Safety and Security Assistant

Peace Corps/Mozambique

Based in the Peace Corps Nampula office, the Safety and Security Assistant (SSA) works
under the direction of the Safety and Security Manager (SSM) in Maputo. The SSA
assists PCVs and staff in all areas of safety and security, especially in the northern four
provinces of Nampula, Cabo Delgado, Zambezia, and Niassa. Assistance is related to
training PCVs, responding to and supporting PCVs who are victims of a variety of
crimes, responding to PCVs in situations of civil disturbance, floods, or other natural
disasters, conducting site assessments, assisting with required housing upgrades, and
maintaining relationships with local and provincial police and authorities.

General Duties:
 With a focus on the north, helps to ensure that each Volunteer site meets post’s
site selection criteria.
 Ensures that reportable incidents are communicated to PC and other authorities
and coordinates follow-up activities as appropriate.
 Helps the SSM develop and coordinate Volunteer and local police
contacts/communication in the incident reporting process as needed.
 Assists the SSM in maintaining post-crime statistics and analyzing trends.
 Assists the SSM in designing and delivering safety and security training sessions
in PST and ISTs and for staff, when required.
 Assists the SSM in developing and organizing safety and security resources such
as manuals, books, leaflets, pamphlets, slides, presentations, videos, and memos
and makes their contents and Peace Corps’ policies known to staff and
Volunteers.
 Develops, arranges, and maintains a legible and orderly system of compiling,
reporting, and filing safety and security incident reports, local media reports with
safety implications, safety and security directives from Peace Corps Headquarters,
the US Embassy, and post.
 Assists the SSM in performing ongoing monitoring of Volunteer whereabouts and
in making updated Volunteer whereabouts information available to the SSM and
staff.
 Assists SSM in providing updates and monitoring information concerning safety
and security data in the VIDA database (i.e. Volunteers, Consolidation Points,
Emergency Action events, sites, reports, etc.)
 Under the guidelines established by the CD and SSC, helps maintain contact with
Embassy security staff and local law officials.
 Participates in staff meetings (both general staff meetings and senior staff
meetings at the discretion of the CD), discussions and activities, and makes
recommendations for changes in program policy and procedures as they relate to
Volunteer safety and security.
 Training
Assists the Safety and Security Manager (SSM) with the planning, preparation, and
development of training materials for Volunteer and Staff Safety and Security
trainings. Facilitates or co-facilitates trainin4g sessions when asked by the SSM.
Incident Reporting and Response:
 Works closely with the SSM to develop reporting and follow-up procedures for
incidents reported by Volunteers (housing inspection, police follow-up, property
damage, etc.).
 Helps coordinate PCV and local Police contacts/communication in the incident
reporting process as needed.
 Assists the SSM in communicating to the CD about difficult safety and security
issues. Coordinates follow-up activities as appropriate.

Emergency Action Committee Planning and Testing:

 Assists the SSM, CD, and other members of the Emergency Action Committee in
preparing for and responding to emergencies including assisting the SSM and the
Emergency Action Committee team in reviewing, revising, and testing post’s
Emergency Action Plans.
 During post’s response to natural and/or man-made disasters the SSA will play a
significant role in assisting the SSM in the assessments of situations that may
lead to the implementation of Volunteer alerts and/or consolidation of
Volunteers.
 Under the direction of the SSM and/or CD, coordinates the testing of the
Emergency Action Plan (EAP) with staff at least once per year. In collaboration
with other staff, prepares a written report of the results of the EAP test and
distributes it to all interested parties. Assists with EAP revisions as needed.

Other Duties:
 Under the guidance of the SSM, follows-up on recommendations from PCSSO
visits.
 Under the guidance of the SSM, CD and/or PCSSO, follows-up on Regional
Security Officer (RSO) security recommendations for the Peace Corps office and
staff residences.
 Performs other safety and security duties as assigned by the SSM and/or Country
Director.
 When the SSM is on leave, the SSA will serve as the Acting SSM.

Required Qualifications:

Education: Secondary School diploma minimum.

Experience: Must meet at least one of the following requirements:

• Experience with Peace Corps safety and security programs and/or Volunteer support
operations;
• Experience with safety and security programs of similar NGO/development
organizations; or
• Relevant professional security or law enforcement experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with other
organizations, including local law enforcement, criminal justice, emergency
management, and other NGO/development agencies.
• Ability to analyze crime trends and other risks and propose mitigation strategies;
• Demonstrated organizational and communication skills.
• Demonstrated Portuguese and English proficiency, both written and oral.
• Ability to work with Microsoft Office Suite and other basic computer knowledge.
• Ability to conduct training and give presentations in both Portuguese and English.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Willingness/availability to travel throughout the country with little notice.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and be willing to drive official PC vehicles.
• Must be able to successfully pass a security background check.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Strong understanding and knowledge of local law and criminal justice system.
• Knowledge of basic criminal investigative principles.
• Direct experience or knowledge of Peace Corps and Peace Corps Volunteers.