Organisational Context

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent international court established to investigate, prosecute and try individuals accused of committing crimes in the scope of the ICC’s jurisdiction. The Registry is one of the four organs of the court and contains three divisions including the Division of Management Services (DMS). The Security and Safety Section (SSS) is one of the Sections within DMS and is responsible for providing leadership, management, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient and effective conduct of the programmes and activities of the International Criminal Court.

The SSS is headed by the Chief of Section and consists of the Security Policy and Compliance Unit, the Building and Court Security Unit and the Field Security Team. The SSS provides a safe and secure working environment at Headquarters through uninterrupted, round-the-clock security and safety services, including for the safe and undisturbed conduct of Court hearings. The Section provides security to all persons to whom the Court owes a duty of care to ensure their safety and security and ensures the security of the Court’s tangible and intangible assets. It is also responsible for security and safety policy development, both for the country offices and Headquarters, and liaises with the Host State on security-related matters.

The ICC Headquarters are based in The Hague, The Netherlands. The ICC has one Liaison Office in New York and maintains full-time physical presences in five situation countries, namely, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Mali and Ukraine. In total, the ICC has activities in relation to 17 countries globally.

This temporary post was established to meet the growing number of protection challenges that the court is facing in a systematic and coordinated manner. All decisions on staffing of personal protection teams are based on detailed security threat and risk assessments. The incumbent will be responsible for the active investigation and assessment of threats, the preparation of invidualised programmes and the coordination of capacities and functions necessary to ensure protection of the Elected Officials of the International Criminal Court, particularly those who are subject to coercive measures implying threat. The incumbent will ensure that these services are delivered in a systematic and coordinated manner to best protect the lives, the physical integrity, the ability to freely deliver on their mandate and the dignity of Elected Officials of the court whilst they perform their official duties. The Security Coordination Officer (Protective Services) is responsible for Protective Services and supports and contributes to the achievements of the overall goals of the International Criminal Court in general, and of the Security and Safety Section specifically.

Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:

• Strategic and Policy Contribution - Supports the achievement of the overall goals of the Court and the Security and Safety Section by contributing to the establishment of strategic objectives, policies and best practices for the delivery of protective services, in line with UNSMS standards, the specific risk environment of the ICC and the contingent situations affecting in particular Elected Officials in the discharge of their duties.
• Operational Planning and Coordination - Plans, coordinates, and oversees daily Close Protection (CP) and Security Liaison Officer (SLO) operations within the ICC system to ensure effective, timely and consistent implementation of assigned protection tasks.
• Resource and Capability Management - Ensures the readiness and availability of CP/ SLO resources, including personnel, firearms, ammunition and specialized equipment; advises on optimal deployment strength; and leads the establishment of ICC standards for protection skills, weapons and technical equipment in line with UNSMS requirements, with a strong focus on operational and technological areas.
• Protection Response Development - Develops, implements and coordinates protection response capacities to meet operational needs across ICC areas of operation in close cooperation with the Presidency, Registrar and the Office of the Prosecutor.
• Threat, Risk and Security Assessment - Conducts and coordinates security risk assessments, threat analyses, and protective service evaluations for Elected Officials and CP/ SLO operations, including during travel, field missions and transitions to determine and recommend appropriate levels of protection.
• Implementation and Operationalisation of the ‘Insider Risk’ Plan Framework - Implements and operationalises the ICC ‘Insider Risk’ plan framework by developing and applying measures to detect, assess and mitigate insider risks affecting Elected Officials, staff and protective operations.
• Insider Risk Coordination, Response and Awareness - Coordinates insider risk related assessments and responses in close cooperation with the Information Security Unit, the Human Resources Section and relevant investigative authorities. Oversees discreet, procedurally compliant handling of suspected insider risk incidents and delivers targeted awareness training and briefings to Elected Officials and staff in support of early detection and organizational resilience.
• Onboarding and Transition Security – Participates in onboarding for newly Elected Officials through security briefings, threat interviews and individual risk profile assessments; manages security risk assessments for outgoing Elected Officials, including coordination with their home or designated countries of residence.
• Emergency and Contingency Planning - Coordinates emergency response and evacuation planning for Elected Officials ensuring contingency measures are in place for high-risk scenarios.
• Technical and Information Security - Strengthens counter-surveillance and technical security capabilities, including Technical Security Counter Measures (TSCM), and, together with the IT Security Officer, implements measures to protect sensitive and classified information related to Elected Officials and senior ICC representatives.
• Liaison and External Coordination - Collaborates with UNSMS and non-UNSMS entities, States Parties law enforcement agencies, Host Government authorities and security counterparts to ensure coordinated deployment and support for protective operations across all ICC areas.
• Engagement and Representation - Participates in UNSMS and Member State workshops and establishes relationships with expert institutions and professional bodies to remain abreast of innovations and best practices in CP, SLO and TSCM operations.
• Training, Standards and Compliance - Ensures the application and adherence to advanced UNSMS CP standards and training methodologies; evaluates external protective resources for compliance; and contributes to continuous professional development within the Section.
• Performance Review and Continuous Improvement - Conducts Protective Services Assessments (PSAs), audits and lessons-learned reviews to identify trends, benchmarks and areas for improvement - recommending enhancements to strengthen overall protective capability.
• General Management and Support Duties - Performs other related management and operational duties within the Security and Safety Section as required to support the effective delivery of the Section’s mandate.

Essential Qualifications

Education:

Advanced university degree in security related field such as security or emergency management/planning, disaster management, law, social/political sciences, public/business administration (with focus on security management), international relations or police/military sciences. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant and qualifying experience is accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of seven years progressively responsible experience (nine with a first level university degree) of national military, police or security force service with extensive command and planning experience at field officer level or equivalent;

• At least three years of experience in an international organisation, or in a governmental role on close protection of high level officials is required.
• At least three years of experience in undertaking leading roles in protective measures and related law enforcement response planning duties; conducting routine security planning to detect, deter, and delay potential or actual threats to high level management individuals in private settings, or of high level governmental authorities.
• Demonstrated experience working under pressure and providing direction to others operating in hostile or difficult operational environments is required.
• Planning and executing crisis management operations is required.
• Experience in managing a multi-cultural team is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience and professional certification (e.g. UN Security Certification Programme (SCP) or Intermediate Training Programme (ITP) or equivalent national / international certifications) in relevant specialist areas, such as close protection, protective services, security coordination, information assurance, operational planning, security training or critical incident management is desirable.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment.
• Strong leadership skills to effectively guide and motivate staff across a broad geographical area of responsibility under difficult operational conditions.
• Management skills, including comprehensive knowledge of strategic policy and operational objectives;
• Ability to plan and delegate tasks with responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority.
• Excellent supervisory skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to create and foster a common culture; appraise staff fairly and objectively; provide feedback in a timely method.
• Ability to adjust priorities and plan activities and projects effectively.

Knowledge of languages:

Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court (English or French) is required. Working knowledge of the other is an asset. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish) would be considered an asset.