Senior Security Officer

“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, former United Nations Secretary-General

The United Nations Office for Project Services’ (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. UNOPS mandate is to act as a project delivery platform for UN system agencies, funds and programmes, international and regional financial institutions, intergovernmental organizations, donor and recipient governments, and non-profit non-governmental organizations. As a self-financing entity within the UN system, UNOPS must ensure that the projects it delivers meet client expectations in terms of cost, quality and time, while at the same time ensuring that these projects collectively meet a broader array of success criteria.

2. Kenya Multi-Country Office (KEMCO) and Mozambique Country Office

UNOPS KEMC helps partners achieve their project goals in sectors including: governance, education, health, the environment, grant management and rural development. UNOPS KEMCO has over twenty years of experience working in Africa, including on large scale infrastructure projects. With a flexible and responsive presence throughout the region, UNOPS is able to scale up rapidly, through various mechanisms into high risk areas which have proven to be beneficial to partners.

As part of the IDP crisis response, the Republic of Mozambique is preparing the Mozambique Northern Crisis Recovery Project (P176157) to be financed by the International Development Association (IDA) in the amount of US$100 million. The Project Development Objective is to improve access to basic services and economic opportunities for internally displaced persons and host communities in targeted areas of Northern Mozambique. The Project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADER) through the National Sustainable Development Fund (FNDS). The Project will retain and make use of existing Financial Management (FM) capacities and project oversight systems at FNDS. 

The Government intends to contract UNOPS to provide overall technical support to Project implementation, including through the preparation of Environmental and Social Safeguards instruments, based on the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Frameworks (ESF); as well as support in M&E. UNOPS is further tasked with the implementation of distinct project components.

• Component 1 – Building social cohesion and resilience to conflict;
• Component 2 – Provision of livelihoods and economic opportunities for IDPs and host communities;
• Component 3 –Rehabilitation of public infrastructure and
• Component 4 – Project management and oversight.

UNOPS is looking for a Senior Security Officer (SSO) to assist with security risk management for all project workers and beneficiaries through the implementation of a Security Management Plan that has been prepared specifically for the project.

3. Purpose and Scope of Assignment 

As part of the World Bank’s requirements set out in the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), project implementation needs to be supported by a rigorous Security Risk Assessment and Security Management Plan (SMP). The SMP is to set out the ways in which the Government of the Republic of Mozambique will ensure security protection, emergency responses and duty of care to all project workers and project-affected parties. 

Given that the Project will be implemented across a broad geographical scope, and in a highly fragile environment, the SMP is based on a detailed Security Risk Assessment. 

Potential security risks and impacts of the Project are related to ensuring security for project operations including the protection of project workers, beneficiaries and other project-affected persons; challenges in access to beneficiaries for meaningful stakeholder and community engagements as well as grievance redress and monitoring due to insecurity; and risks emanating from the deployment of armed security guards in project interventions.

UNOPS is looking for the services of a highly skilled Senior Security Officer that will be contracted to implement the Project’s SMP as well as monitor its implementation by Implementing Partners.

The Senior Security Officer will be operating as part of the project management team, and will report to the Project Manager. The Senior Security Officer will collaborate closely with the UNOPS Environmental and Social safeguards team and other Implementing partners in the implementation of the Security Management Plan.

• Assist with review of all TORs and draft contracts for Implementing Partners (IP) to ensure all security risk mitigation measures as per Security Risk Management Plan are integrated;
• Assist with the monitoring of IPs’ implementation of security risk mitigation measures;
• Receive reports from IPs on security risk mitigation;
• Compile reports for the project management team on security risk management;
• Initiate security risk assessments of locations and/or facilities where necessary
• Develop local security management plans where necessary;
• Constantly liaise with other security actors and inform project management on the security situation and potentially newly emerging risks;
• Assist the project in the implementation of all UNSMS security policies and guidelines;
• Support the Project Manager and UNOPS Country Director on all security related issues
• Provide security training for UNOPS personnel and project workers where applicable;

Impact of Results 

• All project activities are based on rigorous security risk management   
• All project stakeholders are protected

• Master’s degree in Security Management, Social or Political Science, Law, Public Administration, Business Administration, or other related fields is required;
• A combination of a Bachelor's degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.
• A Technical/Professional Diploma in Security Management, Social or Political Science, Law, Public Administration, Business Administration, or other related fields in with an additional 4 years relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined degree; 

• Minimum of 2 years of relevant working experience in the security sector, security risk management 
  or related, is required
• At least 2 years in security risk assessment and developing mitigation measures is required
• Experience in ISO 31000, Risk Management – Principles and Guidelines is an advantage
• Experience working in any of the countries within the sub-saharan africa is required
• Experience with the UN Security Management System (UNSMS) policies and guidelines desirable

• Fluency in both  English and Portuguese Language (i.e. writing, reading and speaking) is required

• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• 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
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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.

• Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement
• Contract level: ICS 9/ LICA Specialist-9
• Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘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.