Regional Safety & Security Director

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Context

The East Africa region supports effective, efficient, and high-quality programming by strengthening capacity around client outcomes, program quality, strategic positioning, and business development. It addresses overlapping humanitarian and development challenges – conflict, weak governance, and environmental degradation – through integrated, impactful approaches.

The region prioritizes cross-learning, innovation, and harmonized technical strategies, especially in high-need areas. It ensures continuity of care and coordinated service delivery for clients on the move, while advancing strategic donor engagement through cohesive fundraising and regional collaboration.

The region responds swiftly to country program needs, filling critical gaps and navigating access constraints, emergencies, and security shifts. It amplifies client and frontline voices to inform global advocacy and fosters strong team cohesion to enhance program delivery. EA focuses on cost-efficient and adaptive approaches to the evolving humanitarian and donor landscape, with a clear focus on resourcing country programs.

The EA region operates country programs in Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia.

Position Summary

The Regional Safety and Security Director (RSSD) is one of the most senior leadership roles in the East Africa region and provides strategic leadership for safety, security, and humanitarian access across the region. They set and drive the implementation of a comprehensive strategy to anticipate, analyze, and mitigate risks, safeguard staff and assets, enable principled humanitarian access, and ensure the continuity of IRC’s operations and programs in complex and high-risk environments.

As the principal safety and security advisor to, and close partner of, the Regional Vice President (RVP), the RSSD works alongside the RVP on the decisions that shape IRC’s presence, access, and continuity across the region. They are a full member of the Regional Management Team and of IRC’s global safety and security (S&S) team. Within the Regional Management Team, the RSSD contributes as a senior leader to regional strategy, priorities, and decision-making, not only as the safety and security function, bringing a risk-informed perspective to program, operational, and resourcing choices. They integrate Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) informed security risk analysis into strategic, operational, programmatic, and partnership decisions so that security considerations are embedded across IRC’s work.

Reporting jointly to the RVP and the Senior Director for Safety and Security (SDSS), the RSSD operates with significant autonomy and influence. Working in close partnership with Country Directors, they ensure that each country program has robust, context-appropriate protocols, systems, and capacities in place to address unique threats and challenges, while remaining agile to adapt to shifting environments.

The RSSD maintains in-depth knowledge of security dynamics across all EA countries, monitors early warning indicators, and deploys regularly, including at short notice, to support local teams. They play a central role in mentoring and building the capabilities of IRC staff and leaders to operate safely and effectively, thereby strengthening IRC’s ability to reach and serve the most affected and underserved populations.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Regional Management

• As a member of the Regional Management Team, contribute as a senior leader to regional strategy, priority-setting, and decision-making, bringing a risk-informed perspective to program, operational, and resourcing choices across the region rather than representing the safety and security function alone.
• Serve as the principal safety and security advisor to, and close partner of, the RVP, enabling timely, risk-informed decisions on humanitarian access, operational continuity, and duty of care, and jointly activating and leading crisis management when required.
• Partner with Country Directors to align safety, security, and humanitarian access with country Strategy Action Plans (SAPs) and operational priorities, supporting their decision-making and accountability for risk.

Security Risk Management

• Lead and supervise the identification, analysis, and mitigation of S&S risks across the region, ensuring alignment with IRC’s global standards.
• Guide and support Country Directors and field leaders to adapt and implement context-specific security risk management strategies ensuring proactive risk identification, mitigation, and emergency preparedness.
• Review, monitor, and encourage compliance with the Security Minimum Standards (SMS) in all country programs providing follow-up and technical guidance where gaps are identified.
• Drive and champion the development, adaptation, and roll-out of global and regional initiatives on duty of care and safeguarding, embedding these into operational culture and practice.
• Shape and strengthen safety and security policies, procedures, and practices that fully integrate Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) principles as well as Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) commitments.
• Extend IRC’s security capacity to partners, ensuring they receive tailored risk management support, access to systems, and benefit from IRC’s standards relevant to their operational contexts.
• Build and maintain an active network of IRC security focal points across country programs and cultivate strong external relationships with professional contacts, peer agencies, and security counterparts to enhance collective risk management.

