Senior Field Security Advisor

UNOPS Somalia Country Office (SOCO) exciting career opportunity 

“UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our life-saving, peace building, humanitarian and development operations. I have seen many examples of how these activities help suffering people in troubled parts of the world.”
-Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peace building, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.


Background Information: Somalia

Somalia is amid major new political and security developments that will offer a greater possibility for peace and security than the country has seen in over 20 years. The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), established in 2012, and international community have driven a process of rebuilding of functioning government institutions and processes through Somalia’s peacebuilding and state-building priorities under the Somali Compact (2013-2016), based on the Busan “New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States” agreement. The Somalia National Development Plan (2017-2019), builds on this foundation laid by the Compact and sets the priorities for national recovery and development in full collaboration with national and regional governments.  A landmark electoral process in late 2016 and early 2017 resulted in a peaceful transfer of power to a new President and government, in place since February and March 2017 respectively. The government has set out an ambitious agenda for its term (the period to 2021).  At the London Somalia Conference in May 2017, a Security Pact was agreed by Somalia and the international community, which will allow for sustainable, long-term security based on mutual accountability.

The functional objective of UNOPS in Somalia is to deliver projects in an efficient and effective manner, to achieve the development outcomes sought by the Government of Somalia and the donor community. The aim of UNOPS in Somalia is to provide implementation services to the Government of Somalia, the donor community and partner agencies in the reconstruction and development of the country. In doing so, UNOPS aims to exceed client expectations in the delivery of quality services throughout the country.

Background Information: Somalia Country Office (SOCO)

Located in Mogadishu, Somalia, the Somalia Country Office manages a growing portfolio of engagements. SOCO works with multiple partners including the Governments of Somalia, bilateral and multilateral donors, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes. 

SOCO is largely focused on assisting partners with the implementation of physical infrastructure projects including construction and rehabilitation of rule-of-law infrastructure, transport infrastructure (roads, airports) and public administration infrastructure.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment: 

The Senior Field Security Advisor will be based in Mogadishu, Somalia and s/he will be responsible for the the following duties:

1. Advisory and Technical;

2. Operations;

3. Personnel /Staff Development;

4. Team Management;

5. Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing. 

Summary of Key Functions:

• Advisory and Technical
• Operations
• Personnel /Staff Development
• Team Management
• Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

• Advise the Country Director and all UNOPS personnel under the United Nations Security Management System  on all safety and security-related matters and the possible impact on project design, implementation and funding;
• In line with UN Security Management System methodology, policies, and procedures, develop as required security risk assessments outlining potential threats, risks levels and recommended mitigation strategies for the office and project implementation/operations taking into consideration relevant and existing assessments;
• Provide technical advisory and oversight services to ensure that security is a core component of all programmes/projects at the duty station and that appropriate funding is provided based on actual needs.
• Act in an advisory capacity to the Country Director on any security-related issues in Somalia;

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high quality results and services of the team supervised through effective recruitment, work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development.
• Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for Business Unit personnel on Security related topics.
• Lead and conduct initiatives on capacity development and knowledge building for Security personnel, including network development, plans, learning plans and activities, procurement practice information and best practice benchmarking.
• Oversee team’s contributions to Security knowledge networks and communities of practice including collaborative synthesis of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in Security.
• Guide team’s collection of feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

• Master’s Degree in Social or Political Science, Law, Public Administration, Business Management or Security management or other relevant discipline is required.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social or Political Science, Law, Public Administration, Business Management or Security management with a combination of two (2) additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• Technical/Professional Diploma in Civilian Police/Military with a combination of four (4) additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• Substantial experience (a minimum of 15 years) in civilian police/military may be accepted in lieu of formal education. 

• UNDSS Security Certification Programme (SCP) is highly desirable but will be required 1 year after joining.

• A minimum of seven (7) years’ experience of progressively in international security management with at least 3 years in senior programme leadership roles for security and justice reform and/or conflict management programmes is required.

• Direct experience with the United Nations Security Management System is a strong advantage.

• Demonstrated experience and exposure in the international security arena dealing with security-related issues is an asset.

• Experience in handling emergency, security-related situations is highly desirable

• Experience of working in East Africa is desirable;

• Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures an advantage;

• Ability to produce Standard Operating Procedures/Security Risk Assessments/Security Plans in accordance with UNDSS methodology is an asset;

• Knowledge of UN rules & procedures is desirable.

• Experience/knowledge of web-based applications and Google Suite products, especially google forms, sheets, docs and slides is an asset.

• Fluency in English Language (i.e. written, reading  and speaking) is required; 

• Written and oral fluency in Somali Language is an added advantage. 

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work life Harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types.
• Mogadishu is a Non-Family Duty Station. 
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon   request.
• UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.             

  It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. 

  Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

1. Contract type:International Individual Contract Agreement (IICA)
2. Contract level: IICA-3 /ICS 11
3. Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Africa Region

AFR helps ensure that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between projects across the entire region.

Somalia Country Office:

UNOPS Somalia Country Office (SOCO) has had a solid and continuous in-country expert presence successfully implementing programs since the mid-1990s, where it is currently undertaking various projects and initiatives in close collaboration with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), Federal Member States (FMS) and partners from the global donor community. UNOPS’ projects in Somalia focus on several key sectors that include infrastructure development, institutional capacity building, project management, advisory services, and procurement services. These projects cut across multiple sectors, including education, healthcare, national security, law enforcement, immigration services, justice, transport, and public works among others. UNOPS work in Somalia is geared towards driving growth and development in the country, a process that requires developing a close relationship with the FGS and the other development partners.
  
Through its involvement in Somalia’s development process, UNOPS is providing transparent and accountable solutions in the country’s state and nation-building process. In addition, UNOPS is also committed to implementing the United Nations Strategic Framework Somalia 2017 – 2020, with the aim of helping Somalia achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. UNOPS work within the context of these commitments means that the projects it implements in Somalia are specifically designed to provide long-term solutions in the country, leading to sustainable and inclusive growth.

What drives us is a passion to fight inequalities and to provide opportunities to those most vulnerable. This means we often work in the most challenging environments, building foundations for communities to function and people to live with dignity and respect.

To succeed here, he/she need to be able to combine creativity with the organizational skills to manage numerous different projects to tight deadlines simultaneously, as well as working with the different units to meet their expectations.