ACAPS, an organization dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of humanitarian response through independent and evidence-based analysis, is seeking to recruit a Global Security Manager (GSM). This role is critical to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of ACAPS personnel as the organization continues its transition to operating as an independent entity.
Established to provide impartial and analytical support to humanitarian actors worldwide, ACAPS specializes in transforming complex data into actionable insights. Its mission is to strengthen humanitarian decision-making and enhance response efficiency through accurate, timely, and contextual analysis. With experts working in various countries, ACAPS delivers valuable crisis assessments and operational analysis to inform and guide humanitarian interventions.
As ACAPS moves towards greater autonomy, the organization is building a new core team based in The Hague, reflecting a period of strategic transformation and organizational growth. The Global Security Manager will play an instrumental role in shaping and operationalizing comprehensive safety and security management systems, ensuring that ACAPS staff are supported, protected, and able to operate effectively in a range of global environments.
Job Overview
The Global Security Manager (GSM) will be responsible for leading ACAPS’ global safety and security strategy, ensuring that effective policies, procedures, and operational measures are in place to protect staff, assets, and operations across all locations. The position requires a forward-thinking leader who can develop and maintain a strong culture of security awareness while enabling organizational agility and operational continuity.
The GSM will work closely with senior management and field-based teams to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks. This position reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer and will serve as a trusted advisor to the Senior Management Team (SMT), Team Leaders, and Regional Managers.
As ACAPS expands its presence and independence, the GSM will ensure that all security risk management systems align with international best practices, donor expectations, and humanitarian principles. The successful candidate will also foster an organizational culture that balances staff wellbeing with proactive security risk mitigation.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
The Global Security Manager’s duties will encompass a wide range of responsibilities designed to strengthen ACAPS’ global safety and security frameworks. These responsibilities include leadership, risk assessment, operational management, and staff capacity building.
1. Leadership and Oversight
- Provide strategic leadership in the design, implementation, and monitoring of ACAPS’ safety and security policies and systems.
- Ensure organizational compliance with established security standards and oversee their consistent application across all ACAPS offices and operational sites.
- Lead the planning, coordination, and evaluation of security management strategies in collaboration with regional and country-level leadership teams.
- Maintain close communication with the Chief Operating Officer to ensure that safety and security remain integral to ACAPS’ broader operational and strategic objectives.
- Oversee the continuous improvement of organizational preparedness, incident response mechanisms, and contingency planning.
2. Strategic Security Risk Management
- Develop, implement, and update security risk management strategies tailored to ACAPS’ global operations, ensuring that risk assessments are comprehensive, contextualized, and actionable.
- Identify and analyze security threats affecting ACAPS staff, partners, and assets, and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations to mitigate identified risks.
- Ensure that crisis management and emergency response procedures are up to date, realistic, and well understood by all staff members.
- Coordinate risk assessments for new operational areas or missions, ensuring that the organization can make informed and responsible decisions regarding staff deployment and activities.
- Advise the Senior Management Team on emerging security trends, challenges, and mitigation priorities.
3. Operational Security Support
- Provide real-time advice and guidance to staff and managers on security situations as they arise, including support during incidents or operational disruptions.
- Develop and oversee systems for security incident reporting, documentation, and analysis to support organizational learning and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with relevant departments to ensure that physical office spaces, staff accommodations, and mission travel arrangements adhere to safety and security requirements.
- Maintain contact with external stakeholders, such as security networks, local authorities, and humanitarian partners, to stay informed of evolving risk contexts and strengthen ACAPS’ external coordination.
- Ensure that all staff receive adequate pre-departure security briefings and that high-risk travel or mission assignments are reviewed and approved through appropriate protocols.
4. Building Organizational Security Capacity
- Foster a culture of shared responsibility for safety and security across all ACAPS departments and teams.
- Design and facilitate regular training sessions, briefings, and workshops to improve staff awareness and practical security competencies.
- Support field teams and managers in implementing local security measures and adapting them to dynamic contexts.
- Build the capacity of regional and field-based focal points to effectively implement risk management procedures and respond to incidents.
- Promote proactive security communication and information sharing within the organization to enhance preparedness and situational awareness.
5. Advisory and Coordination Functions
- Act as a key advisor to ACAPS management and country teams on all security matters, ensuring that decision-making processes integrate risk awareness and mitigation strategies.
- Serve as the focal point for all external communication related to security coordination, representing ACAPS within relevant inter-agency security forums and humanitarian networks.
- Provide regular reporting to management, outlining key security developments, ongoing challenges, and recommended actions.
- Collaborate with Human Resources to ensure that duty of care obligations toward staff are met and maintained at all times.
- Support the development of security budgets and contribute to donor reporting requirements concerning safety and risk management.
Qualifications and Experience
Candidates for this position are expected to demonstrate a solid background in global security risk management with significant experience in leading safety and security functions across multiple international locations.
- Proven experience in managing global or regional security operations for an international NGO or similar organization.
- Strong track record in establishing, implementing, and maintaining comprehensive security management systems.
- Demonstrated understanding of humanitarian principles and the operational challenges of working in crisis and conflict settings.
- Experience advising senior management on security strategy, policy, and operational decisions.
- Strong ability to assess risks accurately and provide practical, proportionate, and enabling mitigation measures.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and collaboration across culturally diverse teams.
- Experience in capacity building, including the development and delivery of training materials and staff briefings.
- Proven ability to manage sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
- Familiarity with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and systems relevant to security management.
- Willingness to travel internationally, including to locations with elevated security risks, and flexibility to work outside regular office hours when required.
Educational Background
A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline is preferred.
Language Requirements
Fluency in English is mandatory, as it is the primary working language within ACAPS. Knowledge of additional languages will be considered an asset, particularly for engagement with diverse field teams and international partners.
Contractual Information
- Position Type: Full-time, 100% contract
- Reporting Line: Chief Operating Officer
- Location: Kenya or the Netherlands (Hybrid model)
- Start Date: Anticipated in early January
- Eligibility: Candidates must have the legal right to live and work in the country of appointment.
ACAPS offers a flexible and collaborative working environment that promotes innovation, inclusivity, and professional growth. The organization values transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making as core principles guiding its operations.
Organizational Context
ACAPS operates in a range of humanitarian contexts, providing independent analytical support to organizations involved in crisis response and recovery. Its teams conduct assessments, design analytical frameworks, and generate timely insights that inform humanitarian decision-making. The organization’s focus on quality data and rigorous analysis ensures that humanitarian actors are better equipped to understand needs, prioritize interventions, and deliver effective assistance.
As ACAPS transitions to a fully independent entity headquartered in The Hague, it is building a core team that embodies its values of integrity, innovation, and analytical excellence. The Global Security Manager will play a critical role in ensuring that the organization’s expansion and operational independence are supported by robust and effective safety and security systems.
Additional Notes
The position requires a proactive and strategic thinker capable of balancing organizational objectives with operational realities. The successful candidate will be expected to cultivate a security culture that emphasizes awareness, preparedness, and accountability, while supporting ACAPS’ humanitarian mission and operational flexibility.
This is an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a global organization at a pivotal moment in its evolution, strengthening its resilience and ensuring the safety of its dedicated teams working in complex humanitarian environments.
