Security & Safety Coordinator, Idlib, Syria

1. Context

Relief International (RI) is an international non-profit organization that works alongside communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disasters to save lives, build resilience, and promote long-term health and well-being.

Our team of more than 6,000 staff and local volunteers operates across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through programs focused on Health and Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Education, and Livelihoods, which lay the foundations for community resilience.

To achieve this, we work with local actors to develop safe and inclusive, evidence-based programs that are conflict-sensitive, climate-adapted, and responsive to the needs of the communities we serve.

Relief International is a network of three organizations sharing a common mission: Relief International, Inc., Relief International-France, and Relief International-UK.

2. Job Profile

The Safety & Security Coordinator is an important position within RI's North Syria team, contributing to strengthening the security management and contingency planning as well as promoting a strong security and safety culture within the team. With the support and collaboration of the Area Manager, the Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that field staff are aware and adhere to RI safety and security policies; identifies, analyzes and proposes mitigation measures to risks to RI staff and assets; continuously monitors RI's operational context to identify changes which may impact the security of RI staff and assets; conducts security assessments (areas, travel routes, premises, etc); delivers briefings and capacity-building of colleagues relating to security and safety topics; and makes recommendations on relevant RI policies and practices. The position also supports humanitarian access through stakeholder engagement and analysis of operational access constraints, providing timely contextual insights and recommendations to support safe and effective program delivery.

3. Key Responsibilities

Under the supervision and support of the Area Manager: Operational Safety & Security

• Conduct regular visits to RI areas of operation to meet with field team members, analyse the operational context, and assess practices and processes related to the team's safety.
• Provide operational guidance to colleagues on the conducting of activities in a safe manner.
• Work with the field staff to ensure RI's safety and security standards are well understood and met; build awareness and commitment to a “safety culture” among the teams in their daily work.
• With support of the Area Manager, ensure that RI's safety and security policies are fully respected at field level including those relating to premises, travel management, safety equipment and contingency supplies, training and awareness-raising, documentation and reporting.
• Monitor and support field movement processes to ensure compliance with journey management procedures and approved security measures.
• Lead or participate in security assessments (premises, routes, etc) in the field, particularly those relating to proposed new activity areas and new premises being considered for use by RI.
• As delegated by the Area Manager, deliver safety and security briefings for new staff at field level as well as regular refresher briefings for existing staff.
• Support coordination with local stakeholders to help facilitate operational access, as delegated.
• Support the identification, analysis, and monitoring of access constraints affecting RI operations and contribute to the development of practical mitigation measures to maintain safe and sustained programme access.
• Conduct periodic compliance reviews of RI safety and security procedures and recommend corrective actions to address identified gaps.

Analysis and Reporting

• Promptly report any safety or security incidents affecting RI staff or assets to the Area Manager and/or the Field Director.
• Continuously analyse the context in RI's areas of operation in order to stay well informed of political, security, humanitarian and economic developments which may have implications for staff safety and the protection of RI assets.
• Collect, analyse and report data (from RI as well as external sources such as INGO) on access or safety incidents on a regular basis, and translate this into actionable recommendations to make staff safer.
• Maintain and update security-related information products, including incident trackers, risk monitoring tools, maps, and contextual briefing materials.
• Provide the Area Manager, Field Director and program implementation team with timely and credible information and contextual analysis on relevant issues.

Incident & Crisis Management

• Draft incident reports and collect information from field-level colleagues or external stakeholders for these reports or other internal communication.
• Act as a focal point for immediate response and follow up to incidents at field level, under the guidance of Area Manager or Field Director as well as Country Office security representatives.
• When requested, participate in RI incident management teams.
• Ensure proper follow-up to all approved action points and recommendations contained in RI incident reports.
• Analyse incidents and contextual changes to make recommendations on revisions to SOPs, security measures, and contingency planning as required.
• Support the implementation and periodic review of contingency, hibernation, relocation, and evacuation plans to ensure preparedness for potential crises.

Team Management & Capacity Building

• Line manage the Security Guard team at RI's Idleb office and any other premises in North Syria which may be opened in the future.
• Provide regular supervision, coaching, and performance follow-up for guards (incentive staff) at RI activity sites, specifically Health Facilities, Protection Units, and Women and Girls' Safe Spaces, to ensure effective implementation of duties and adherence to RI standards
• Contribute to identifying training needs and develop and facilitate trainings for selected RI field staff (direct or incentive staff) such as security guards, drivers, and staff who may be at elevated risk due to the nature or location of their work (roving field staff, etc).

Other:

• Maintain professional relationships with relevant humanitarian, community, and security stakeholders to support information sharing and contextual awareness.
• Attend safety and security-related external meetings (INSO, etc) when delegated by the Area Manager.
• Support the setup and maintenance of clear communication channels at field level to convey safety and security-related information quickly and efficiently to field teams.
• Provide feedback on safety and security management tools used by RI and make recommendations on adaptions or introduction of new tools.
• Effectively represent, promote and protect RI's mandate of independence, impartiality and neutrality.

Behavior and Conduct

• Ensures the highest standards of behavior in and outside of work, promoting the values in RI's code of conduct and safeguarding policies at all times.
• Leads by example - is a model for other staff for respecting and adhering to security and safety standards.
• Adheres to humanitarian principles.
• Promptly reports any concerns about possible violations of safeguarding or other protection-related policies and principles to relevant organizational focal points and/or senior management.
• Displays cultural sensitivity and the ability to work with diverse communities in an empathetic, non-judgmental manner.
• Person Specification

Skills, knowledge and expertise required for the role.

Essential criteria

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject, or equivalent in professional working experience related to safety and security.
• Minimum of 5 years of safety- and security-related experience in the humanitarian sector, preferably including in supervisory or leadership positions.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and diplomacy skills.
• Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated ability to produce written documents (briefing papers, incident reports, etc) including analysis and recommendations.
• Fluency in Arabic and good spoken/written English.
• Ability to work under pressure and with short deadlines, and willingness to do urgent out-of-working hours work when required.
• Good computer/information technology skills; experience with maps, dashboards and databases is an asset.

Desirable criteria

• Experience and knowledge of the Idleb and/or Aleppo security context, with a sound understanding of local dynamics and a pre-existing network of contacts for information-gathering.
• Experience of coordinating with government agencies, NGOs, and UN bodies.
• Demonstrated experience of conducting capacity-building (trainings, mentoring).
• Familiarity with humanitarian principles and protection-related programming.

RI Values

Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:

• Integrity
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Inclusivity
• Sustainability

How To Apply

• To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page.
• You will be asked to upload a CV.

Closing Date

September 16, 2026

Please note that the position might be filled before the deadline

As a humanitarian organization, Relief International is committed to the safeguarding of all those we come into contact with through our work. We are committed to the core humanitarian principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviors outlined in the Code of Conduct.

Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks.