Humanitarian Access & Safety Coordinator at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Position Title: Humanitarian Access & Safety Coordinator

Employer: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Employment: Full-Time | Contract

Place of Work: Addis Ababa - Ethiopia

Posted date: 1 day ago

Deadline: October, 15/2025 (12 days left)

Job Description

The Humanitarian Access and Safety (HAS) Coordinator is a key technical resource on safety and security, crisis management, and access within the country. This role contributes to managing safety and security risks, building capacity, implementing Duty of Care (in direct coordination with People and Organisation), developing humanitarian access strategies, and facilitating principled humanitarian programming. The HAS Coordinator reports directly to the Humanitarian Access and Safety Manager and is also technically overseen by the HAS Manager.

Responsibilities

Generic Responsibilities

• Implement the NRC Global HAS Management System at the area level, prepare reports as required and execute country-focused elements of the HAS Operational Plan.
• Contribute to a culture of enabling a safe and principled humanitarian response and support the implementation of Safe and Inclusive Programming Minimum Standards.
• Line management responsibility for direct reporting staff. This includes:
  • Performance management process: setting clear goals aligned to strategic priorities and following up and supporting staff’s achievement.
  • Support HAS Manager with workforce planning, recruitment, staff induction and development and support for Duty of Care for HAS staff in the area.
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of the country's humanitarian context, including analysis and forecasting, to regularly brief area management on key security developments, NRC exposure, access challenges, and emerging threats to inform decision-making.
• Lead the development of country-level and area-level HAS documents, including contingency plans, access strategies, and context-relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), in line with organisational standards.
• Support the HAS Manager in conducting Security Risk Assessments (SRAs) and access assessments, including Rapid SRAs for new operational locations, and collaborate with management to implement relevant mitigation measures and support safe programming.
• Work with the country and area management group to maintain compliance with NRC’s HAS Management System at the area and country office level.
• Facilitate an ongoing culture of learning relevant to Humanitarian Access and Safety and arrange for training, including Hostile Environment Individual Security Training (HEIST), Field First Aid, drills and simulations for NRC staff and partners, in line with NRC policies.
• In consultation with the HAS Manager, communicate and coordinate with relevant external actors and coordination structures and build relationships with various stakeholders to inform operations and security management as well as increase humanitarian access and protect humanitarian space at the area level.
• Ensure adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures, and a specific responsibility for HAS policies and procedures.
• NORCAP – AU staff support on briefing, induction, information sharing, SRA, MOISS assessments, etc.

Specific Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the HAS Manager, People and Organisation staff, and the Area office HAS team to ensure Duty of Care standards are upheld, reflecting the diversity of the NRC workforce and visitors to the area.
• Work with management to ensure that all staff give their informed consent based on a briefing upon arrival and that updates are regularly shared on the security context.
• Work with the country management group in consultation with the HAS manager on emergency preparedness and contingency planning.
• Collaborate with the HAS Manager to manage access, safety and security-related incidents at the country office level, ensuring their documentation in NRC Protect.
• Contribute, in collaboration with the HAS Manager, to improving humanitarian access for NRC operations across the area by providing technical support on tools and strategies, supporting capacity building for area and country office staff, and assisting teams in developing access strategies and engagement plans.
• Ensure that the HAS’s training tracker is up to date.
• In consultation with HASM, advise on the engagement with parties to the conflict, including non-state armed groups and state armed forces at the area and country office level, when designated by management.
• Participate in Project Cycle Management by providing contextual analysis and technical advice on operational and programmatic modalities in the country.
• Provide the relevant HAS information required for project proposals to donors, internal or external audits, and any other requests as needed.
• Contribute to capacity building and knowledge sharing initiatives with local partners regarding security risk management and humanitarian access in the area, in coordination with the HAS Manager and the partnership focal points.
• Represent NRC in external forums at the area level, such as security coordination groups, Humanitarian Access Working Group (HAWG) and Civil-Military Coordination, as well as other forums as required.
• Promote safeguarding principles and commitments within NRC and amongst communities.
• Participate actively in the Area Management Group.
• Perform any other tasks related to HAS and the position as delegated by the line manager.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of experience working with security management, preferably in a humanitarian/recovery context.
• Previous experience working in complex and volatile contexts.
• First-level university degree, preferably in security management, law enforcement or other related social science field.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal.
• Good knowledge of the area and context in Ethiopia and all regions
• Good communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Experience in organisational representation, coordination, and liaison.
• Technical expertise in security management required.