Security & Access Officer _Job at Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Ethiopia

About MAG:

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is an international humanitarian organisation based in Manchester, UK, and working in 32 countries. We remove landmines and unexploded ordnance to release safe and productive land for communities, and work to reduce the threat of armed violence by supporting governments to safely manage weapons and ammunition. In 1997, MAG was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for our work campaigning for the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

MAG is registered and accredited as a humanitarian mine action NGO in Ethiopia and is in the process of establishing a country office and operations focused on responding to the threat posed by explosive ordnance contamination in northern Ethiopia. Initial planned programming will focus on the delivery of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education, working with local partners, and capacity support to national actors. Further scale-up and expansion of activities to encompass survey and clearance operations is anticipated over the coming months.

The Role:

The Security and access officer will be responsible for overseeing various Security and Access activities within the Ethiopia programme. Reporting directly to the Country Director, you will lead and manage all safety, security, and access functions for MAG’s programme in Ethiopia. The Security & Access Officer will ensure safe and sustained access to operational areas, maintain effective security risk management systems, and support informed decision-making through high-quality analysis and coordination.

The successful candidate will:

• Previous experience in NGOs and humanitarian work.
• Minimum of 2 years of demonstrated experience in Security & Access.
• Demonstrable critical incident management experience.
• Experience and ability to work effectively with multi-disciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Self-organized, team player, and able to work under limited supervision.
• Experience with Mine Action Organizations preferred.
• Demonstrable political, security and conflict analysis skills (including open source and geospatial intelligence).
• Demonstrable understanding of the PNG/Pacific Islands context.
• Good literacy, numeracy, and IT skills (e.g., Word/Excel).
• Skilled in the development of security risk assessments.
• Security training experience (field security, security management, crisis management humanitarian principles).
• Experienced in field communication devices (HF, VHF, UHF, SATCOM etc.) Reliable with good time-keeping skills.
• Language requirements – English, Tigrinya & Amharic Mandatory.

MAG’s Vision is a safe future for women, men and children affected by violence, conflict, and insecurity. People will live in communities where their rights are upheld, with dignity and choice and free from fear from mines, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and the impact of small arms and light weapons and ammunition.

MAG’s Mission is to save lives and build safer futures. We will use our core skills and distinctive competence to save lives through the removal of mines and ERW, and reduce the impact of small arms, light weapons and ammunition on people and communities. How we do this is as important as what we do – we work primarily with and for communities, for us ‘it’s all about people’.

MAG’s Values.

Our values come to life through our actions, every day. How we act has an impact on others. As someone who works at MAG, you can help to create a positive culture by demonstrating our values through your own behaviour and actions. Everyone has a role to play in shaping our culture. Everyone should understand our values and is encouraged to think how they are relevant to their individual role.

DETERMINED – we work with purpose

EXPERT – through excellence and expertise we build trust INTEGRITY – we strive to do the right thing

COMPASSION – people come first in everything we do INCLUSIVE – we are inclusive, and we value diversity

Overview of role:

The primary purpose of this role is to lead and manage all safety, security, and access functions for MAG’s programme in Ethiopia. The Security & Access Officer will ensure safe and sustained access to operational areas, maintain effective security risk management systems, and support informed decision-making through high-quality analysis and coordination.

Responsibilities:

Safety & Security & Management:

• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of the MAG Country Security Framework.
• Ensure full compliance with MAG global security policies, standards, and duty of care obligations.
• Develop, implement, and monitor security plans, procedures, and risk mitigation measures.
• Conduct regular security risk assessments and ensure findings are integrated into programme planning.
• Ensure preparedness for critical incidents and crisis response, including contingency planning.
• Advise the Country Director and SMT on security risks, trends, and mitigation strategies.
• Oversee and manage security personnel, including guards and any third-party security providers.
• Act as the primary HSE focal point, promoting a strong safety culture across the programme.
• Lead or support investigations into security incidents and ensure lessons learned are applied.

Access & Movement Management:

• Develop and implement humanitarian access strategies to support safe programme delivery.
• Establish and maintain effective communication, tracking, and movement control systems.
• Develop and enforce movement procedures for staff within Addis Ababa and other areas of operation.
• Maintain regular engagement with authorities and relevant stakeholders to facilitate safe access.
• Monitor routes, access constraints, and emerging risks, ensuring contingency measures are in place.
• Support safe travel planning, including entry/exit procedures and in-country movements.

Information Management & Context Analysis:

• Collect, analyze, and disseminate timely and accurate security information.
• Produce regular security updates, including weekly reports and incident analysis.
• Develop forward-looking risk scenarios and early warning indicators.
• Maintain strong formal and informal security information networks (INGOs, UN, local actors).
• Integrate community-level insights into security analysis and planning.
• Support evidence-based decision-making through mapping, briefings, and analytical products.

Stakeholder Engagement, Training & Physical Security:

• Build and maintain effective relationships with government authorities, security actors, local communities, and inter-agency networks to support safe and sustained access.
• Strengthen acceptance through regular engagement and representation in security coordination forums.
• Deliver security inductions, briefings, and training for staff and visitors, promoting awareness of security procedures and crisis response.
• Build staff capacity to understand and apply security protocols, supporting the development of national staff to manage security functions independently.
• Ensure appropriate physical security measures are in place across offices, residences, and programme sites, and monitor compliance with safety and security standards.
• Oversee the secure use and management of programme assets from a security perspective, including conducting regular checks and identifying improvements.

General Responsibilities:

• Work within the framework of MAG’s core values.
• Maintain professional conduct in line with MAG’s core values as actions represent MAG.
• Contribute to other fundraising initiatives where appropriate.
• Participate in meetings as relevant.
• Understand and uphold the standards outlined in MAG’s Safeguarding Framework, acting with due care and attention to safeguard the wellbeing of anyone that comes into contact with MAG’s work and reporting concerns if they do arise.
• Undertake and apply learning from appropriate training and development programs.
• Undertake any other duties as may be required.

Essential requirements:

• Previous experience in NGOs and humanitarian work.
• Minimum of 2 years of demonstrated experience in Security & Access.
• Demonstrable critical incident management experience.
• Experience and ability to work effectively with multi-disciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Self-organized, team player, and able to work under limited supervision.
• Experience with Mine Action Organizations preferred.
• Demonstrable political, security and conflict analysis skills (including open source and geospatial intelligence).
• Demonstrable understanding of the PNG/Pacific Islands context.
• Good literacy, numeracy, and IT skills (e.g., Word/Excel).
• Skilled in the development of security risk assessments.
• Security training experience (field security, security management, crisis management humanitarian principles).
• Experienced in field communication devices (HF, VHF, UHF, SATCOM etc.) Reliable with good time-keeping skills.
• Language requirements – English, Tigrinya & Amharic Mandatory.