Chemonics seeks a Country Security Manager and Technical Senior Specialist – Instability & Conflict to be based in Kabul, Afghanistan in support of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) 8 Decision Support (DS) project. The FEWS NET DS project maintains six regional offices (i.e. East Africa; Southern Africa; West Africa; Middle East, North Africa, and Europe; Asia; and Latin America and the Caribbean) that coordinate and oversee technical and administrative management of over 40 country offices. In Afghanistan, there are four main technical positions at the country level: Country Technical Lead (CTL); Country Technical Manager (CTM); and Country Technical Senior Specialist for Food Security (CTSS-FS); and Country Security Manager and Technical Senior Specialist – Instability & Conflict (CSM-TSS). The CSM-TSS will be responsible for building from previous security assessments to develop and refine a security platform to provide robust support to and oversight of project operations. This will be accomplished by building and enhancing strategic relationships with key stakeholders and the Afghan security sector, including developing relationships with local security professionals and NGO/IP security managers. Furthermore, the CSM-TSS is responsible for supporting the delivery food security analysis with a focus on instability/conflict, as well as representing FEWS NET in national and sub-national fora, under the CTL’s direction. The CSM-TSS’ primary focus will be the integrated food security analysis, and specialized conflict analysis training will be provided to ensure the CSM-TSS can fully assess the impact of conflict on food security. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.
FEWS NET is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. The eighth phase of FEWS NET includes the Decision Support (DS) project which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) policy and programmatic decisions. Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, FEWS NET DS Team monitors information and data on factors that affect food security, such as conflict, weather conditions and climate, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. The work of the FEWS NET DS Team relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security data and information gathering and analysis. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data sharing and exchanges, collaborative analysis and reporting, and technical capacity strengthening.
Responsibilities
Safety and Security
- Advising and supporting the development of the project’s safety and security policy and procedures in Afghanistan, supervising the implementation of these policies and procedures, continuously reviewing these policies, and updating as necessary
- Establishing relationships with local law enforcement, civil authorities, and development organizations. In coordination with the project’s leadership, actively liaises and networks with appropriate international security sources, other donors, and their projects, to cultivate strategic relationships to maintain the flow of timely and actionable information to ensure the project is well-informed of risks and best practices around security to support the safety and security of staff and to resolve security-related regulatory or operational issues as they arise
- Advising on best approaches for navigating government policies/procedures/regulations for project activities and general operations. This includes identifying required and/or relevant government personnel with whom to engage and building and maintaining these relationships. Advising on any local cultural issues as they relate to security policies and procedures
- Updating, as appropriate, key security deliverables such as project emergency action plans, contact lists, phone trees, and business continuity plans to ensure a fail-safe emergency communications system; clear emergency duties and responsibilities; and systems that foster fast, deliberate, and coordinated responses. Conducting scenario training and test exercises and ensuring emergency continuity
- Compiling and dispersing timely and accurate security updates, recommendations for changes in posture, and other relevant information to project staff in person or via e-mail, phone, Skype, WhatsApp, or SMS. Overseeing the writing and transmission of security alerts for emerging situations and reporting all security-related incidents involving Chemonics staff. Providing reports as requested that capture major events and any impact on staff or project activities. Preparing information deliverables such as reports and briefings for regular or ad hoc distribution for local staff as well as any international travelers
- Overseeing the movements of staff and vehicles and ensuring compliance with journey management protocols, providing guidance and instructions for trips based on the security environment and staff requests.
