ACBAR

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
The IRC opened the country program in Afghanistan in 1988. Our programs span the range from humanitarian relief to early recovery and development activities, focusing on child protection, education, economic wellbeing, health, and power. The IRC works in 10 provinces throughout Afghanistan, among which some of the most security volatile, and employs over 1000 staff.

Compliance with Policies:

• 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.

Department Leadership and Governance

• 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.

Security Management System Ownership

• 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.

Humanitarian Access Strategy Leadership

• 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.

Emergency Preparedness and Response to Crisis

• 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.

Operational Security Oversight

• 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.

Capacity Building, Human Resources and Staff Wellbeing

• 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.

Budget and Resource Management

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

Program Cycle Management (PCM) and Partnerships:

• 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.

Coordination and Representation

• 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.

Key Working Relationships

• 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

For IRC- Afghanistan Internal Candidates:

(“ The IRC encourages employees to remain in a position for at least one year and be in good standing before applying for another position within the organization. if an employee is interested in a vacant position within the organization, he/she must inform his/her supervisor in advance before applying for a new position”)

(However, 1 year is a must to complete but to encourage IRCA employees somehow we are flexible who work in the current IRC position for at least 6 months or above and are given chance to compete for an opportunity in the organization)

All qualified candidates are requested to open the given link and follow the instructions:

https://theirc.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/External_Careers/job/Kabul-Afghanistan/Humanitarian-Access--Safety-and-Security-Coordinator_JR00002715

applications received without a given link and/or online system will be disqualified and removed from the entire process. 

Shortlisted candidates will be directly contacted for a written test and after that for interviews. If you are not contacted TWO or FOUR WEEKS after the closing date .please know that your application has not been successful for the post. IRC Afghanistan Country Office, Qala-e-Fathullah, Street # 3, District 10, Old UNOCHA Office, Beside Fatemia Mosque.

Refer to submission guideline