Roving Safety Officer

Role Overview

This position operates across multiple DRC sites in Kenya, providing hands-on safety leadership to protect staff, assets, and program continuity. The Roving Safety Officer moves between field locations to assess evolving risks, embed safety routines, and make sure every team member understands and follows the organisation’s safety framework. Reporting to the Country Safety Coordinator for technical direction, this role is the first line of response for daily safety questions, incident reports, staff movement clearances, and the upkeep of site-level safety documentation.

Key Responsibilities

• Carry out structured safety assessments at each field location under your remit, updating risk analyses whenever the local context shifts and sharing revised findings with the Country Safety Coordinator.
• Maintain and distribute clear Local Safety Rules, making sure all staff acknowledge and understand their obligations before they begin field work.
• Act as the gatekeeper for staff movement, granting clearance only when travel conditions meet DRC safety thresholds and ensuring journeys are properly logged and communicated.
• Produce weekly and monthly safety briefs that summarise incidents, emerging threats, and mitigation actions for both national and international team members.
• Lead internal safety orientation for newly hired personnel and visitors, covering contextual risks, communication protocols, evacuation plans, and emergency contact procedures.
• Coordinate a roster of day and night guards across DRC premises, supervising performance, verifying shift cover, and ensuring guards have the equipment and instructions they need to respond appropriately.
• Conduct routine inspections of vehicles, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and facility safety infrastructure, arranging servicing or replacement before equipment falls out of compliance.
• Support the Country Safety Coordinator in preparing for and acting on statutory health and safety audits, then tracking the implementation of recommended corrective actions.
• Build and maintain emergency communication trees, frequently testing contact lists and ensuring the Records of Emergency Data are complete for every new starter.

Requirements & Qualifications

• At least five years of direct safety or security management experience with an NGO, UN agency, or equivalent body in a high-risk or conflict-affected setting.
• Demonstrated capability in security risk analysis, report writing, and delivering practical safety advice within humanitarian or development programmes.
• Proven experience liaising with UN missions, national law enforcement, or other coordination bodies operating in the region.
• A recognised degree in security management, international relations, disaster management, or another relevant discipline; professional security qualifications are an added advantage.
• Excellent command of English for written safety documentation and briefings, with strong verbal skills in Swahili for communicating effectively across diverse teams and local stakeholders.
• Ability to keep a clear head during critical incidents, calmly guiding team members through response steps and maintaining factual, timely reporting under pressure.
• Strong organisational skills for managing competing priorities across multiple locations, often with limited on-site supervision.
• Comfort using standard office software and information-sharing tools to track safety data, update rosters, and disseminate alerts.