Senior Director – Global Safety, Security & Safeguarding

Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) is looking an experienced, NGO professional for the role of Senior Director Global Safety, Security & Safeguarding who will be responsible for oversight of the development, implementation, and management of HFHI’s comprehensive, integrated strategies, policies, and programs for global safety and security, and global safeguarding.  Habitat has operations in more than 70 countries around the world, so experience working in multiple country contexts is essential.

Reporting directly to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), with dotted line reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the role is a member of the Operations Leadership Team (OLT) and works closely with HFHI leadership to promote a culture of, and build capacity to support, effective safety, security, and safeguarding programs across HFHI’s operations.

The role is responsible for helping to embed safety, security and safeguarding into HFHI’s global operations and to integrate and align the work to: a) strengthen and enhance HFHI’s programs; b) protect staff, volunteers, and communities where HFHI works, and c) manage enterprise risk.  The position supervises the work of the Global Director-Safety & Security and the Global Director-Safeguarding and supports and collaborates with the Operations, Legal, GRC, and Global People Teams in the implementation and oversight of strategies, policies, and procedures.  The position also maintains strategic networks and relationships with external agencies, organizations, and industry groups to inform and enhance HFHI’s work in each of these areas.

The role can be based in countries where HfH International has an office (see below), with an expectation of around 10% of time spent travelling.  Candidates must have the right to work in their location.

Job Summary

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Functional Leadership & Planning

• Provides major contribution to the overall formulation of vision, strategy and direction setting by providing a leadership role in all aspects pertaining to safety, security, and safeguarding (SSS) management.
• Sets strategic direction for SSS management at HFHI resulting in inclusion and mainstreaming of SSS into enterprise-wide programs, including global and regional strategic plans and other relevant plans and initiatives.
• Ensures the development, implementation, and maintenance of SSS policies and procedures that become the accountability framework guiding staff in their roles and responsibilities.
• Facilitates the integration of SSS risk management with planning. Periodically reviews SSS plans to ensure relevance, viability, determines whether applicable to various/possible scenarios and develops corrective actions, if required.
• Support and collaborate with, et al, the Operations, Governance Risk Management & Compliance (GRC), Legal and the Global People Team, to implement strategies and procedures to protect staff, volunteers, consultants, and other stakeholders and monitor and mitigate enterprise risks relating to safety, security, and safeguarding.
• Ensures that effective SSS risk mitigation measures are in place at HQ and other locations.
• Decides on appropriateness of responses and support to incidents, specifically in crisis situations where time is of the essence.

Advisory Functions

• Provides policy and technical advice to HQ, Area Offices, and the global network of affiliated entities, including National Organizations and U.S. affiliates on related SSS policy, best practices, and risk management issues.
• Provides a corporate crisis management capacity through guidance to HQ, Regional and National Offices ensuring immediate response capacity and business continuity.
• Advocates for and leads mainstreaming of the SSS components into corporate initiatives, both at HQ and at Area Offices, and the global network of affiliated entities, including National Organizations and U.S. affiliates.
• Provide leadership within HFHI to optimize or re-engineer existing structures and processes to bring focus to SSS in a collaborative manner resulting in enhanced accountability and ownership across organizational lines.

Management and Oversight Functions

• Provides managerial leadership of the Director, Global Safety & Security and Director, Global Safeguarding and matrix management of the Regional SSS Advisors through the Director, Global Safety & Security and Director, Global Safeguarding; ensuring that comprehensive work plans are established on a timely basis, responsibilities are clearly established, oversight is provided, and corrective actions are taken when required. Builds a coordinated and effective team of professionals and communities of practice, promotes a work environment that is conducive to delivering results. Exemplifies as a senior professional in terms of conduct and as a manager promotes teamwork and empowerment of staff and counterparts. All managerial/leadership functions are performed in line with the established HFHI management norms, policies, and culture.
• Performs SSS cross-cutting functions to enable HFHI operations, programs and projects for oversight and quality management, SSS training development, management information and advisories, technical advice, business continuity planning, and emergency/crises management.
• Oversee the development and implementation of standards, budget and reporting requirements relating to safety, security and safeguarding for proposed projects and grants.

