strong contextual understanding of the areas of operations in close and near constant consultation with the Area Director (AD) and safety & Security Manager (SSM), with a specific attention to original, verified, accurate and detailed information sources in the languages used by the parties in the region; namely Ukrainian and Russian.
• Monitoring the security environment in operational areas, updating situation and risk assessments on a daily basis, assuring the AD and SSM are informed in real time of current and emerging safety and security trends, threats, risks and CARE Ukraine proposed risk mitigating measures.
• Supporting the development of a safety and security culture among all CARE staff and those of CARE partner organisations in Ukraine, supported and reinforced by the Safety & Security Risk Assessments (SSRAs) and Safety & Security Management Plan (SSMP).
• Liaising with respective government agencies, law enforcement, military and, where needed, commercial services providers in the designated area, to ensure that CARE staff can maintain access to programme areas within limits of acceptable risks.
• Ensuring that security planning becomes an integral part of day-to-day operations and is integrated into the development of future programmes.
• Assisting the SSM in updating and maintaining the Country Office’s SSMP, using the CARE Ukraine / CARE Deutschland template.
• Updating and maintaining the Area Office’s SSMP.
• Assuring that all CARE functions and facilities are included in the security plan and the plan is kept current for any changes.
• Assisting the CARE security staff in delivering Safety & Security training courses for CARE Ukraine staff and implementing partners candidate trainers.
• Assisting the CO Incident/Crisis Management Team to plan and prepare for major safety and security events and critical incidents and crisis. 
• Assisting in the selection and development of a network of Safety & Security management focal points (RMFPs) in every operational location where CARE has a base,
• Participating in the selection of protection services and other outsourced security risk management support, as required, and ensuring that adequate training and support is provided.
• Working with the CARE Ukraine Programme Department and, where appropriate, partner Ukrainian NGO staff in development of new projects to help develop projects that are designed to have built-in risk assessments and mitigation measures.
• Assisting with the strategic and operational analysis and assessments, and with the refinement of programme strategies.
• Performing safety & security risk assessments or evaluation missions in the field and regularly review safety and security procedures.

 Security Management 

1. Prevention

• Developing and regularly updating the SSRAs and the SSMP, as well as other tools as required, in accordance with the nature of safety and security risks (inc. detailed threat & risk assessments, definition of security protocols, standard operating procedures for personal movement & transport, office, warehouse, communications, incident report sheets, and assets protection).
• Developing and regularly updating the appropriate safety & security protocols depending on the nature of specific threats and risks.
• Ensuring safety and security dimensions are factored into all operational activities, such as programming (including budget), advocacy and communication.
• Assisting management enhancing standards in relation to safety and security.
• Coordinating with the Human Resources Manager / Administrator to ensure field staff know how to identify health risks in Ukraine and the region, how to protect against illness, injury, and stress, and how to obtain proper support or medical treatment.
• Working with administrative / logistics staff to ensure appropriate steps are taken to safeguard office premises, equipment, and residential property (guards (if required), locks, lighting, alarms, and fire equipment).
• Supporting the development of a network of contacts among national and regional actors to facilitate CARE work and enhance the safety and security of its operations.
• Representing CARE Ukraine Safety & Security and coordinate amongst all actors (state, military, INGOs, and other national organisations) on all matters pertaining to safety and security.
• Organising and circulating relevant safety and security information to the staff and provide an opportunity for employees to voice safety and/or security-related concerns.
• Contributing to the security of humanitarian community by sharing relevant security related information.
• Ensuring timely and accurate reporting of safety and security incidents, weekly as well as ad-hoc on request of the AD and SSM. 
• Coordinating training in safety & security, ensuring that staff have the necessary equipment and are trained accordingly.
• Ensuring that project proposals, operational plans and budgets include safety and security plans and projected costs.
• Ensuring that all incoming visitors receive a safety and security briefing, as well as other relevant information. 
• Ensuring all staff understand and fulfil individual and collective responsibilities for safety and security. 
• Supervising and enforcing (including disciplinary action where necessary) compliance safety and security standards and procedures. 

2.2. Procedures and Protocols 

The Area Safety, Security & Access Coordinator is assists in the management of threats and risks, in part through the effective implementation of SOPs and Contingency Plans, and provide the following services:

 Advising implementing partners on Safety & Security SOPs and Contingency Plans according to CARE standards.

• Briefing all new staff to operational area on national and regional security conditions and protocols.
• Maintaining high levels of oversight for all staff physical security issues at offices and accommodation.
• Overseeing the maintenance of staff contact lists and the security information trees.
• Under the supervision and authority of the SSM and AD, disseminate security flash alerts and advisories to staff and partners as and when required.
• Reporting events and personnel not respecting risk mitigation procedures or in security breaches to the AD and SSM.
• Ensuring that effective communications are in place and that all staff members are adequately trained to use any equipment and protocol that are mentioned in the SSMP, and that all staff members are capable of following communication procedures. 

