NGO Forum Access and Safety Advisor- South Sudan

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Date: 27 Aug 2026

Location: Juba, South Sudan

Company: Plan International

The Organisation

 

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

 

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

 

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

 

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

 

Role Purpose

 

The NGO Forum Secretariat, hosted by Plan International South Sudan, supports the elected NGO Forum Steering Committees and the wider NGO community through coordination, information sharing, collective analysis, advocacy, policy engagement, and representation with government, donors, the United Nations and other stakeholders. The Forum brings together international and national NGOs operating across humanitarian, recovery and development contexts in South Sudan.

The Access and Safety Advisor leads the NGO Forum’s work on humanitarian access and member safety and security. The role provides strategic advice and analysis, supports NGOs to address access constraints, strengthens safety and security information-sharing and coordination systems, and represents collective NGO interests in relevant national and sub-national forums, including co-chairing the Access Working Group. The position contributes to safe, principled and unimpeded humanitarian action through proactive stakeholder engagement, high-quality analysis and strengthened member capacity.

As an NGO Forum Secretariat position hosted administratively by Plan International South Sudan, the role is accountable to the NGO Forum Secretariat Director for priorities, performance and technical direction, while complying with applicable Plan International employment, safeguarding, security, risk management and administrative policies.

 

Accountabilities  

 

1. Access Coordination and Strategic Engagement

 

  • Lead NGO Forum engagement with government authorities, UN agencies, donors and other stakeholders to address humanitarian access constraints affecting members.
  • Support NGO Forum members to develop and implement practical strategies that enhance operational access and principled humanitarian delivery.
  • Represent collective NGO interests in national and state-level coordination platforms, including the Access Working Group, HCT-related sub-groups and relevant OCHA-led processes.
  • Facilitate regular NGO humanitarian/access leads’ meetings for information exchange, best-practice sharing, collective analysis and joint problem-solving.
  • Lead the production of strategic briefs, advocacy messages, access snapshots and situational updates for members, Forum leadership and external stakeholders.
  • Support development of humanitarian access approaches that are rights-based, community-centred and consistent with humanitarian principles and agreed inter-agency priorities.
  • Work with NGOs, donors, OCHA and other stakeholders to promote good practice and practical mechanisms for humanitarian delivery in South Sudan.

 

2. Safety and Security Coordination

 

  • Provide technical leadership for the NGO Forum’s safety and security coordination function, including the development and review of relevant SOPs, workflows, protocols and quality-assurance processes.
  • Maintain and strengthen systems for collecting, analysing and disseminating security information, ensuring outputs are timely, relevant, verified as appropriate and actionable for members.
  • Facilitate regular security briefings, learning sessions, trainings and workshops for NGO Forum members.
  • Represent NGO security interests with UNMISS, UNDSS, diplomatic missions, INSO and other relevant bodies.
  • Provide timely safety and security advice and support to members during significant incidents or periods of heightened risk, within agreed Secretariat protocols and duty arrangements.
  • Strengthen state-level security coordination and cultivate effective state-based networks of security/access focal points.
  • Facilitate members’ access to relevant UN, INSO and other appropriate safety/security training opportunities.
  • Maintain an accessible NGO Forum security resource repository with up-to-date guidance, tools, reference materials and relevant manuals.

 

3. Information Management, Analysis and Knowledge Sharing

 

  • Produce regular analytical products on humanitarian access, security trends, operational constraints and emerging risks affecting the NGO community.
  • Develop and maintain clear information-sharing protocols and channels for sensitive access and security information, including appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.
  • Track patterns and trends in incidents and access constraints and translate findings into practical recommendations for NGO Forum leadership and members.
  • Facilitate learning events and knowledge exchange across members, promoting joint problem-solving, preparedness and adaptive practice.
  • Contribute evidence and analysis to NGO Forum advocacy, preparedness, contingency planning and strategic engagement.

 

4. Representation and Partnerships

 

  • Co-chair the Access Working Group and support effective preparation, follow-up and representation of NGO perspectives in access-related policy and operational discussions.
  • Build and maintain strong working relationships with the UN, government institutions, donors, diplomatic missions, NGO security networks and other humanitarian stakeholders.
  • Engage with relevant regional and global NGO access and security networks to exchange information, identify good practice and strengthen the Forum’s technical approach.
  • Promote principled, coordinated and evidence-based dialogue on access and safety while protecting member confidentiality and the Forum’s neutral coordination role.

 

5. Secretariat Leadership and Organizational Responsibilities

 

  • Participate in the NGO Forum Secretariat Senior Management Group and integrate access and safety priorities into the Forum’s strategic objectives and workplans.
  • Contribute to Secretariat strategic planning, donor reporting, annual reporting, budgeting and monitoring of relevant activities.
  • Support preparedness and contingency planning for major operational or security developments affecting the NGO community.
  • Undertake other reasonable duties related to access and safety coordination as requested by the Secretariat Director and consistent with the purpose of the role
  • Ensure compliance with NGO Forum governance arrangements and Plan International's global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International's Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

 

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge required

 

Essential

 

  • Extensive professional experience in humanitarian access negotiation, stakeholder engagement and/or humanitarian diplomacy in complex emergency settings.
  • Proven experience in security risk management, contextual analysis and the development of practical mitigation or preparedness measures.
  • Strong understanding of the political, security and humanitarian context in South Sudan or comparable complex and insecure environments.
  • Demonstrated experience working with humanitarian coordination structures and engaging government authorities, UN agencies, donors and NGOs.
  • Strong analytical, report-writing and communication skills, including the ability to produce concise, decision-oriented analysis for senior audiences.
  • Excellent networking, facilitation, diplomacy, negotiation and relationship-management skills.
  • Experience providing technical leadership or coordinating teams/networks in complex, insecure environments.
  • Relevant university degree in international relations, political or social sciences, security studies, humanitarian affairs, development studies or another relevant field, or equivalent substantial professional experience.
  • Excellent command of written and spoken English.
  • Strong computer literacy, including common office and information-management tools
  • Knowledge of Humanitarian /Human rights / Refugee Law
  • 8 years humanitarian aid security management experience and a similar experience in law enforcement agencies.
  • Knowledge of the INGO sector and humanitarian imperative and child protection
  • Thorough understanding of the implementation of a Security Management Framework (SMF) and all related processes and procedures
  • Understanding of major incident response mechanism during critical incidences
  • Knowledge of Humanitarian Codes of Conduct e.g. Sphere, HAP and UN Sec General statement on Sexual Exploitation
  • Resilience/Adaptability and flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high security risks and harsh living conditions. Works and lives with a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.
  • Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner. Has a capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts
  •  Knowledge of first aid, military doctrine and tactics, weapons and ammunition an advantage

 

Desirable 

 

  • Prior experience in a similar NGO coordination, access, humanitarian diplomacy or advisory role.
  • Familiarity with OCHA, INSO, UNMISS/UNDSS and humanitarian access/security coordination mechanisms.
  • Previous professional experience in South Sudan.
  • Working knowledge of Arabic and/or relevant South Sudanese languages.
  • Relevant professional training or certification in humanitarian access, security risk management, negotiations, crisis management or adult learning/training

 

Location:Juba, South Sudan. With occasional travel to field locations, including remote and insecure environments, depending on operational requirements and approved security arrangements.

Type of Role: 12 Month Fixed term contract 

Reports to: South Sudan NGO Forum Secretariat Director

Closing Date: 10 September 2026 at 21:59 PM UK time 

 

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

 

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

 

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

 

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

 

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

 

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.