Regional Safety & Security Director

About the role

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is recruiting a Regional Safety and Security Director (RSSD) for its East Africa region, which runs country programmes in Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. The role is one of the most senior leadership positions in the region and sets the strategy to anticipate, analyse and mitigate risks, safeguard staff and assets, enable principled humanitarian access and keep operations running in complex, high-risk environments. Reporting jointly to the Regional Vice President and the Senior Director for Safety and Security, the RSSD is a full member of the Regional Management Team and of IRC's global safety and security team.

Key responsibilities

• Act as principal safety and security advisor to the Regional Vice President and partner on decisions on access, continuity and duty of care, and lead crisis management when needed.
• Partner with Country Directors to embed security risk management and humanitarian access in country Strategy Action Plans.
• Lead the identification, analysis and mitigation of security risks, review compliance with the Security Minimum Standards and promote duty of care and safeguarding initiatives.
• Shape safety and security policies that integrate Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) and PEERS commitments, and extend security capacity to partners.
• Build a network of security focal points and external security contacts, and deploy regularly to support local teams.
• Strengthen humanitarian access teams, develop access guidelines aligned with international humanitarian law, and advise on contingency planning.
• Recruit key S&S positions, co-manage and mentor direct reports under the Management in Partnership model, and promote staff well-being.