1. Support during and after an Incident or in a Crisis 

The Area Safety, Security & Access Coordinator is required to be a first responder for any safety or security incident or crisis involving CARE staff or assets in the designated area.   

Responsibilities include: 

• Providing incident reports and analysis to the AD and SSM as required.
• Assisting AD and SSM to ensure contingency planning for major events and critical incidents is adequate, based on risk assessments.
• Deploying at short notice to support operations in any CARE programme area in Ukraine.
• Supporting the Incident Management or Crisis Management Team(s) in the event of a major incident or in a time of crisis. 
• Assisting with emergency medical evacuations within the country office.  

3.1. Reaction 

• Developing and updating contingency plans for incident and crisis management events such as:
• Accidents, ambush, car hijacking, among other incidents affecting staff.
• Severe injuries and serious illness (hospitalisation and / or medevac).
• Unlawful arrest and detention.
• Injury or death of an employee.
• Destruction of CARE assets.
• Train staff on incident and crisis and ensure they know how to react.
• Establish relocation and emergency evacuations plans, as well as any other plans as an evolving situation may require.   

1. Recovery and resumption of operations

• Ensure that preparations are made to enable post incident counselling to be offered to staff who have been confronted to traumatic events.
• Take the necessary measure to ensure post incident recovery and operation continuity.
• Make the necessary arrangements to ensure resumption of critical processes, systems, and operations (alternate worksites, office storage, and remote control).
  1. Review
• Review periodically past experiences and practices and propose improvements based on analytical judgment. 

1. Management & Capacity Development 

The Area Safety, Security and Access Coordinator will be responsible for:

• Assisting in building capacity through training, coaching, and mentoring of CARE staff and Implementation Partners in designated area in accordance with implementation agreements and relevant CARE Code and Policies.
• Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities.
• Documentation of staff adherence to SSRAs and SSMP provisions, or lack thereof. 

1. Reports & Advisories 

• Preparing a detailed weekly situation report providing main facts and analysis of events that may affect the safety and security of CARE Ukraine staff, visitors, assets and premises, for the Country Director, the AD and SSM in designated area, and on an ad-hoc basis as required.
• Completing reports as required by AD and/or SSM. 
• Providing feedback to the AD and SSM on progress in respect to safety and security risk management actions and initiatives.
• Ensuring that regular strategic risk assessments are conducted, and management informed of emerging trends and threats.

1. Other 

The role of the Area Safety, Security & Access Coordinator is not restricted to the above provisions, and she/he may be asked to perform other duties as directed by the Area Director and Safety & Security Manager. 

Reporting Lines/Line Management

The Area Safety, Security & Access Coordinator reports to the CARE Ukraine Area Manager in the designated area and CARE Ukraine Safety and Security Manager. 

Key Internal Contacts

• Area Director
• Safety & Security Manager
• Safety & Security Capacity Building Coordinator
• Programme Managers and project staff in designated area 

Key External Contacts

• Ukrainian officials and other officials from neighbouring countries
• Safety and Security Managers and staff of Ukrainian / international NGOs and other organisations
• Regional and national government and security authorities 

Essential Criteria required:

Qualifications

• Required: relevant bachelor’s degree
• Desired: Recognised certificate in Safety & Security management.
• Desired: Recognised certificate in training of trainer.
• Advantage: Proven experience in conducting Safety & Security related trainings 

Experience, Skills, and Core Competencies

• At least two years’ work experience in safety & security management
• At least two years’ experience in working in complex and hazardous environments.
• Fluency in English, Ukrainian and Russian.
• Flexible and committed to CARE standards of work.
• Demonstrated experience with report writing.
• Demonstrated experience in leading teams and supervising staff. 
• Proficiency in MS Office application particularly Excel, outlook, and Word, as well as ARC GIS. .

Accountability:  

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability: 

• Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area. 
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner. 

Safeguarding:

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of CARE activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates. 

Gender equality:

CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices.  

How to Apply:

CARE values equal opportunities and diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. 

Please send your CV (in pdf format max. 4 pages) and a cover letter in English to < Відправити резюме >, by the latest 4th of October 2024.   Please name your documents Surname_CV, Surname_Cover Letter. Put Area SSA Coordinator – Southern Ukraine as the subject title of your email. 

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.   References will only be contacted after the interview. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please pay attention - this position is open only for national candidates.