OPERATIONS AND RESILIENCE ADVISOR – AFGHANISTAN

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and fight with CARE.

CARE is seeking an Operations and Resilience Advisor (ORA) to support CARE International in Afghanistan. This person will have the responsibility of developing strategies to work safely within their program environments, maintain accesses to program areas, reduce operational risks faced by staff, develop the capacity of national counterparts in the CARE Afghanistan Risk Management Unit and prepare robust contingency plans for incident and crisis response. This will be achieved by maintaining a pragmatic and operational posture that enables and supports CARE’s vision and mission in Afghanistan, whilst fostering an inclusive risk-managed culture for health and safety amongst staff.

The Operations and Resilience Advisor will report to the Country Director, with close daily interaction and engagement with the Regional Security Manager Country Leadership Team, on which s/he is a member. The ORA will directly manage the CARE Afghanistan Risk Management Unit (RMU), and will also manage the ongoing review, development and implementation of the Country Office Risk Management Plan and associated budget.

The person in this role will support and maintain safety advisories and operating procedures which are in line with the CARE International Principles. In supporting CARE in Afghanistan to achieve its mission, the ORA will advise management on a range of best practices. S/he will demonstrate a high level of socio-cultural, political and economic understanding of the context where CARE works. S/he will also develop a solid working knowledge of CARE’s programs and have a strong understanding of humanitarian programming approaches.

This is an unaccompanied position based in Kabul, Afghanistan with up to 30% travel to the field in locations that are approved for international staff travel. Travel within Kabul city is by armored vehicle only.

International staff live within secured premises at the CARE offices and accommodation is within single-occupancy apartments. Access to restaurants and other external venues is almost completely prohibited due to security conditions, but visits to other NGO/UN compounds is possible. There is a strong R&R system in place. Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) is compulsory for this position.

Responsibilities:

• Management of the CARE Afghanistan Risk Management Unit (CARMU)
• Analysis, Planning and Preparation
• Procedures and Protocols
• Incident and Crisis Management
• Capacity Building
• Advise and Report
• Promote cross-regional collaboration, sharing of ideas and initiatives and operational best practice with Country Offices in ARMU or the broader CARE network
• Ensure CARE’s stance on Protection, Sexual, Harassment Exploitation and Abuse [PSHEA] is monitored and adhered to by both staff and our Partners and individuals/organizations held accountable for violation
• Additional tasks as defined by the Country Director or Regional Security Manager CARE Afghanistan

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a field related to humanitarian work or risk management or equivalent field/operational experience
• 5 years of experience in assisting international organizations in developing countries, to manage staff and safety
• 5 years of experience working in an international organization
• 5 years of experience working in complex and hazardous environments
• Strong assessment, evaluation and planning skills
• Demonstrable expertise of Humanitarian risk management
• Excellent oral and written communication skills