Safety, Access & Security Director

Job Posting Organization:
Relief International is an international non-profit organization dedicated to partnering with communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disaster. The organization aims to save lives, build resilience, and promote long-term health and wellbeing. Established to address the urgent needs of vulnerable populations, Relief International operates in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The organization focuses on various programming areas, including Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education, and Livelihoods, all of which contribute to the foundation of community resilience. With a commitment to inclusivity and representation, Relief International actively encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, particularly those who have lived experiences relevant to the contexts in which they work.

Job Overview:
The Safety, Access & security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Security Director (SASD) is responsible for providing strategic leadership and operational oversight for staff safety, humanitarian access, and security risk management across all Relief International operations in Sudan. This includes remote and cross-border programming. The SASD will ensure that Relief International can maintain principled humanitarian access, protect its staff and assets, and make informed operational decisions in a complex and high-threat environment. The role requires serving as a senior advisor to the Country Director and Senior Management Team (SMT) on safety, access, and security matters, while leading a comprehensive security architecture that enables safe and effective program delivery. The position demands a proactive approach to risk management and the ability to navigate challenging situations to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all personnel involved in the organization’s operations.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The responsibilities of the Safety, Access & Security Director include leading the development and implementation of a countrywide safety, security, and humanitarian access strategy. This involves creating and overseeing the Country Security Management Plan, advising senior leadership on risk appetite and mitigation measures, and making operational decisions regarding program scale-up, suspension, relocation, or closure. The SASD will ensure robust duty-of-care systems are in place, including staff safety protocols and medical emergency preparedness, fostering a strong organizational culture of safety and wellbeing. The role also requires driving principled humanitarian access across Sudan and cross-border operations, which includes negotiating with authorities, communities, and other key stakeholders. Additionally, the SASD will oversee security management systems, local security plans, contingency planning, incident reporting, and protective measures for all facilities and personnel. The director will lead critical incident and crisis management efforts, ensuring rapid response, structured coordination, reporting, and learning processes. Furthermore, the SASD will work to strengthen organizational capacity through training, compliance oversight, risk analysis, early warning systems, and active representation in security and access coordination forums.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced degree in Security Management, Risk Management, International Relations, Military Studies, or a related field, or have equivalent senior operational security experience. Essential qualifications include demonstrated senior-level experience in leading safety, access, and security functions in active conflict or high-threat environments. Proven experience in making time-critical, high-risk decisions that affect staff safety, humanitarian access, and operational continuity is crucial. Strong negotiation skills for humanitarian access, acceptance-based security approaches, and engagement with authorities and community leaders are also required. Experience in overseeing cross-border and remote management operations, including staff movements and logistics corridors, is essential. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to manage complex security risks while upholding humanitarian principles and organizational accountability.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced degree in relevant fields such as Security Management, Risk Management, International Relations, or Military Studies. Alternatively, candidates may qualify with equivalent senior operational security experience that demonstrates their capability to fulfill the responsibilities of the role effectively.

Experience:
The position requires significant experience, specifically senior-level experience in safety, access, and security functions within active conflict or high-threat environments. Candidates should have a proven track record of making critical decisions under pressure, managing complex security risks, and leading teams in challenging situations. Experience in humanitarian access negotiation and engagement with various stakeholders is also essential.

Languages:
While proficiency in Arabic is desirable, the mandatory language for this position is English. Candidates who possess Arabic language skills will have an advantage, particularly in contexts where communication with local authorities and communities is necessary.

Additional Notes:
This is a full-time, fixed-term position initially set to last until March, with a strong possibility of extension. The role involves frequent travel to various locations across Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad. As a humanitarian organization, Relief International is committed to safeguarding all individuals they interact with through their work and adheres to core humanitarian principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. All staff and volunteers are expected to uphold the values and behaviors outlined in the Code of Conduct. Recruitment for this role includes a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre-employment checks, which may encompass police and qualifications checks.