Humanitarian Access Management

• Enable and safeguard principled, secure, and sustained humanitarian access across country programs, ensuring communities can be reached and served in line with IRC’s country Strategy Action Plans (SAP).
• Strengthen and expand humanitarian access teams and capabilities across the region, building skills, systems, and approaches that enhance operational reach and acceptance.
• Develop, adapt, and implement context-specific guidelines for humanitarian access and engagement with state and non-state actors, ensuring alignment with IRC policy, international humanitarian law, and standards.
• Advise and guide country programs in the design of operational and programmatic contingency plans ensuring preparedness for sudden shifts in political, security, or conflict dynamics.
• Collaborate with relevant IRC units to ensure prompt and appropriate follow-up to violations of IRC’s Code of Conduct and breaches of humanitarian principles, reinforcing accountability and ethical operations.

Performance Management and Development

• Lead and actively contribute to the recruitment and selection of key positions with S&S responsibilities, ensuring high-caliber talent and diverse representation.
• Co-manage and mentor direct-report staff (under the Management in Partnership (MiP) model with Country Directors), setting clear expectations, defining performance objectives, providing regular, timely feedback, and conducting documented performance reviews that drive accountability and growth.
• Promote and safeguard staff well-being, monitoring staff care across the region and supporting appropriate interventions to address the needs of both national and international staff.
• Directly supervise and develop the Regional Humanitarian Access and Safety Coordinator, ensuring progressive and forward-looking S&S plans that align with regional priorities and organizational strategy.

Learning & Development

• Design, support, and supervise the implementation of regional capacity-building plans, ensuring effective delivery of IRC’s global S&S training programs across EA country programs.
• Embed gender-sensitive approaches into all capacity development and learning initiatives, addressing gender-specific risks and ensuring inclusivity in staff preparedness.
• Lead and facilitate critical incident management trainings and simulations, in close coordination with the global S&S unit to strengthen preparedness and response capacities across the region.

Incident Management

• Support country programs to ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality incident notification, reporting, analysis, and dissemination of lessons learned.
• Serve as a member of the Regional Incident Management Team actively supporting the RVP in the management and resolution of Tier 2 and Tier 3 incidents.
• Facilitate After-Action Reviews ensuring that corrective measures are clearly defined, documented, and systematically implemented in line with established incident protocols.
• Oversee and monitor the SHIELD incident database producing quarterly trend analyses to inform strategic decision-making and strengthen regional risk mitigation.

Key Working Relationships

• Reports to: Regional Vice President, East Africa, and Senior Director, Global Safety & Security (matrixed reporting)
• Member of: Regional Management Team and IRC’s global Safety & Security team
• Partners closely with: the Regional Vice President, as principal safety and security advisor, and Country Directors on country risk, humanitarian access, and duty of care
• Manages: Regional Humanitarian Access & Security Coordinator; and, through Management in Partnership with the respective Country Directors, country Security Leads
• Collaborates with: fellow Regional Safety & Security Directors, the Director of Security Learning & Operations, the Global Duty of Care Director, People & Culture, and other members of the Regional Management Team; and, externally, with peer agencies, security networks, and relevant counterparts

Qualifications & Requirements

• At least 10 years’ experience in international humanitarian assistance, with proven ability to plan, organize, and lead security management operations.
• Prior experience in EA with strong knowledge of regional and country dynamics is essential.
• Fluency in English required; proficiency in a relevant regional language (e.g. Arabic, Amharic, Somali, or Swahili) is an asset.
• Demonstrated grounding in humanitarian principles, codes of conduct, NGO culture, and proven success in gender-sensitive security management and gender equality.
• Skilled at influencing without authority and building effective relationships across multinational teams, partners, and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge through mentoring, coaching, and non-formal methods.
• Strong capacity to analyze and present complex security dynamics and incidents clearly and on short notice, highlighting implications for operations.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 40% of the time.

Work Environment

This position is open to both national and international applicants, in the locations indicated as well as potentially other IRC locations open to hosting. We will, however, prioritize consideration of national candidates from the region and for which our highly competitive national salary scale and benefits will apply.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based, are currently located outside your home country, and possess over 4 years of international work experience, the IRC has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing, and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate, and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work. We particularly encourage qualified women to apply for this role, and are committed to supporting them through flexible working arrangements, safety and duty of care planning tailored to the East African countries’ context, and a workplace culture that values the leadership women bring to humanitarian response.

In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.