The NRC is recruiting a Humanitarian Access and Security (HAS) Advisor. Niamey, Niger

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is recruiting a Humanitarian Access and Security Advisor (HAS) to Niamey, in Niger.

Since the beginning of 2022, the security situation in Niger has remained volatile. Humanitarian access in some areas is one of the main challenges for implementing humanitarian responses in the country. This observation is particularly visible in several regions with significant humanitarian needs, including Tillaberi, Tahoua, Maradi and Diffa, where the presence of multiple armed actors has helped to restrict humanitarian space.

The Humanitarian Access and Security (HAS) function aims to enable a principled, safe humanitarian response for both the communities and partners with whom the NRC works and its staff. Despite the humanitarian community’s efforts to provide assistance to those in need, security and access constraints remain major challenges. Barriers such as conflict and violence, environmental and physical difficulties, bureaucratic barriers and interference in humanitarian operations impede the provision of services and protection to those affected by displacement.

In this context, strengthening humanitarian coordination to promote access appears essential. This is one of the reasons for the creation of the Access Working Group (AWG) in Niger, whose objective is to contribute to a more effective and coordinated humanitarian response, to support the efforts of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), the Country Humanitarian Team (CHT) and other partners in the implementation and monitoring of the HCT access strategy and action plan, and to address access constraints. The NRC, an active member of this organization, wishes to strengthen its participation by providing a dedicated staff member to act as co-responsible alongside OCHA.

The Humanitarian Access and Security Advisor supports the design and implementation of a principled response by providing analysis, operational support and technical advice to ensure sustainable and quality access to NRC Niger. It reports to the HAS manager for hierarchical supervision and, technically, to the country director (CD), and works closely with the country management group (CMG) on the implementation of the NRC humanitarian access framework.

The position combines two complementary functions. On the one hand, as NRC's internal HAS advisor, the incumbent advises on strategic decision-making, program design, monitoring and operational footprints, which must be principled, conflict-sensitive, adaptive and context-based. On the other hand, the advisor co-chairs the Working Group on Access to Niger (AWG) alongside OCHA, helping to inform humanitarian organizations and forums (including NGO coordination groups) about issues and barriers to humanitarian access, and to gather information from humanitarian actors to inform the AWG. While the position is hosted by NRC, the incumbent should spend a lot of time with the offices of AWG member organizations, in a spirit of collaboration and collective results.

The role of co-chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group promotes collective action to overcome obstacles to humanitarian access that impede the provision of principled and quality assistance to people in hard-to-reach areas, and in response to new emergencies. The co-lead also capitalizes on existing initiatives, research findings and available tools, making them accessible to AWG member organizations.

Direct program support (40%)

The incumbent advises program teams on the design of conflict-sensitive activities adapted to access dynamics. It contributes to contextual and access analysis in proposals, reports and strategic notes, and participates in project cycle management (PCM) by integrating access analysis and supporting program decision-making. It trains program teams and local partners on humanitarian access issues and negotiations, and supports the planning and prioritization of activities based on constraints and access risks.

Co-lead and advocacy support from the AWG (40%)

For strategy development and implementation, the incumbent provides support to periodic access strategy development processes, ensuring that the perspectives and aspirations of AWG-LCA members are represented in the strategy and workplan. It contributes to gathering information from humanitarian actors, including non-governmental NGOs, to guide the implementation of the work plan, including mapping the severity of access, reporting and monitoring incidents, stakeholder mapping, bureaucratic constraints, negotiations, policy development, advocacy and training.

In the area of management and capacity building, it supports the preparation and facilitation of monthly and ad hoc AWG-Niger meetings, including agenda preparation, co-chairing, minutes-taking and follow-up action items. It supports the creation of sub-working groups or temporary working groups on specific activities, and contributes to the organization and implementation of trainings and access workshops, within the humanitarian community or with external actors.

In terms of access analysis and humanitarian advocacy, it supports the deployment of NRC’s access monitoring tool, both internally and with NGO partners, to inform program decision-making and advocacy at national and regional levels. He writes bi-monthly access reports based on NRC's Access Monitoring Tool as well as thematic briefing notes upon request, and contributes to regional analyses and advocacy notes in collaboration with the Regional Access Advisor and the Regional Advocacy Lead.

For networking and coordination, it creates synergies with existing actors and forums (OCHA, ICCG, clusters, civil-military coordination) to ensure that AWG-Niger’s analyses are informed by programmatic and operational priorities. He actively networked with AWG-KP members, donors and country directors of INGOs and UN agencies to ensure the relevance and visibility of the AWG-KP’s contribution, and co-represented the AWG-Niger at the Regional Access Working Group meetings.

Security Service Support (20%)

The Permittee works with the Security Officer to analyze access risks and develop mitigation measures. It contributes to the preparation and implementation of security plans, including acceptance, protection and deterrence approaches, and provides advice on engagement with parties to conflict, including non-state armed groups and state armed forces at the national level, when requested by management.

Complementary responsibilities

The position implies a working relationship with the HAS coordinator based on functional and complementary collaboration, without any hierarchical relationship or hierarchical management responsibility. The incumbent supports field safety assessments and contributes to strategic presence and expansion decisions. He participates in the management of access incidents and post-incident follow-up, and develops and maintains networks of community and security

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