Security, Political-Military Expert

EUSR for the Horn of Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

Under the authority and guidance of the EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa (EUSR), the role of the Horn of Africa Security and Political-Military Expert (SPME) will be to:

• Liaise at a security and politico-military level with the authorities in the countries of the Horn of Africa, with a particular focus on Somalia;
• Liaise with the international community on security and politico-military issues in the Horn of Africa, with a particular focus on Somalia;
• Follow the preparations of Security Sector Reform in Somalia and attend associated higher level security/political meetings as required;
• Be overall responsible for the coordination and liaison with CSDP missions, EU Delegations, in particular the EU Somalia Mission, Member States of the EU and other States' representation and United Nations (UN) agencies in the Horn of Africa region on security and political-military issues;
• Maintain effective working relationships with all relevant security personnel in Somalia;
• Prepare and conduct mission travel to assist the EUSR on his mission travel with any aspect related to security management and the implementation of the EUSR mandate;
• Assess prevailing local and regional security conditions in the Horn of Africa region to identify security threats, risks, trends, patterns, and to disseminate all relevant safety/security advisories/reports/alerts to the EUSR and his staff in a timely manner;
• Liaise with the EU Somalia Mission, AMISOM, UN, Somali Authorities and others as appropriate to monitor and assess the security situation in Somalia;
• Develop and maintain a dialogue with local/national security services and government actors related to the safety and security of the EUSR and his team and the protection of the EUSR's assets;
• Ensure timely and accurate security reporting, including real time reporting, from potential trouble spots.
• Maintain continuous open lines of communication with the appropriate EEAS Security Directorate Desk Officer, to ensure cooperation and coordination on all security matters and, as required, keep EEAS INTCEN and EEAS Security Directorate informed of significant safety/security incidents;
• Conduct investigations and submit reports to the EEAS Security Directorate as appropriate following serious or critical security-related incidents and follow-up on the implementation of any lessons identified by the incident;
• Carry out other tasks as delegated by the EUSR or his Deputy.

Qualifications and experience:

• Preferably Lieutenant-colonel or equivalent in a Member States' military, police force or intelligence services with experience in political and security affairs;
• Graduated of a national military/police academy or ex-military/police background or equivalent combination of education, training and practical experience;
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the political and security arena;
• International experience in crisis areas with multi-national and international organizations highly desirable;
• Solid knowledge of the Somali arena especially political and security aspects. Knowledge of the Horn of Africa dynamics, especially political and security aspects. Demonstrated network of contacts in the security and political-military domain in the region, especially on Somalia;
• Excellent analytical, organizational, managerial and problem-solving skills;
• Fluency in English and French (spoken, read, written, understood) mandatory;
• Ability to operate Windows and Power Point applications, including Word processing, e-mail, and spread sheets (Excel);
• Good interpersonal skills, ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• Highly resilient under mental pressure (stress-resistant) and willingness to work extra hours when required;
• Civilian driving license class B and C mandatory. Driving Qualification for armoured car desirable;
• Diplomatic Passport desirable.

Additional requirement:

• EU Security Clearance at Level Secret only. No equivalent is acceptable. The employee is required to present a valid certificate with the necessary level of security clearance from the country of permanent residency.

Terms and conditions:

Only those candidates who meet the qualifications and required experience will be considered. 

This is a full time position with Nairobi as Duty Station, with extensive travel to other countries in the region and regular visits and extended over-night stays in Mogadishu, Somalia. 

Salary Grade will be at Experts level, with steps according to relevant professional experience. 

The selected candidate will receive removal allowance and six-monthly return tickets to home country. 

Interested candidates must send their CV's to the following e-mail address: eusr.hornofafrica@eeas.europa.eu. The deadline for receiving the CV's is 17:00h on the 23/12/2013.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.