Humanitarian Access, Safety and Security Coordinator

• Compliance with the IRC WAY (our standards for professional conduct) is a responsibility shared by all involved in delivering on the IRC's mission. We must abide by the IRC Way and Safeguarding Policies all the time.
• The IRC has zero tolerance approach to the IRC Code of Conduct including safeguarding violations being committed by its staff, consultants, contractors, volunteers, interns, suppliers, vendors, sub-grantees/partners, implementing partners or any other associate.

• Lead the HASS department and set strategic priorities aligned with country program objectives.
• Serve as primary advisor to the Country Director and SMT on security and humanitarian access risks.
• Ensure appropriate staffing structures and performance management systems are in place.
• Promote a strong organizational culture of safety and principled humanitarian engagement.

• Ensure full implementation and monitoring of Security Minimum Standards and Security Management Plans.
• Validate Security Risk Assessments (SRAs) and provide strategic risk recommendations.
• Oversee country-wide SMPs, SOPs and CPs
• Ensure security procedures remain adaptive to contextual developments.

• Lead development and execution of country humanitarian access and acceptance strategies.
• Guide negotiations with authorities, communities, and relevant actors.
• Monitor access constraints and support advocacy initiatives.
• Ensure IRC programming is understood and accepted in operational areas.

• Contribute to development of country emergency preparedness plans.
• Coordinate with Program and Operational departments to develop operational and programmatic contingency plans that respond to identified emergency scenarios.
• Build the capacity of the in-country Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT) as well as Safety and Security Management Teams (SSMTs - Field Based).
• Maintain an up-to-date evacuation plan for international and relocatable staff.
• Update the medevac plan on a regular basis in collaboration with HR department.

• Oversee facility security systems, guard management, and movement safety procedures.
• Ensure vehicle safety and journey management standards are implemented.
• Support safe operational expansion into new geographic areas.

• Lead the development and implementation of country HASS training and capacity building plans, including READI delivery and structured on-the-job learning to strengthen technical skills across teams.
• Line manage and mentor HASS staff, ensuring effective performance management systems are in place in line with IRC People Manager Standards.
• Promote team cohesion, professionalism, and adherence to the IRC Way and HR policies, in close coordination with HR.
• Ensure all direct reports develop and implement capacity building plans for their teams and receive appropriate technical support through regular field visits and follow-up action plans.
• Promote and monitor staff care, wellbeing, and duty of care practices for national and international staff.
• Advocate with the SMT to ensure adequate HASS staffing levels proportional to assessed risk levels and operational needs.

• Lead HASS department budget planning and monitoring.
• Ensure proportional allocation of security resources based on risk levels.

• Participate in program design, implementation and review sessions in close cooperation with the Program teams.
• Participate in partner and vendor selection and assessment ensuring adherence to Humanitarian Principles.
• Advise program and field management teams on context-specific risks pertaining to humanitarian access, safety, and security. Contribute to the development and implementation of mitigation measures and plans.
• Pro-actively collaborate with country leadership and key members of operations departments and programs to ensure that the humanitarian access and security management strategies are appropriately aligned with response priorities across all locations.

• Represent IRC in national security coordination platforms and access working groups.
• Maintain strategic relationships with authorities and humanitarian actors.
• Ensure alignment between IRC access strategy and broader humanitarian response.

• Field Coordinators
• Program Coordinators
• Logistics and Operations teams
• Access and Security Working Groups
• Community stakeholders and local authorities
• Regional HASSD/HASSC

• Bachelor's degree required in Security Management, Political Science, International Relations, Law, or related field.
• Master's degree or relevant professional certification strongly preferred.

• Above 6 years' experience in humanitarian safety, security, or access roles within a humanitarian NGO.
• Experience working in conflict or high-risk environments, preferably Afghanistan or similar contexts.
• Proven experience managing security and/or access teams across multiple locations.
• Experience in humanitarian access negotiations, crisis response, and risk management.
• Experience engaging in coordination forums or government liaison is an advantage
• Experience advising senior leadership and managing crises.

• Strong strategic leadership and decision-making ability in complex and high-risk environments.
• Proven humanitarian access negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills with authorities, communities, and partners.
• Advanced security risk analysis, crisis management, and contingency planning capacity.
• Ability to provide clear risk advisories and contextual analysis to senior leadership.
• Strong team leadership, mentoring, and training skills for multi-location staff.
• Effective coordination and representation skills in inter-agency forums and negotiations.
• Solid operational management skills, including incident investigation and security resource planning.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in multicultural environments.
• High integrity, resilience, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity

• Provide regular technical reporting on Security Risk Assessments (SRAs), training plans, and SMS compliance.
• Seek technical validation of major risk decisions and contingency frameworks.
• Contribute to regional security analysis and lessons learned processes.
• Align country security and humanitarian access strategies with regional and global IRC priorities.
• Participate in regional HASS coordination platforms and technical reviews.

• Fluency in Dari and Pashto required.
• Strong English writing and reporting skills required.

• Strategic leadership
• Organizational governance
• Humanitarian diplomacy
• Crisis decision-making
• Team leadership
• Contextual risk analysis

International Rescue Committee