Security & Safety Officer

The Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh), with headquarters in Lausanne and an office in Zurich, is the leading Swiss child rights organisation with more than 2000 employees worldwide. We stand together with children to uphold their rights, protect their lives and improve their well-being. We achieve this through innovative programmes focused on health, migration and access to justice, specially designed to have a positive and sustainable impact.

Tdh has been working in Afghanistan since 1995 and carry out projects related to Child Protection, Mother and Child health and Livelihood Programs in Kabul, Balkh, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces

The Security & Safety Officer is responsible for the development and implementation of effective security strategies and protocols to protect the organization and its staff against threats and security risks. This involves conducting risk assessments, identifying vulnerabilities and devising appropriate security and mitigation measures. The S&S Officer will have regular field visits to area and project offices and locations to assess and evaluate safety and security sectup ip. S/he will also support the Security & Safety Officer in Jalalabad to ensure staff and beneficiaries' heightened safety and access.

Main responsibilities:

1. Security Enforcement & Staff Awareness

• Assess programne activities and their impact on staff security and make recommendations to reduce staff vulnerability.

• Ensures daily enforcement of security strategies and plans, and appropriate security behaviour when necessary.

• Ensures that all staff are regularly and adequately briefed on the security situation and the procedures to be followed.

• Limits the risks taken by field staff, using appropriate security guidelines and ensuring that individual staff members take their responsibility in this matter.

• Carries out security induction for new expatriates, national staff, and visitors on the security and safety plans.

• Ensures the presence of medical kits in vehicles and security stock in offices and guesthouses.

• Ensures availability of safety measures and equipment (fire extinguishers in good condition, evacuation alarms, evacuation route signalling, and regular drills).

• Ensures a good relationship with official authorities to be able to solve security issues.

• Ensures that each field site has adapted security rules.

• Ensures the availability of technical means to implement the security guidelines in the program.

• Proposes changes or updates to the security guidelines according to the prevailing situation.

• Keeps staff safety and security skills (expatriate and national) updated on their responsibilities and on security processes (e.g., drivers, expatriates, guards).

2. Security Assessments, Context Monitoring & Access

• Performs regular security assessments of all bases.

• Support SMT in identifying new projects and/or office locations through providing, as appropriate, initial safety and security assessments of proposed sites, identifying risks, and providing recommendations.

• Maintains an information network on the ground to be able to provide verified information and early warnings.

• Creates regular access and safety reports and keeps area-specific risk assessments updated.

• Supervises and monitors Tdh staff movement (both national and international), including clearance of staff and goods movement to and from the field office.

3. Field Travel & Operational Support

• Conducts regular field visits to sub-offices and project implementation areas to assess security conditions and safety standards.

• Conducts route assessments, checkpoint observations, and field-level context scanning before and during staff movements.

• Provides direct on-site security guidance to field teams, ensuring mitigation measures are applied.

4. Incident Management, Safety Oversight & Coordination

• Monitors local incidents and emerging risks and provides timely updates to the Country Director.

• Prepares initial incident reports and follows up with field teams for verification and documentation.

• Conducts safety inspections of offices and sub‑offices during field visits.

• Identifies gaps in physical safety measures and follows up with relevant departments to ensure timely corrective actions.

• Supports the organization and execution of emergency preparedness drills (evacuation, fire, lockdown).

• Ensures all staff understand emergency communication systems, assembly points, and evacuation routes.

• Produces field visit reports highlighting risks, observations, compliance levels, and recommended mitigation measures.

• Maintains updated security files for each sub-office, including maps, key contacts, and risk assessments.

• Participates in field-level NGO or INSO meetings when delegated by the Security Focal Point.

5. Staff Management

• Establish performance appraisals of subordinate staff.

• Prepare a monthly roster for drivers and guards according to the Tdh rule and regulations.

• Manage leave plan of security unit staff according to the Tdh rule and regulations.

Others:

• Perform any other tasks as may be requested by the line manager.

Education :

Bachelor's degree from a recognized university in social science.

Experience / Skills :

Minimum 5 years of experience in the security & safety field in INGOs or international organizations.

• Strong knowledge of the current context of the country

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.

• Proficiency in MS Office.

• High level of integrity and ability to handle confidential information.

• Excellent in English and Dari/Pashto is required.

Interpersonal skills

Ability to prioritize: the ability to prioritize effectively based on operational and project needs is essential.

Solid planning skills: Proven experience in developing timely and effective plans and successfully following through on their implementation.

Excellent communication skills: Ability to collaborate effectively with the relevant departments, external stakeholders, and authorities, and to ensure timely follow-up through meetings, trackers, and other coordination tools.

Proactivity and initiation: Demonstrated ability and experience in improving processes, tools, and documentation to ensure high-quality, transparent, and fair practices in Afghanistan.

Languages:

Excellent verbal and written English, in addition to fluency in Pashto and Dari

IT knowledge :

Microsoft Office package

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to apply through the Tdh online application platform via the following link: https://jobs.tdh.org/en-GB/jobs/internal/a2f22ff1-230d-45ab-8eb9-993d29edd81b