VAC-10829 Mine Action Operations Specialist (MAOS)

• Work routine: nine weeks on three weeks off (paid).

• Remuneration: $11,500 per calendar month plus economy class travel for scheduled leave flight.

• The MAOS Officer will be responsible for the administration & oversight of the wide range of activities related to mine action operations, quality management in mine action & capacity development.

S / he is responsible for the provision & implementation of the following main duties:

• Ensure on behalf of our client that all mine action activities are conducted in accordance with the National Technical Standard Guidelines (NTSG) the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) & company SOPs. 

• Directly reporting to the Chief of Operations, Deputy Chief of Operations & Coordination & Compliance Officer.

• In line with delegation of responsibilities, provide timely technical support & guidance to a Field Coordinator & sub office s / he has been assigned to. 

• Responsible for overseeing the operations conducted by our clients implementing partners that s / he has been assigned to, as well as for their activities in their respective Area of Responsibility (AoR).

• Ensure administrative responsibilities that s / he has been assigned to, such as operational trackers, are timely completed & accurate. 

• Responsible for monitoring activities of other mine action partners (NGOs) s / he has been assigned to, to assure they remain NTSG compliant & provide coordination or support if requested, in case of security incidents or Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC).

• Where applicable, in the Field Coordinator’s absence, provide coverage for the respective sub office & act as our clients focal point, responsible for liaison with & support to any relevant UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) department, humanitarian agencies & other parties. 

• Plan & conduct periodic field visits, making the best effort to visit all teams in the AoR.

• Monitor security situation & conduct risk assessments when required, report to our clients operations management & where applicable, advise respective Filed Coordinator. 

• Based on an agreed work plan & emerging priorities, conduct operational tasking for the teams contracted by our client & ensure operational activities are in line with Implementation Plans (IPs) & operational efficiency is maintained throughout the process.

• In conjunction with our clients operations management plan & conduct monitoring of training, accreditations & external monitoring of operational activities, task completions & any other activities as part of the quality management process. 

• Analyse implementing partner’s performance & reported outputs, including monitoring & evaluation of our clients implementing partner’s Daily Progress Reports (DPR), UXO / survey reports, demolition plans & similar formal reporting. 

• Keep abreast of NTSGs, IMAS & the SOPs of all of our clients implementing partners working in South Sudan, but also with task specific IP's.

• Where applicable, work with the respective Field Coordinator & adequately respond to a range of logistical & support activities in their respective AoRs. This may involve, periodic logistical checks, implementing partner’s Minimum Equipment List (MEL) checks, fill in & approval of Movement of Personnel (MOP) documents, Cargo Movement Request (CMR) documents, submission of logistics requests & similar.

• Where required, attend any relevant UN & humanitarian meetings.

• Ensure any requirement for support to the UN mission is conducted as a priority. Such requests may relate to providing Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) to the UN staff & humanitarian personnel, conducting various clearance activities in support of UN, joint patrols with UN troops, management of destruction of UN Troop Contributing Countries (TCC) unserviceable ammunition (the list is not exhaustive).  

• Ensure any relevant daily, weekly & ad hoc reporting is submitted to our client on time. 

• Ensure consistent effort is applied on capacity development of the CTG & our clients national staff as well as relevant National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) personnel, as requested by our client.

• Participate in any board of inquiry to investigate any incident or accident to which assigned.

• Perform other tasks as directed by the our clients operational management.

This role reports to the line manager.

• Minimum Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Level 3 (or equivalent) is required. Any other relevant certifications will be considered additional quality & suitability for the position.

• Experience as Manager in mine action, in the field of conventional landmine clearance, BAC & EOD.

• Minimum of 10 years of demonstrable relevant mine action experience.

• Experience working in Africa is desirable.

• Fluency in English (reading, report writing, speaking) is required. 

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in mine action operations management & a high school diploma is required; this experience can be within the fields of commercial mine action, or humanitarian mine action & must include experience with landmine clearance, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) & Battle Area Clearance (BAC). Specific competencies in any related field such as application of ground penetrating radar detection systems in conventional landmine clearance, linear clearance drills, mechanical clearance, Mine Detection Dogs (MDD), alternate disposal techniques such as pyrotechnic torches or disruptors will be considered additional quality & suitability for the position. Experience in working in volatile or immediate post conflict environments is desired.  

• Knowledge of the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) is required.

• Experience in capacity building is desired.

• Experience with training foreign nationals in mine clearance or EOD techniques is desired.

• Experience with the quality assurance & quality control processes regarding humanitarian mine action desired.

• Experience in conducting security analysis & risk assessments is desired.

• Knowledge of the UN system & procedures is desired.

• Computer literacy, experience of using MS Office & IMSMA is desired.

Strong team management experience is required for this role.

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.