About Mercy Corps 

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact. 

Mercy Corps Sudan  

Mercy Corps Sudan has been operational in Sudan since 2004 and currently implements humanitarian assistance and longer-term resilience and development efforts in conflict-affected Central and South Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Jazira, Kassala, River Nile, Northern, and Gedaref states, supporting host communities, IDPs, returnees and refugees. Mercy Corps’ current areas of programming include agriculture, food security and livelihoods, cash, WASH and other basic services, and Market Systems Development.

The Position 

In the complex and volatile context of Sudan, the Safety, Security and Access Director (SSAD) is a member of the Country Leadership Team (CLT) and plays a central role in safeguarding the lives, dignity, and well-being of Mercy Corps’ staff. As both a strategic leader and a field-based operator—spending at least 60% of their time in high-risk areas—the SSAD is charged with embedding duty of care and informed consent into every aspect of security, safety, and humanitarian access operations.

Duty of care is fulfilled through proactive risk identification, implementation of robust safety protocols, and continuous staff support—ensuring physical and psychological well-being across all operational zones. Simultaneously, the SSAD ensures informed consent by providing staff with timely, transparent information about risks, enabling them to make voluntary, well-informed decisions about their engagement in field activities.

This role is critical not only for legal and ethical compliance but also for the effectiveness and sustainability of Mercy Corps’ mission in Sudan. By aligning security practices with international humanitarian standards and internal policies, the SSAD ensures that programs can operate safely, responsibly, and with integrity in even the most challenging environments. In essence, the SSAD upholds the organization's commitment to duty of care and informed consent as foundational principles—protecting personnel while enabling humanitarian access and impact

Essential Job Responsibilities. 

Strategy, Planning, and Management

• Provide strategic oversight and direct management of the Safety, Security and Access Team (SSAT), ensuring adherence to Mercy Corps’ global and regional safety and security standards.
• Develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) tailored to diverse operational environments with varying levels of risk.
• Responsible for leading the development contingency plans (CPs) with the support of the Country Director and Country Leadership Team (CLT). 
• Ensure comprehensive safety and security training for all staff and maintain organizational compliance with relevant SOPs.
• Establish and maintain effective communication and coordination mechanisms with external partners, including training service providers and safety consultants.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of a robust safety, security, and crisis management strategy aligned with Mercy Corps' operational and programmatic priorities.
• Partner with program and operations teams to assess and manage risks, particularly in newly accessed or high-risk environments, ensuring that security considerations are fully integrated into program delivery.
• Oversee timely, accurate incident reporting and facilitate consistent communication with senior leadership, regional offices, and headquarters during emergencies or critical events.
• Managing field office team members remotely within a matrix management structure. 

Regional Systems and Support Functions

• Ensure that robust, standardized systems for security and safety management are implemented and effectively functioning across all Mercy Corps offices in Sudan
• Provide leadership and technical guidance to the SSAT supporting operational effectiveness, adherence to protocols, and continuous capacity building.
• Act as the designated Security Focal Point for Mercy Corps’ Incident Response Team, coordinating organizational responses to emergencies and critical incidents involving staff or operations to regional security leadership. 

Operational Security

• Maintain a thorough understanding of the humanitarian context, program strategy, and operational priorities to ensure security planning is responsive and relevant.
• Regularly update and implement country-level security plans and protocols for all field locations, adapting them to changing contexts. Monitor compliance and ensure consistent staff training and briefings.
• Supervise the tracking and analysis of security incidents and trends nationwide; coordinate with internal counterparts to inform organizational risk forecasting.
• Serve as the primary focal point for all flash reporting and incident management procedures, ensuring timely and accurate reporting to senior leadership.
• Lead and coordinate security assessments for all current and prospective areas of operation, including route assessments to inform safe staff movement and logistics.
• Collaborate with Security Focal Points, Program Managers, Heads of Offices, the Director of Programs, and the Country Director to support community acceptance strategies and context-appropriate operational approaches.
• Foster a professional, impartial, and accountable security culture across all Mercy Corps programs and teams, reflecting the organization’s humanitarian principles and core values.

Security Information & Analysis

• Contribute to and prepare timely security reports and contextual analysis that inform programmatic decision-making and strategic planning.
• Provide the Sudan Country Team with routine contextual updates and conflict forecasting through written reports and verbal briefings, enabling informed risk management and operational planning.

Security Systems & Capacity Building

• Mentor and build the capacity of the Safety and Security Coordinators, supporting their role in security management and assessments.
• Oversee the delivery of security briefings and orientations for all new staff and visitors, ensuring that a structured training plan is in place and effectively implemented.
• Identify and address gaps in security awareness or preparedness across departments, working collaboratively to strengthen organizational resilience.
• Cooperate and collaborate closely and regularly with the Crisis Analytics Team to integrate access, analysis and conflict trends into our planning, forecasting and programmatic thinking.
• Responsible for identifying training needs and developing adapted training plans on security topics (defensive driving, security SOPs, HEAT, etc.) for team members, drivers, guardians, and as appropriate other partners.
• Conduct regular capacity building of security focal points, area managers, teams working in remote or high-risk areas, drivers, and guards.

Coordination and Representation

• Prioritize inter-agency coordination on security matters, actively promoting Mercy Corps’ engagement in field-level INGO security forums and working groups.
• Build and maintain strong networks with security peers across the humanitarian sector, including UN agencies, INGOs, the ICRC, and relevant governmental bodies, to support information sharing, collaboration, and collective security initiatives.

Supervisory Responsibilities 

Supervises the Safety and Security Coordinators and the rest of the Safety and Security team. Gives technical advisory to field security focal points.

Accountability 

Reports directly to: Country Director

Technical management line (dotted line) to: Regional Security Director, Africa 

Works directly with: Members of the CLT, Area Managers, Team Leads, and the security team.  

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years field-based experience in complex, insecure, and preferably conflict-affected setting with a humanitarian or development NGO
• 7–10+ years of extensive experience in security management, including team leadership and senior-level responsibilities.
• Advanced understanding of the philosophy, operational models, and practices of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline required; Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience preferred
• Full professional proficiency in English and Arabic required. 
• Possession of a formal security qualification or completion of advanced security management training.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct contextual analysis and develop risk mitigation strategies. 
• Formal security-related training, such as: Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT), Kidnap & Ransom (K&R), Personal Security & First Aid. 
• Experience with incident reporting and mapping, intelligence gathering and analysis functions, incident warning systems, security reports and assessments.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing and negotiation and coaching teams from diverse cultures.
• Strong planning, coordination, and reporting skills with the ability to manage complex, multi-faceted workloads.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) and familiarity with database and mapping tools. 

Success Factors 

The SSAD will enable the Mercy Corps team in Sudan to provide development, early recovery and humanitarian relief more effectively to citizens with speed, strategy and duty of care. A successful candidate will be able to follow and read the quickly changing context and enable the team to better plan and forecast. They will identify ways to ensure that program implementation can continue safely. They will help senior leadership create an environment of a well-trained staff with contextual awareness. The Mercy Corps office and programs will be fit for purpose and with a culture of safety-mindedness across departments. 

Living/Environmental Conditions 

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and as such staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning 

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. 

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work. 

Safeguarding & Ethics 

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).