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Greenpeace Africa campaigns for bold change that speaks to power, which can lead to high-risk situations. As the Security Manager, you will lead the implementation of Greenpeace’s security strategy across the continent, including security assessments, risk analysis and staff training. The Security Manager will travel across Africa, leading a small team and collaborating and building relationships with Greenpeace Africa teams and its partners. You are a strong communicator who can influence and advise at the executive level and create a culture of security within Greenpeace Africa.

About Greenpeace Africa

Greenpeace Africa is a growing movement of people acting for the protection of the environment through peaceful campaigns and creative confrontation to expose environmental injustices around the world and develop solutions for a green and peaceful future.

The vision of Greenpeace in Africa is one where people live in harmony with nature in a peaceful state of environmental and social justice. Greenpeace has always been more than an organisation — it is a diverse, multinational, multicultural movement of ordinary individuals determined to bring about extraordinary changes necessary to realise a greener, more peaceful future.

About the Role

The Security Manager will be the focal point for coordinating risk assessment, security-related issues, and making recommendations to the Executive Director on security management. The Security Manager will be responsible in upholding and implementing the security strategy. The role responds to individual security emergencies regionally and leads organisational responses to the changing global security environment. The Security Manager will also coordinate the development and delivery of the security training program for all staff, and increasingly support the growth of a security culture to Greenpeace Africa. The Security Manager also will liaise with the Executive Directors and SMT on staff, volunteers and contractors’ safety in Greenpeace Africa. 

This is a regional role and requires many after-work hours and international travel at short notice since it is the Security Manager’s role to manage the security officers based in various offices in Greenpeace Africa.

Purpose of the Role

To ensure that all staff, volunteers and activists at Greenpeace Africa are safe and secure by promoting a culture of security and providing advice, tools and up to date protocols and procedure documents. This will entail but is not limited to the identification, assessment and mitigation of the threats to staff while in office or field and to provide advice as appropriate. 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Working with Greenpeace International’s security team and the Africa SMT to develop and implement a security strategy for Greenpeace Africa and develop safety and security policies, procedures, standards and protocols.
• Ensure that security policies, guidelines and operating standards are effectively and systematically monitored, and sound advice on security and other associated risk-related matters are delivered in a timely manner.
• Keep informed and advise relevant parties (Greenpeace staff, visitors, country leads) on country security, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and policies. 
• Work closely with designated country lead to ensure the security of all Greenpeace Africa staff and volunteers. 
• Work with a team to assess the need for security risk assessment based on the terms of reference provided by Greenpeace Africa units relative to their planned activities (field trips, investigations, travels, press conference, etc.).
• Working with the Programme Department in facilitating security management plans and ensuring mitigation measures arising from risk analysis in projects are implemented. 
• Advise project lead and relevant director on low, medium and high-risk activities and mitigation measure — also ensures sign-off of risk assessment and the follow-through by relevant Director.
• Facilitate meeting of risk identification and mitigation measures. 
• Oversight of incident reporting across the organisation, mitigation measures taken when necessary and amendments to SOPs as necessary.
• Escalate issues of security non-compliance or negligence from staff to the Executive Director.
• Production, review and updating of all office and project security standard operating procedures (SOPs, Country Assessments and Health & Safety regulations).
• Identify and manage security training for staff. This includes relevant field security training, critical Incident management training, and negotiation training.
• Advise on Security Working Group and the Critical Incident Teams
• Advise The Executive Director and implement and oversee emergency and evacuation operational measures.
• Be the first point of contact for emergency issues or as delegated in emergency communication tree.
• Oversee the recruitment and management of team members and outsourced security services.
• Oversee the management, purchase, use and storage of any security equipment; and also ensure training of team members on the use of this equipment.
• Management of the security budget.

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Security, or related field and/or minimum of 5 years of experience in security, international security or global physical security.
• Minimum 5 years of supervisory/management experience.
• Experience of working in an international organisation, ideally in multiple countries with varied risk profiles, with a culturally diverse stakeholder community and the ability to represent Greenpeace Africa’s interests working in difficult environments.
• Proven professional training in security management or a related field, or comparable work experience or certification.
• Strong understanding of an organisation’s duty of care requirements and how this will integrate with other good security practices, health and safety legislation and organisational needs in the regional context.
• Experience in risk management and or understanding of organisational risk management.
• Excellent overall communication skills, including experience of writing and reviewing security policies, procedures and plans. 
• A strong and well-developed network of contacts with key security providers, as well as key professionals working with these providers.
• A high level of resilience and drive, ability to be flexible, adapt to change as required, choose a course of action, develop appropriate solutions and reaching conclusions.
• Experience of hostile or complex operating environments with a demonstrable understanding of the challenges faced by international organisations and the NGO sector.
• Excellent project management skills, risk management and mitigation.
• Proven strong sense of personal discipline and integrity.
• Good political judgment, responsiveness, ability to provide leadership and support for security-related emergencies.
• English fluency is required and French fluency is an advantage. 

Other requirements

• Commitment to the aims of Greenpeace
• Understanding of UN type security detail and experience
• Willingness to work unsocial hours as required
• Willingness to travel both within and beyond Africa
• Knowledge of first aid and procedures