Safety, Access & Security Director

This is an international position, with frequent travel to locations across Sudan, South Sudan and Chad.

The role is a full-time, fixed-term position, initially until March with strong possibility of extension.

At Relief International, we are committed to building a representative, inclusive and authentic workplace. We strongly encourage applications from candidates from minoritized backgrounds those who bring lived experience of the contexts in which we work.

This role is classified as requiring advanced pre-employment checks.

About Relief International

Relief International is an international non-profit organization that partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing. We work in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, providing Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education and Livelihoods programming that creates the foundation for community resilience.

About the Opportunity

The Safety, Access & Security Director (SASD) provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for staff safety, humanitarian access, and security risk management across all Relief International operations in Sudan, including remote and cross-border programming.

You will ensure that RI can sustain principled humanitarian access, protect staff and assets, and make risk-informed operational decisions in a complex, high-threat environment. You will serve as the senior advisor to the Country Director and SMT on safety, access, and security, and leads a countrywide security architecture that enables safe, effective program delivery.

Your Responsibilities

This role includes the following responsibilities.

• Lead countrywide safety, security, and humanitarian access strategy, including development and oversight of the Country Security Management Plan.
• Advise senior leadership on risk appetite, mitigation measures, and operational decision‑making for program scale-up, suspension, relocation, or closure.
• Ensure robust duty‑of‑care systems, staff safety protocols, medical emergency preparedness, and a strong organisational culture of safety and wellbeing.
• Drive principled humanitarian access across Sudan and cross‑border operations, including negotiations with authorities, communities, and other key actors.
• Oversee security management systems, local security plans, contingency planning, incident reporting, and protective measures for all facilities and personnel.
• Lead critical incident and crisis management, ensuring rapid response, structured coordination, reporting, and learning processes.
• Strengthen organisational capacity through training, compliance oversight, risk analysis, early warning systems, and active representation in security and access coordination forums.

About You

You will bring the following experience and skills.

Essential criteria

• Advanced degree in Security Management, Risk Management, International Relations, Military Studies, or related field OR equivalent senior operational security experience
• Demonstrated senior-level experience leading to safety, access, and security functions in active conflict or high-threat environments.
• Proven experience making time-critical, high-risk decisions affecting staff safety, humanitarian access, and operational continuity.
• Strong experience in humanitarian access negotiation, acceptance-based security approaches, and engagement with authorities, community leaders, and other relevant actors.
• Experience overseeing cross-border and remote management operations, including staff movements, logistics corridors, and duty-of-care systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex security risks while upholding humanitarian principles and organizational accountability.

Desirable criteria

• Prior senior security leadership experience in Sudan or similar contexts (Sahel, Horn of Africa)
• Arabic language proficiency
• Experience working with USG, ECHO, SHF security compliance frameworks
• Experience supporting large national staff workforces under extreme duty-of-care condition

Research shows that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs, unless they meet every single requirement. If you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align with every criteria described, we encourage you to apply anyway, you could be exactly what we need!

How To Apply

To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page.

• You will be asked to upload a CV and Cover Letter.
• The cover letter should be one page, and explain why you are interested in this post with Relief International and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

Closing Date: 27 January 2026.

As a humanitarian organization, Relief International is committed to the safeguarding of all those we come into contact with through our work. We are committed to the core humanitarian principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviors outlined in the Code of Conduct.

Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks.