Senior Security Specialist – Burkina Faso & Niger

Company Profile

SoCha (a portmanteau of Social and Change) is an independent Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) firm that provides bespoke solutions to social challenges. We are a US-registered, veteran-owned small business and staff support offices in Nairobi, Bangkok, and Mauritius. SoCha currently supports multiple foreign assistance interventions across Asia and Africa.

Background

SoCha, LLC is contracted to provide Monitoring, Reporting, and Capacity Strengthening (MRCS) support to complement and augment USAID Senegal’s Sahel Regional Office (SRO) performance management of activities within its portfolio. MRCS will support Sahel Regional technical Office (SRTO), Sahel Regional Program Office (SRPO), the Niger Mission, the Burkina Faso Country Office, the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Resilience Food Security Activities (RFSAs) in Niger and Burkina Faso.

To assist in managing the service requests, SoCha seeks an experienced Senior Security Manager.

** Suitably skilled and qualified Burkinabe and Nigerien citizens and residents are strongly encouraged to apply. **

Responsibilities

The Senior Security Specialist will be a local national, with primary responsibility to review all operations, prepare security plans, and to provide reporting to support the project’s activities. They will ensure appropriate security protocols are in place and maintained throughout all operations. Secondary responsibilities include management support tasks, such as inventory control and security aspects of all trips to the field.

• Implement and/or develop and manage security protocols and procedures in correspondence with SoCha Head Office.
• Always maintain awareness of the security situation by conducting research and outreaches to complete all project-based security planning:
  • Trips to the field require an analysis of the security environment in the areas to be covered, & the identification of local security contacts in the field, as well as coordination with security personnel on the implementing partners’ facilities.
  • Arrangements to be made for every public event hosted by the project, including the analysis of the venue and local security contacts.
  • Arrival of incoming short-term consultants and home office staff will require security briefing.
• Complete security reporting:
  • General security update is presented to all project staff during the weekly staff meeting.
  • Focused situation reports in support of all field-based activities.
  • Security summaries to be included in any evaluation report where appropriate.
  • Complete security reports needed for all reporting.
• Review all project activities to ensure that the appropriate security protocols are carried out for public events conducted in Ouagadougou, Niamey and across the Sahel region.
• Maintain real-time monitoring of all ongoing activities whether in Niamey, Ouagadougou or in the field.
• Ensure that long-term expatriate staff reside in secure accommodations.
• Ensure that incoming home office staff, international employees or short-term consultants are greeted upon arrival with adequate security detail and are provided with specific security guidance, as required under the current situation.
• Conduct security survey/assessment for all in-country new leases for the project.
• Manage and provide quality control of the services rendered by our external security providers under the supervision of the Line Manager.
• Conduct trainings and/or briefings, including systematic checklist-based reviews (particularly in terms of field activities) with project staff regarding security procedures.
• Provide in-country security briefings for all including personnel arriving in Burkina Faso or Niger to conduct fieldwork.
• Maintain and develop a network of individuals involved in security across the Sahel region.
• Represent the project in security workgroups and coordinate committees as decided by project management.
• Maintain the project inventory, make periodic audits to ensure all items are accounted for and properly branded and marked.
• Liaise with official government offices as required to complete tasks needed by the project such as visas, permits, official documentation, etc.

The tasks outlined above are indicative, but not exhaustive for the role and other tasks may be assigned by supervisor, the Chief of Party or their designee(s).

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• University degree with 3-5 five years practical experiences in relevant field with a proven ability/record in drafting/delivering critical information that effectively supports timely decision making.
• Practical experience in risk assessment, mitigation and management preferred.
• Practical experience in monitoring potential threats from crime, civil unrest, kidnapping and terrorism.
• Proven knowledge of and access to official security structures in place, and persons in key positions in Niger & Burkina Faso.
• Must be fluent in English and French, both oral and written, have good liaison skills and excellent communications and interpersonal skills.
• Full proficiency in MS Office suite including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Valid Driving license with a clean driving record.
• CPR certification (preferable).

Location

• Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (1 position)
• Niamey, Niger (1 position)