- Supporting incident management preparations and response in Afghanistan, in coordination with the project’s senior leadership
- Coordinating with any security service providers as necessary
Food Security and Conflict/Instability Analysis
- Supporting the fulfilment of designated monthly reporting requirements, including providing critical inputs to the Food Security Outlooks (FSOs), FSO Updates, Price Watch, and key messages; contributing to Food Assistance Outlook Brief reports; and providing briefings to national and sub-national partners
- Under the guidance of the CTL, supporting the integrated food security analyses (FSOs, FSOUs, FAOB input) to classify and communicate the severity of acute food insecurity at the national and sub-national levels in line with the globally recognized Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) scale. Where IPC compatibility is not possible, the CTS-CSM will support the CTL to ensure analyses remain globally comparable
- Providing early warning analysis of instability and conflict and enhancing the project’s understanding of potential drivers of conflict
- Reviewing and providing guidance and inputs on conflict forecasts as a critical input to the Food Security Outlook and Food Security Outlook Update reports in collaboration with regional and country-level technical specialists to ensure alignment between conflict, livelihoods, agroclimatology and markets and trade (M&T) forecasts
- Monitoring, assessing, and analyzing conflict, instability, social, political, and/or economic events that are likely to have an impact on the trajectory or intensity of conflict for integration into conflict forecasts where relevant
- Supporting the collection, organization, and storage of primary and secondary conflict-related data and information, as directed
- Developing a strong subject matter expertise on political and conflict dynamics in the country
- As directed by the Regional Technical Senior Specialist for Instability and Conflict, engaging with the other mechanisms of FEWS NET and network partners to ensure the integration of available conflict-related analyses into the DS Team’s analyses and products and to support the project’s continued development of conflict analysis approaches, tools and guidance
- Contributing to the FEWS NET DS Team’s decision support efforts to identify as early as possible potential or emerging conflict and instability-related crises
- Supporting the CTL in meeting USAID’s expectations on timely delivery of national and sub-national decision support products, which include, but are not limited to: delivery of monthly reporting for all presence countries no later than 7 days after the last day of the reporting month; responding to urgent questions on acute food insecurity within one day; providing briefings within one week of request; and assessing acute food insecurity in Expanded Global Early Warning (EGEW) countries within one week of request
- With support from the CTL, overseeing the collection of data by in-country enumerators or field monitors and liaising with the Regional Data Coordinator to ensure effective management (cleaning, storage, uploading, etc.) of all field data/information
- Providing input into developing and updating national and sub-national seasonal monitoring plans and participating in national and sub-national acute food insecurity monitoring, as applicable
- Supporting proactive, high quality and effective early warning of acute threats to food security at the national and sub-national levels and supporting efforts to mitigate acute food insecurity and prevent food crises through effective communication of actionable food security analysis
- As part of ensuring high quality decision support, and under the direction of the CTL, the CSM-TSS will support collaboration with Regional Technical Senior Specialists (RTSSs) to improve the integration of thematic technical areas (e.g., conflict, markets and trade, livelihoods, nutrition and agroclimatology) into regular and ad hoc decision support (including briefings) and facilitate interaction among regional, national and sub-national technical staff to further integrate sub-national and national technical and thematic analyses into decision support
- Collaborating with national and sub-national partners in food security monitoring and analysis in the country, including through implementation of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) or Cadre Harmonisé (CH) protocols
- Developing and maintaining strong collaborative national and sub-national relations, both formal and informal, with USAID Mission representatives, US Embassy technical contacts, UN agency representatives, government ministry staff, and key international, regional, and national NGO counterparts to facilitate technical exchanges, promote consensus-building, work to resolve technical disagreements, and facilitate joint, coordinated actions to mitigate food insecurity
- Participating in Early Warning Assessment Team missions, as requested, to support rapid monitoring of emerging crises as guided by the Washington D.C.- based technical team, under the direction of the CTL
- Conducting regular independent and joint field assessments of food security conditions in areas of most concern in the country, under the guidance of the CTL
- Contributing to the development of other FEWS NET DS Team information products required by the regional office or the Washington D.C.-based technical team including more granular information from sub-national areas of concern
- Participating in network development and capacity strengthening at the national and sub-national levels
- Representing the FEWS NET DS Team at regular and ad hoc formal and informal meetings within the food security network at the national and sub-national levels, as delegated by the CTL
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as economics, agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography is required
- Minimum 8 years of relevant experience (with Bachelor’s degree) is required. Relevant experience includes working on food security analysis, security management with national and international organizations, conflict analysis, early warning, or other related fields; experience working with UN agencies and/or NGOs is desirable
- Well-connected with international NGOs operating in Afghanistan, as well as possessing a high ability to build strategic relationships and expand networks
- Strong contextual knowledge of the security environment in Afghanistan and proven expertise in Afghan security issues, including current threat environment, security policy, key actors, risk assessment, and best practices
- Excellent planning, organizational, analytical, and report writing skills
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with others at all levels, including an ability to effectively liaise with supervisors, national and sub-nationally government authorities, UN, NGO, and other relevant stakeholders and an ability to coordinate effectively with remote colleagues
- Excellent computer skills, GIS applications. and mapping skills are desirable.
- Willingness to travel regularly nationally and sub-nationally as well as regionally and internationally as be required, security permitting
- Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
- Proficiency in written and spoken English is required; other local language skills relevant to the country are desirable
Application instructions
Please apply using the following link by November 21, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact short-listed candidates.
Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.
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