Description
Background: Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact. Mercy Corps in the Middle East Mercy Corps is a non-profit, non-governmental international humanitarian and development organization, registered in the United States and United Kingdom with offices in more than 40 countries around the world, including the West Bank and Gaza, where the organization has been active in implementing relief and development programs for over a decade. Mercy Corps Palestine has staff based in East Jerusalem, Ramallah and Gaza that implement programs throughout the Palestinian territories. Mercy Corps has been operating in Palestine since 1986, and across the Middle East for several years. Purpose / Project Description: To support on rotations of staff in Gaza, the Access & Security Manager is responsible for monitoring the overall security situation in Gaza, enforcing security regulations, providing sound and timely advice to MC Gaza staff and management, coordinating access (entry, exits and movements) within Gaza and providing regular oversight and capacity building to staff at the field location. Consultant Objectives:
- Serve as interim surge support to Mercy Corps team in Gaza and provide technical support and guidance in the areas of safety, security and access to all Gaza based/located staff.
- Provide technical support to program teams in assessing the suitability of establishing operations in new or changing locations.
- Ensure continuous support and communication across staff in Gaza, the Gaza response leadership (on the ground and within the country program), and country security team members. Consultant Activities: The Consultant will:
- Support and advise Emergency Response and program teams on all policies, procedures, guidelines, and planning for staff safety and operational security in Gaza. Provide security trainings for staff as necessary.
- Ensure compliance to the MC Security Management framework within the SMP and all annexes.
- Manage protocols and procedures to ensure MC facilities are secure.
- Evaluate, review, and update (as required) the hibernation and evacuation plans for MC GHs/offices in Gaza and ensure that practical preparations are in place and briefed to all staff.
- Compile and submit ad-hoc security reporting that tracks incidents and trends within MCs area of operation. Establish daily cadence of contextual updates with the Emergency Response Director and/or Country Director.
- Ensure all incidents are formally reported within MC Incident Reporting protocols.
- Undertake continual assessments of equipment and the protocols by which that equipment is used, to ensure that minimal conditions for security are being met.
- Provide and implement the best possible solutions for the use of equipment to facilitate communication between staff, including here proposing safe alternative means of communication and equipment Humanitarian Access Management
- Identify barriers to access and support program teams in developing mitigation strategies.
- Provide technical support to program teams in assessing the suitability of establishing operations in new locations and produce Security Risk Assessments for new locations and/or high-risk environments.
- Promote and support the integration of humanitarian access approaches into program design and implementation
- Provide technical support to program teams in assessing the suitability of establishing operations in new locations and produce Security Risk Assessments for new locations and/or high-risk environments.
- Identify barriers to access and support program teams in developing mitigation strategies.
- Provide and implement the best possible solutions for the use of equipment to facilitate communication between staff, including here proposing safe alternative means of communication and equipment Humanitarian Access Management
- Undertake continual assessments of equipment and the protocols by which that equipment is used, to ensure that minimal conditions for security are being met.
- Ensure all incidents are formally reported within MC Incident Reporting protocols.
- Compile and submit ad-hoc security reporting that tracks incidents and trends within MCs area of operation. Establish daily cadence of contextual updates with the Emergency Response Director and/or Country Director.
- Evaluate, review, and update (as required) the hibernation and evacuation plans for MC GHs/offices in Gaza and ensure that practical preparations are in place and briefed to all staff.
- Manage protocols and procedures to ensure MC facilities are secure.
- Ensure compliance to the MC Security Management framework within the SMP and all annexes.
- Support and advise Emergency Response and program teams on all policies, procedures, guidelines, and planning for staff safety and operational security in Gaza. Provide security trainings for staff as necessary.
- Ensure continuous support and communication across staff in Gaza, the Gaza response leadership (on the ground and within the country program), and country security team members. Consultant Activities: The Consultant will:
- Provide technical support to program teams in assessing the suitability of establishing operations in new or changing locations.