Chief, Security and Safety/Global Security and Safety Advisor, Nairobi, Kenya, P5 FTA

Role Overview

This senior leadership position places you at the helm of UN Women’s worldwide security, safety, and resilience operations. In this role, you will set the strategic direction for protective services across all headquarters and field locations, while providing high-level counsel to the Executive Director and senior managers on risk mitigation, crisis readiness, and duty-of-care responsibilities. Your work directly enables UN Women to deliver its programmes in volatile and complex environments, ensuring personnel remain safe and operations continue without interruption.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the ongoing development and refinement of UN Women’s global frameworks covering security, safety, business continuity, crisis management, and occupational health and safety, ensuring full consistency with United Nations system standards and evolving organizational needs.
• Act as the primary authoritative adviser to the Executive Director and senior leadership, delivering timely risk assessments, policy interpretations, and strategic recommendations that support informed decision-making at the highest level.
• Drive the integration of security and operational resilience considerations into every phase of UN Women’s programme cycle, from planning and budgeting through implementation and monitoring, with deliberate attention to gender-responsive approaches.
• Direct the annual work plan for the security and safety function, establishing priorities, allocating resources efficiently, and championing change initiatives that introduce innovation and automation to strengthen institutional readiness.
• Oversee the global team of regional security advisers, focal points, and support personnel, setting performance expectations, fostering a proactive security culture, and providing matrix management input on staff evaluations.
• Lead crisis preparedness and response efforts, including the maintenance and testing of headquarters and field business continuity plans, crisis management protocols, and the delivery of training and awareness programmes for all personnel.
• Represent UN Women within inter-agency security forums, including United Nations security management structures, contributing professional expertise to collective policy development and partnership-building with external stakeholders.
• Conduct and direct security assessment missions to high-risk duty stations, ensuring compliance with United Nations security risk management standards and implementing corrective measures wherever gaps are identified.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in security management, business administration, international relations, law enforcement, programme management, or an associated field; alternatively, a first-level university degree combined with a senior-level military, police, or UN command and staff college qualification, or an additional two years of qualifying experience, may be considered.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in security and safety management, including a minimum of 5 years at the senior professional or managerial level.
• A minimum of 5 years of field experience managing complex programmes in development or humanitarian contexts, especially in conflict and post-conflict settings.
• Proven leadership of multidisciplinary, international teams with accountability for clear results and performance standards.
• Substantial experience directing organizational business continuity programmes, including plan development, testing, and response coordination.
• Demonstrated experience in managing occupational health and safety frameworks is strongly preferred, along with familiarity in training design and digital transformation within multicultural teams.
• Prior experience within the United Nations system is a significant advantage, as is a background in coordinating with multiple UN common system entities or comparable international organizations.
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken; working knowledge of another official UN language, particularly French, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, or Chinese, is highly desirable.