Risk Advisor for Humanitarian Programs/ Радник/Радниця з оцінки ризиків у гуманітарних програмах at Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.

In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

The conflict in Ukraine has resulted in over a mass displacement across Ukraine. The circumstances and populations are constantly evolving with the conflict. Mercy Corps has reopened its registration and presence in Ukraine as well as offices/activities to support people in neighboring Poland, Moldova and Romania. This includes partnerships, cash, information as protection and other, emergency response activities in a very fluid environment.

General Position Summary

The Security Officer is an important role to our risk management systems, business continuity and duty-of-care towards staff. The Security Officer will be the first face of security management seen by incoming staff and new team members and therefore, responsible for conveying absolute clarity on expectations, rules and our risk profile with quality briefing and context updates. S/he will follow the context and interact routinely with the Crisis Analytics team to enrich the standard briefings with relevant context updates. S/he will contribute to security management planning including the drafting, implementation and feedback on SOPs which are appropriate to the context.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Duty of Care & Standards:

• Is responsible to implement the core of the Security Management Plan and the Global Minimum Standards on Safety & Security for the office. This requires outreach and proactive engagement with incoming and existing staff.
• Support the Country Security Manager on implementing a risk assessment for Lviv and other Mercy Corp field offices and developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) appropriate for risk mitigation.
• Deliver basic first aid trainings to MC employees in Ukrainian and English, in line with established international first aid training standards.
• Ensure that all necessary measures are taken to provide MC employees with a safe working environment as detailed in existing guidelines, including responsibility of fire regulation procedures.
• Is responsible for staff tracking of team members during travel within and outside the city according to the SOPs. S/he will coordinate with the SFPs in other offices to ensure coordination for intercity movements & the entirety of journey management.
• Will conduct site-assessments on each premises and support all the occupants on the specific SOPs for each location. S/he will coordinate with the Operations Team on training drivers and any security / administration staff on contingency planning and safety SOPs specific to their team.
• S/he will support the Head of Office in facilitating Security Management Team (SMT) meetings and ensure relevant information is disseminated to all senior staff, as required.
• Coordinate with Operations to ensure a process of accepting of visitor and vehicles to MC premises. Receiving of mail, etc.
• Will participate in daily go / no-go decisions for movements and activities.

Training & Orientations:

• Deliver basic first aid trainings to all guests, new hires, and visitors prior to any travel to field locations outside of Lviv. S/he would also be able to assist with security briefings and orientations for new visitors or employees arriving to country or to field offices in Ukraine.
• S/he will conduct basic trainings on Mercy Corps including the facilitation of the Security Essentials.
• S/he Will liaise with organizations (such as Mine Action or Halo Trust) on supplementary trainings appropriate for the context.

Information Management

• Will provide regular verbal briefings in all staff meetings which are concise and include topline points relevant to the context and security management goals.
• Will disseminate security information to all staff in the Mercy Corps offices regularly (at least weekly) under the guidance of the country Security Manager and will be done within the larger country context.
• Will assist in ensuring that all staff have met field safety training requirements prior to travel to field locations.
• S/he will brief guards and drivers daily, on any immediate security threats and provide training/translation.
• Ensure every incident is reported and documented to standard. Maintain a filing system of incidents, the incident log, trainings, templates and other documents at standard.
• Represent Mercy Corps, as advised by supervisor, to local governments and authorities and at routine security meetings/briefings.
• In coordination with the Security Manager, will maintain the security bulletin board in the office and share information with heads of office.

Representation

• Will act as Mercy Corps security focal point and represent Mercy Corps at external security meetings.
• Participate in the external working groups, cluster system and other operational coordinating bodies as needed.

Organizational Learning: As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves

Accountabilities: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Works Directly With: Operations team, the Senior Management Team – Program Departments, Finance actors in Ukraine, IT/Information Security Coordinator

Accountability: Accountable to Mercy Corps Procurement Policy and Procedures. Maintains accurate electronic and hardcopy files of procurement file and other relevant files.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Must have a professional and approachable demeanor.
• Must have the ability to troubleshoot bureaucratic hurdles and problem solve so as to facilitate Mercy Corps program activities throughout the country.
• Must be diplomatic and follow Mercy Corps protocols on representation and reporting.
• Fluency in Ukrainian and English is required. Fluency in Russian is desired.
• Must have experience in delivering first aid trainings or considerable experience in participating in certified first aid courses.
• Must be able to work independently and show initiative.
• Good organizational skills are necessary
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

Success Factors

The successful Security Officer will be a calm and approachable person that earns the trust of the entire team with professionalism, confidentiality and no judgement. S/he must understand programming modalities and priorities. S/he will be a team player that works closely with the Operations team and Crisis Analytics amongst other departments. She or he will be able to manage a very tight top-down go/no-go process on a daily basis and implement this without fail. While military experience is useful in some aspects, this role also values curiosity and interest in understanding the program objectives.

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 Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We
actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger
and have sustained global impact.
We 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 & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work,
whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect
and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and
abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency
Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or
harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work
environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect
local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all
times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.