Representation, Coordination and Networking Functions

• Interfaces with relevant functional units in HFHI and across the global network of affiliated entities to address policy and implementation dimensions overlapping with SSS.
• Represents HFHI proactively within the INGO system at working groups on best practice and lessons learned and networking events.

Knowledge Management

• Ensures that SSS information tools are managed effectively, interfaced with respective divisions, and that managers at all levels in the organization have access to the necessary SSS information.
• Ensures that HFHI managers and staff integrate SSS and risk management matters in planning to enhance awareness of policies, prescriptive content, best practices, and proper compliance when required.
• Ensures effective and timely access to prescriptive content such as policy and SSS risk management methodology. Prepares training materials as necessary, such as security awareness training.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Required Knowledge, Expertise and Qualifications.

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible positions, of which the last 10 years should be at a senior managerial level in program/operations management with oversight responsibility for safety, security, and/or safeguarding – in the NGO/development context.
• Experience working in a network/matrixed organization is an advantage.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of safety, security and safeguarding in a development context is an advantage.
• Proven multi-year practical experience in managing SSS operations within an international development context.
• Proven competency in policy development and implementation, particularly for implementation in crisis/disaster situations.
• Language Requirements
• Fluency in oral and written English is required.
• Strong communications, inter-personal and relationship building skills
• Strong manager, collaborator and influencer across people, regions, and functions
• Ability to instill trust and confidence
• Strategic and solutions-oriented thinker with seasoned judgment
• Ability to navigate change and cultures in a complex global NGO
• Excel and other Microsoft Office Suite software proficiency

Preferred – in addition to minimum:

• Project Management certification (PMP Level 1) or 3-5 years’ project management experience
• Previous experience working in a conflict/post-conflict or crisis environment

Active support of HFHI Values:

• Humility – We are part of something bigger than ourselves
• Courage – We do what’s right, even when it is difficult or unpopular
• Accountability – We take personal responsibility for Habitat’s mission
• Safeguarding: HFHI requires that all employees take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguard our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work. Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation, and abuse safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s code of conduct.

At Habitat for Humanity International, we embrace a history rooted in creating equity and take our mission seriously by courageously committing to a culture and workplace where all staff feel safe, welcome, visible, respected, supported and valued. As an equal opportunity employer, we realize that our success depends upon building an inclusive workforce of diverse perspectives and encourage people of varied races, ethnicities, national origins, tribes, religions, ages, gender identities and expressions, genders, sexual orientations, marital statuses, disabilities, veteran/reserve national guard statuses, socio-economic statuses, thinking and communication styles to work with us.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International is a global Christian-based nonprofit organization which grew out of an intentionally multi-racial community in rural Georgia.  Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat brings together people of all faiths and people of no faith to build homes, communities and hope. Working alongside each other, we help families and individuals build and improve places to call home and achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Habitat for Humanity seeks individuals who have a willingness to affirm these principles and values.

Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

HFHI works through a broad network of national Habitat organizations and other strategic partners, such as corporations, financial service providers, individuals, non-governmental organizations, foundations, local governments, as well as the private sector actors. HFHI supports program and project implementation by national HFH organizations and directly implements projects and programs regionally.

Location: Where HfHi has an office location or ability to hire – USA, Slovakia, Philippines, Costa Rica, Kenya, South Africa, UK, Switzerland, Belgium.

How to apply

Closing date: 9^th April 2023

To apply please click ‘apply for job’

As part of the application process kindly submit an MS Word version of your CV and a cover letter. All application documents (cover letter and CV) should be submitted in English.

Should you require access to information in a different format to facilitate your application please contact us via [email protected]

Please name your submitted files with the following reference: HfHI_GDSSS

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