Humanitarian Access Safety & Security (HASS) Advisor

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Background:

Haiti continues to face a complex humanitarian crisis characterized by armed violence, population displacement, restricted access to basic services, and significant humanitarian access constraints. Armed actors exert influence across key operational areas, increasing risks for affected populations, humanitarian partners, and aid operations. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is delivering humanitarian assistance through a combination of direct implementation and partnerships with local organizations. Sustaining principled humanitarian access and effective security risk management is essential to ensuring assistance reaches affected populations safely, responsibly, and in accordance with humanitarian principles.

The Humanitarian Access, Safety & Security Advisor (HASS Advisor) serves as advisor to the Country Director, Senior Management Team (SMT), HASS Manager, and relevant operational and program departments. The role focuses on strengthening organizational capacity, systems, analysis, planning, and leadership decision-making related to humanitarian access, safety, and security. Notably, the HASS Advisor provides strategic guidance, mentoring, coaching, technical quality assurance, and capacity strengthening support to the HASS Manager. The position is advisory in nature and seeks to strengthen national leadership and sustainable country program capability rather than directly assume operational security management responsibilities.

Scope of Work:

The HASS Advisor supports the Country Program to develop and maintain effective humanitarian access, safety, and security systems that enable principled humanitarian operations in complex, high-risk environments.

Working closely with the Country Director, HASS Manager, SMT, program teams, operational departments, and partners, the Advisor provides technical leadership, analysis, mentoring, coaching, and quality assurance support across all aspects of humanitarian access and security risk management.

A core objective of the role is to build the capability of the Country Director, HASS Manager, SMT, and relevant personnel to independently lead and sustain effective HASS functions aligned with IRC global standards and best practice.

Length of Assignment: 6 months, plus full allowances and benefits. Potential to extend.

Major Responsibilities:

All responsibilities are in close collaboration with the HASS Manager to ensure they are equipped to lead these responsibilities moving forward.

1. Strategic Advisory Support:

• In collaboration with the HASS Manager, serve as an advisor to the Country Director, SMT, and HASS Manager on humanitarian access, safety, and security matters.

• Support leadership decision-making through evidence-based analysis and risk-informed recommendations, and provide guidance during periods of heightened risk, crisis, operational expansion, or major contextual shifts.

• Advise on the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of country-level access and security strategies.

• Ensure humanitarian principles, acceptance approaches, duty of care, GEDI considerations, and protection principles are incorporated into HASS strategies and practice.

2. Humanitarian Access and Safety and Security Risk Management:

• Support the SMT and key stakeholders, including partners as relevant, in the development and implementation of a humanitarian access strategy that enables based on defined access goals developed based on IRC Haiti’s new Strategy Action Plan.

• Support the development and implementation of actor mapping, engagement and acceptance strategies, including conducting engagement and negotiation, and advise leadership on engagement approaches with communities, authorities, civil society actors, and other relevant actors.

• Support analysis of the HASS Department and strengthen its ability to inform decision making and program design, including analysis of security risks, opportunities and constraints affecting humanitarian access to inform ongoing monitoring and review of the access strategy, and overarching access goals.

• Support the development of updated mapping of IRC operational presence, routes and corridors, and future areas of operations, to inform access and security strategies and management.  

• Support the development of systems that facilitate timely information sharing between field teams, partners, country leadership, and global HASS resources.

• Support the Country Program in navigating humanitarian access dilemmas and determining appropriate red lines and engagement parameters.

• Ensure engagement approaches align with IRC policies and guidance governing interactions with armed actors and other influential stakeholders.

• Support the HASS Manager and Country Director in their participation and positioning in the OCHA-led Access Working Group (including Cellule de Liaison and any new forum with GSF).

• Advise on the establishment and maintenance of security risk management systems consistent with IRC standards and learned good practices, and in coherence with the access strategy, supporting field leadership and HASS Manager to maintain them.

• Provide technical review and quality assurance of security plans, SOPs, contingency plans, movement procedures, incident reporting, and communications systems; integrating learning and review processes and findings into procedures.

• Provide technical support to the establishment and strengthening of IRC’s approach, support and capacity sharing with partners on access and security management; focus attention based on their needs and IRC’s added value (eg engagement parameters and red lines).

• Provide technical advice and support to leadership during critical incidents and crisis events, as requested.

3. Capacity Building and Leadership Development:

• Jointly identify priority gaps and needs with the Country Director and HASS manager for capacity support.

• Strengthen SMT and HASS Manager understanding of strategic approaches to access, actor engagement approaches, risk acceptance, and operational decision-making.

• Provide structured mentoring and coaching to the HASS Manager across all technical areas of HASS management.

• Build the HASS Manager's confidence and capability in analysis, strategy development, engagement planning, incident management, and partner support.

• Complete a final advisory report and prioritized action plan for continued implementation.

4. Emergency Preparedness and Operational Continuity:

• Support preparedness planning for security deterioration, humanitarian emergencies, and operational interruptions.

• Advise on contingency planning, relocation planning, business continuity measures, and emergency response readiness.

• Strengthen alignment between preparedness systems and country program objectives.

• Support scenario planning exercises and preparedness workshops for leadership and staff.

• Ensure lessons learned and good practices are documented and integrated into future planning.

Requirements:

Education:

• University degree in Security Management, International Relations, Humanitarian Affairs, Political Science, Development Studies, or a related field preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in humanitarian access, safety, security, or related risk management functions in complex and volatile environments.

• Demonstrated experience advising senior leaders on humanitarian access and security matters.

• Strong experience designing and implementing access strategies, security risk management systems, and emergency preparedness measures.

• Experience in coaching, mentoring, and capacity strengthening, and supporting local and national staff and partner capacity development.

• Experience in highly insecure and politically complex contexts.

• Understanding of humanitarian principles, codes of conduct and ideally, specific sub-sector work linked to NGO field operations contexts.

• Proven analytical skills and ability to support their uptake into decision making before and during emergencies and major crises.

• Demonstrated understanding and successes in gender security management and gender equality.

• Advanced level knowledge of communications technology, including VHF, HF radio systems, satellite communications, cell phone mediums, etc.

• Preferred experience in health programming.

• Existing contacts and networks in Haiti preferred.

Languages:

• Professional fluency in French and English required.

• Haitian Creole highly desirable.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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