Regional Safety & Security Director

• PositionRegional Safety & Security Director
• CompanyInternational Rescue Committee (IRC)
• LocationKampala, Uganda; Nairobi, Kenya; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Job TypeFull-time
• CategoryNGO, International Development, Management
• IndustryHumanitarian assistance
• DepartmentRegional Safety & Security
• DeadlineNot stated in the advert

The International Rescue Committee works with people affected by conflict and disaster to help them survive, recover and rebuild. The organisation began work in Uganda in 1998 and has expanded its response to refugees and host communities.

IRC’s Uganda programme includes protection, health, education and livelihoods services, with work supporting women and girls, community safety, access to health care and economic opportunities. The organisation says it operates six offices across the country.

The Regional Safety & Security Director is a senior East Africa leadership post, advising the Regional Vice President and partnering with Country Directors. As a member of the Regional Management Team and IRC’s global safety and security team, the director brings risk analysis into strategy, operations, programmes and resourcing decisions. The role sets regional direction to protect staff and assets, sustain principled humanitarian access and maintain operations in complex, high-risk situations.

Reporting jointly to the Regional Vice President and the Senior Director for Safety and Security, the post-holder works with autonomy and supports teams across Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. The remit includes country risk protocols, partner capacity, access planning, staff development and incident response. The position monitors security dynamics and early warnings, mentors staff and may deploy at short notice. Kampala is one of three listed duty-station options.

• Contribute as a senior Regional Management Team member to strategy, priorities and decisions, bringing risk-informed perspectives to programme, operational and resource choices.
• Advise the Regional Vice President on safety, security, humanitarian access and duty of care, and jointly activate and lead crisis management when required.
• Partner with Country Directors to align safety, security and humanitarian access with country Strategy Action Plans and operational priorities.
• Lead identification, analysis and mitigation of regional safety and security risks in line with IRC global standards.
• Guide country directors and field leaders in context-specific risk management, proactive mitigation and emergency preparedness.
• Monitor compliance with Security Minimum Standards in country programmes and provide follow-up and technical guidance when gaps are identified.
• Drive development and rollout of initiatives on duty of care and safeguarding.
• Strengthen policies and practices that integrate gender equality, diversity and inclusion and PEERS commitments.
• Extend IRC security capacity to partners through tailored risk support, relevant systems and standards.
• Maintain networks of country security focal points and external relationships with peer agencies and security counterparts.
• Enable principled and sustained humanitarian access across country programmes in line with country Strategy Action Plans.
• Strengthen regional humanitarian access teams, skills, systems and approaches.
• Develop and adapt context-specific guidance for engagement with state and non-state actors, consistent with IRC policy, international humanitarian law and standards.
• Advise country programmes on contingency plans for changes in political, security or conflict dynamics.
• Work with relevant IRC units on follow-up to Code of Conduct violations and breaches of humanitarian principles.
• Lead recruitment and selection for key positions with safety and security responsibilities.
• Co-manage and mentor direct reports with Country Directors under the Management in Partnership model, set objectives, provide feedback and complete documented performance reviews.
• Monitor staff care and support interventions for national and international staff well-being.
• Supervise and develop the Regional Humanitarian Access and Safety Coordinator.
• Design and oversee regional capacity-building plans and delivery of global safety and security training across East Africa country programmes.
• Integrate gender-sensitive approaches into training and learning activities, addressing gender-specific risks and inclusive preparedness.
• Lead critical incident management training and simulations with the global safety and security unit.
• Support timely, accurate incident notification, reporting, analysis and sharing of lessons learned.
• Serve on the Regional Incident Management Team and support the Regional Vice President with Tier 2 and Tier 3 incidents.
• Facilitate After-Action Reviews and ensure corrective actions are documented and implemented.
• Oversee the SHIELD incident database and produce quarterly trend analyses for regional decisions and risk mitigation.

Required Education

• Not stated in the advert.

Work Experience

• At least ten years of experience in international humanitarian assistance, including the ability to plan, organise and lead security management operations.
• Prior East Africa experience and strong knowledge of regional and country dynamics are essential.

Additional Requirements

• Fluent English is required; Arabic, Amharic, Somali or Swahili is an asset.
• Grounding in humanitarian principles, codes of conduct and NGO culture, with demonstrated gender-sensitive security management and gender equality.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 40 percent of the time.
• The advert prioritises national candidates from the region and describes an additional package for qualifying returning nationals; restrictions may apply.
• IRC workers must follow IRC Way professional standards and the organisation’s safeguarding, conflict-of-interest, fiscal-integrity and reporting policies.

Technical Skills

• Security risk management: Identify and mitigate safety and security risks, apply IRC standards and monitor Security Minimum Standards.
• Humanitarian access: Develop access guidance, contingency planning and engagement approaches for complex contexts.
• Incident management: Support reporting, analysis, reviews, training and SHIELD trend analysis.
• Regional capacity building: Design and deliver security learning and preparedness activities.

Soft Skills

• Strategic judgment: Present complex security dynamics and implications clearly, including on short notice.
• Influence and collaboration: Build relationships across multinational teams, partners and stakeholders, including when influencing without authority.
• Mentoring: Transfer knowledge through coaching and non-formal learning methods.
• Inclusive practice: Integrate gender equality, diversity, inclusion and staff well-being into security decisions.

For returning national candidates who meet the advert’s conditions, the package may include competitive compensation, a return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and relocation allowance. The advert notes that restrictions may apply. It does not detail other benefits.

• Serve as a senior safety and security leader for IRC’s East Africa region.
• Advise the Regional Vice President and contribute to regional strategy and resource decisions.
• Support operations in six countries with varied security and access conditions.
• Combine security risk management with humanitarian access and duty of care.
• Strengthen partner security capacity and country-level preparedness.
• Lead staff learning, incident exercises and regional capacity development.
• Contribute to incident analysis and lessons that inform regional risk mitigation.

Apply through IRC’s official Workday careers listing. The advert does not state a closing date.

• Demonstrate at least ten years of humanitarian assistance and security management experience.
• Show how your East Africa knowledge informs country-specific security decisions.
• Give examples of enabling humanitarian access while managing duty of care.
• Describe your experience with gender-sensitive security management and partner support.
• Include examples of incident management, analysis, training or after-action reviews.
• Address your ability to travel up to 40 percent and your preferred listed duty station.