Security Officer – Turkey – Emergency Response

Title: Security Officer – Surge Roster/Interim

Department: Security

Location: Turkey

Direct reports: Not Applicable

Budget responsibility: Not Applicable

• This role is classified as requiring standard pre-employment checks

Due to the nature of this emergency role, we are only considering candidates already based in Turkey.

Strong spoken and written Turkish is essential. 

About Relief International.

Relief International (RI) is a leading non-profit organization working in 16 countries globally to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and chronic poverty.

RI combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact and resilience. We focus on health/nutrition, education, economic opportunity, and water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) programming while integrating protection, environment/climate change, and conflict mitigation in partnership with the communities we serve. We empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

RI includes the three corporate members of the RI Alliance: RI-US, RI-UK, and MRCA/RI-France. Under our alliance agreement, we operate as a single, shared management structure.

About our Programs.

RI is active in 16 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. Often, RI is the only organization providing assistance to highly vulnerable communities. 

RI employs about 5,000 staff and auxiliary workers

97% of staff are local nationals and there are about 90 international (expat) staff.

2021 programs budget is about $125M 

RI receives funding from a broad range of institutional donors – US, UK, Europe, and the UN, to delivery life-saving and resilience building programming with communities and local and international partners. RI supports solutions that reinforce and improve upon existing in-country systems. Where such systems do not exist or are chronically underperforming, RI’s crisis response lays the foundation for long-term, sustainable change. 

About RI Surge Interim Positions.

We are currently accepting applications for Relief International’s Surge Roster for short-term assignments (varying from weeks to months) to manage periods of emergency and transition within Relief International.

Position Summary.

The overall objective of this position is to reduce the risks posed to the programme personnel and assets of all national and international RI staff and their dependents in the area to which the candidate is sent through the provision of specialized, coordinated and focused security management support.

The Security Officer will assess the security of the programmatic and operational environment and maintain an effective security management system in accordance with RI policies and standards. This role will include ongoing threat assessment and advising on risk management; the maintenance of appropriate guidelines; and ensuring that field working practices are robust and that all staff are aware of, trained on, and adhere to these policies and procedures.

Integral to the posting is the ability to work successfully with field teams to cultivate capacity and motivation, thereby ensuring field-based responsibility for security analysis and management. The Security Officer will work with other humanitarian NGOs and main embassies security focal points as well as community leaders in areas of operations in order to facilitate and secure RI’s field missions and operations.

Key Responsibilities and Duties.

• Support with design and implementation of the RI Security Management System in the Surge Area.
• Advise in implementation of mitigating safety and security measures.
• Conduct Security Risk Analysis (SRA) as situation requires, and as a result enforce to minimize the risk to the operations of RI.
• Conduct safety and security assessments in the Surge Area of operation.
• Provide feedback and advice post-assessment on risks, strategies and good practice for safety and security management.
• Support the implementation of RO’s Security Management System for RI in the Surge Area in accordance with RI security instructions. This will include security plans, SOPs and contingency plans.
• Monitor, evaluate, suggest and implement changes and improvements in the RI Security Management System based on observations and inputs from the staff.
• Facilitate staff safety and security trainings.
• Communicate, exchange information, and co-operate with relevant external actors in the areas of responsibility determined by the CD.
• The Security Officer will take part in the country security, incident & crisis management team.

Other related tasks that may arise from time to time.

• Uphold and promote RI’s commitment to ensuring the safeguarding and safety of the vulnerable communities we serve.
• Consistent with RI’s safeguarding and protection policies, contribute to ensuring that all those who come into contact with Relief International staff and the communities we serve can be trusted to work safely with them
• Support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse and promotes the implementation of the Code of Conduct and safeguarding policies.
• Work collaboratively with the Global Safeguarding Manager to advocate for the inclusion of safeguarding activities and resources within program
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of donor requirements of safeguarding standards and protection from exploitation and abuse.

Role requirements.

Experience and skills required for the role.

• Relevant university degree or higher education, preferably in international relations and/or development, political science or social studies (history/political science/social science).
• Relevant experience in security work, preferably in the UN or NGO environment;
• Demonstrated ability to work under difficult conditions and a high degree of pressure;
• Proven experience in administration, security management and training.
• Experience in liaising with civilian and military government authorities as well as with regional, national and international institutions preferable
• Significant political and cultural awareness and experience of working in settings where insecurity is a major issue
• Significant understanding of complex emergencies and crisis contexts
• Awareness of gender and culture issues
• Proven communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Fluency in the written and spoken Turkish, Proficiency in the Arabic language is an asset
• Holder of a valid international driver’s license
• Ability to handle a large workload, work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision
• Ability and willingness to work and live under difficult circumstances
• Willingness to travel to all areas of the country where the programme is implemented

RI Values.

Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:

We value:

• Integrity
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Inclusivity
• Sustainability

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How to apply.

• To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page
• You will be asked to upload a CV and Cover Letter. 
• The cover letter should be no more than 2 pages long and explain why you are interested in this post with Relief International and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

Closing date. Please apply immediately we will be reviewing applicants on a rolling basis, therefore may withdraw the position for the job board closing date.

Please apply by uploading your cover letter and up-to-date CV on our website .

Due to limited resources, only short-listed candidates will be contacted

Relief International has a zero-tolerance policy for unlawful harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International is committed to protecting our staff and the communities we work with from abuse and harm including sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

All staff are expected to abide by our Code of Conduct.

Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks.

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