Consultant - Interim Access & Security Management - Gaza Response

Description

Background:

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Mercy Corps in the Middle East

Mercy Corps is a non-profit, non-governmental international humanitarian and development organization, registered in the United States and United Kingdom with offices in more than 40 countries around the world, including the West Bank and Gaza, where the organization has been active in implementing relief and development programs for over a decade. Mercy Corps Palestine has staff based in East Jerusalem, Ramallah and Gaza that implement programs throughout the Palestinian territories. Mercy Corps has been operating in Palestine since 1986, and across the Middle East for several years.

Purpose / Project Description:

To support on rotations of staff in Gaza, the Interim Access & Security Manager is responsible for monitoring the overall security situation in Gaza, enforcing security regulations, providing sound and timely advice to MC Gaza staff and management, coordinating access (entry, exits and movements) within Gaza and providing regular oversight and capacity building to staff at the field location.

Consultant Objectives:

• Serve as interim surge support to Mercy Corps team in Gaza and provide technical support and guidance in the areas of safety, security and access to all Gaza based/located staff.
• Provide technical support to program teams in assessing the suitability of establishing operations in new or changing locations.
• Ensure continuous support and communication across staff in Gaza, the Gaza response leadership (on the ground and within the country program), and country security team members.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Support and advise Emergency Response and program teams on all policies, procedures, guidelines, and planning for staff safety and operational security in Gaza.
• Ensure compliance to the MC Security Management framework within the SMP and all annexes.
• Manage protocols and procedures to ensure MC facilities are secure.
• Evaluate, review, and update (as required) the hibernation and evacuation plans for MC GHs/offices in Gaza and ensure that practical preparations are in place and briefed to all staff.
• Compile and submit monthly security reporting that tracks incidents and trends within MCs area of operation. Establish daily cadence of contextual updates with the HASM.
• Ensure all incidents are formally reported within MC Incident Reporting protocols.
• Undertake continual assessments of equipment and the protocols by which that equipment is used, to ensure that minimal conditions for security are being met.
• Provide and implement the best possible solutions for the use of equipment to facilitate communication between staff, including here proposing safe alternative means of communication and equipment

Humanitarian Access Management

• Identify barriers to access, and support program teams in developing mitigation strategies.
• Provide technical support to program teams in assessing the suitability of establishing operations in new locations and produce Security Risk Assessments for new locations and/or high-risk environments.
• Promote and support the integration of humanitarian access approaches into program design and implementation
• Constantly monitor available sources to collect, compile, and report information, including incidents and trends pertinent to humanitarian access in areas of operations
• Issue and monitor Notifications of Humanitarian Movements according to existing Civic-Military coordination mechanisms led by UN.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will be responsible for delivering day-to-day support and business continuity for security functions in Gaza. This individual may be part of a rotation to ensure continuous communication and support to the team in Gaza and the emergency response, or backstop rotations as part of the support team in the same time zone from other offices. The key deliverables from which the assignment will be tracked include:

• Contributions to regular tracking and monthly security reports.
• Development of Security Risk Assessments, or project-specific risk mitigation plans for program implementation
• Issuance and monitoring of Notifications of Humanitarian Movements according to existing Civic-Military coordination mechanisms led by UN.

Timeframe / Schedule:

The Consultant may be contracted for a minimum of four weeks rotation period inside Gaza, with the possibility of minimum one week or up to four weeks outside of Gaza.

The Consultant will report to:

Mercy Corps Palestine Humanitarian Access & Safety Manager (HASM) and Gaza Response Director

Required Experience & Skills:

• 3+ years in a relevant security management, risk management, NGO country program management position
• Have worked at least 5 years in a high-risk environment
• Have completed a US/UK certified HEAT/HEST course in the past 2 years.
• Experience in Civic-Military Coordination is desirable
• Certification in Security Risk Management or risk management is desirable
• Knowledge of operating humanitarian INGOs- solid understanding of humanitarian and resilience programming is required
• Experience in OPt/Gaza is desirable
• Minimum of FREC3, MIRA or equivalent is desirable
• Prior experience in critical incident management
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with others in a multi-cultural and high-risk environment
• Experience supervising and coaching junior staff members is preferred
• Must have working proficiency in English. Arabic is a plus.

**Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
**Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment OpportunityWe are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & EthicsMercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Keywords

Security ManagementRisk ManagementNGOCountry Program ManagementHigh-Risk EnvironmentHEAT/HEST CourseCivic-Military CoordinationSecurity Risk ManagementHumanitarian INGOsResilience ProgrammingOPt/GazaFREC3MIRACritical Incident ManagementCommunication SkillsMulti-Cultural EnvironmentEnglishArabic