Operations and Liaison Advisor – OLA

General Information

Humanity & Inclusion is an independent and impartial international aid organization working in poverty, exclusion, conflict, and disaster situations. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our actions and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions, and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights. Humanity & Inclusion is a not-for-profit organization with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation comprising a network of associations that provide it with human and financial resources, manage its projects, and implement its actions and social mission.

GENERAL MISSION

Under the supervision of the Chief of Operations (CoO) and the functional guidance of the Regional Humanitarian Access & Liaison Advisor (HALA), the Operations and Liaison Advisor (OLA) supports a secure and efficient operational environment necessary for Humanity & Inclusion’s (HI) operations and programming. The OLA facilitates sustainable humanitarian access, proactively engages in administrative and political liaison, undertakes extensive stakeholder coordination, and conducts ongoing context and security risk analyses. The position involves comprehensive stakeholder mapping, strategic negotiations to secure consistent operational access, and regular updating of critical security documentation—including risk assessments, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and contingency plans—in line with organizational standards. Additionally, the OLA ensures operational continuity, visibility, positive community perception, and rigorous compliance with HI’s security policies, humanitarian principles, and duty of care through tailored briefings, training sessions, and continuous technical support.

• Base: Mekelle, Tigray
• Line Manager: Chief of Operations (CoO).
• Functional Line: Humanitarian Access and Liaison Advisor (HALA).
• Responsible for: N/A.

MISSIONS / RESPONSIBILITIES (but not limited to):

Mission 1: Access and Liaison Support

• Conduct comprehensive operational environment assessments, including access and security screening.
• Maintain continuous liaison and regular communication with civil, military, and administrative stakeholders to facilitate HI teams’ safe and secure movement.
• Coordinate closely with regional and local authorities to ensure smooth operational rollout and alignment with administrative and legal frameworks.
• Ensure timely approvals and clearances from relevant local authorities and communities to enable the deployment and operation of HI teams.
• Lead stakeholder mapping processes and build strategic networks that support sustained operational access.

Mission 2: Context Monitoring and Risk Management

• Conduct ongoing context monitoring, regularly providing analysis and forecasting reports to support strategic planning, task implementation, and team deployments.
• Maintain comprehensive databases and mapping of security events and humanitarian access incidents, regularly updating and disseminating information to relevant internal stakeholders.
• Proactively monitor and assess security risks and access constraints in operational areas, reporting regularly to the CoO and Program Manager.
• Support the implementation of security and safety briefings for deployed teams, ensuring all team members are fully informed about the local operational environment and potential risks.
• Collect, analyse, and share relevant field-based information with HI’s Senior Management Team (SMT) to support ongoing risk assessments and risk management strategies.
• Support the CoO and HALA in developing, regularly updating, and implementing area-specific security management documents, including Security Risk Assessments (SRAs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), contingency plans, movement notification, and tracking systems.
• Ensure compliance with Humanity & Inclusion’s security policies, documenting and directly reporting security incidents to HALA and CoO in line with established security incident reporting methodologies.

Mission 3: Stakeholder Engagement and Representation

• Build and maintain productive relationships with local authorities, community representatives, NGOs, civil society organizations, and relevant stakeholders.
• Organize and maintain networks of key informants for proactive information gathering on access and security.
• Represent HI externally in local and regional coordination and humanitarian access and security forums, ensuring effective communication of HI’s operational presence, objectives, and activities.
• Provide interpretation and translation support to the CoO during stakeholder engagements, operational meetings, and document preparation to ensure clarity and accuracy.
• Facilitate community engagement and promote acceptance of HI’s presence and activities within targeted regions.
• Proactively negotiate and maintain access arrangements and operational guarantees with authorities and gatekeepers.
• Facilitate meetings, providing translation and interpretation support between stakeholders and internal HI teams to ensure clear operational communication.

Mission 4: Reporting and Documentation

• Maintain detailed records of stakeholder engagements, security incidents, access negotiations and analysis, and contextual assessments.
• Maintain and update comprehensive databases related to stakeholder engagements, operational access incidents, and context analyses, ensuring accessibility for strategic planning.
• Provide regular, concise, and accurate written reports, including forecasting and strategic insights, to the CoO and Program Manager on operational access, context, and risk-related issues.
• Ensure proper documentation and archiving of correspondence, approvals, and agreements with stakeholders.
• Act as the primary focal point for access-related documentation (letters, permits, movement requests), ensuring timely coordination with relevant authorities.

Mission 5: Capacity Building & Local Engagement

• Support capacity-building initiatives targeted at HI staff, local stakeholders, authorities, and community leaders regarding HMA operations and humanitarian access requirements.
• Facilitate community dialogue sessions and ensure local engagement in operational planning and execution to build trust, acceptance, and sustainability.
• Deliver tailored, context-specific safety and security briefings and trainings for HI staff, visitors, implementing partners, and local stakeholders.
• Support in the facilitation and delivery of various training and/or workshops (e.g. humanitarian access negotiations, personal safety, field movement, incident response, and emergency preparedness, etc) for HI staff, partners, or stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Certifications

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in social sciences, international relations, security management, humanitarian affairs, or a related field. Equivalent professional proven experience could suffice in the absence of a degree.
• A certificate in Security/Safety Risk Management is desirable.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in humanitarian operations, security analysis, liaison, or stakeholder engagement.
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex operational environments, conducting risk assessments, and facilitating humanitarian access.
• Demonstrable track record in liaison, stakeholder engagement, and negotiation.
• Experience working within inter-agency security/access coordination forums (e.g., OCHA, UNDSS, HINGO) is desirable.
• Experience drafting or reviewing humanitarian access and site-security documentation is desirable.
• Familiarity and previous experience with Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) programming is desirable.

Skills:

• Strong communication, and diplomatic-negotiation skills, with the ability to build trust and productive relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Advanced analytical skills for security context analysis, risk assessment, and strategic problem-solving.
• Proficiency in geospatial software and information management systems (GIS platforms such as ArcGIS, QGIS) for security mapping and analysis.
• Excellent verbal and written communication in English, Tigrinya, and Amharic.
• Strong report-writing and documentation skills.

Personal Attributes:

• Commitment to humanitarian principles and the mandate of Humanity & Inclusion.
• High ethical standards, professional integrity, and cultural sensitivity.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to navigate complex, diverse stakeholder networks diplomatically.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and the capacity to operate independently under pressure.
• Willingness and physical capability to regularly travel within the operational region.