About IRAP

The International Refugee Assistance Project (“IRAP”) is a dynamic and growing legal and policy advocacy organization that works to develop and enforce a system of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced people around the world. We are the leading organization providing free and comprehensive legal services to people in need of a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.

IRAP operates offices in the US (New York City), Jordan (Amman), Lebanon (Beirut), and Germany (Berlin).

IRAP Jordan

IRAP Jordan, a team of eight operational and program staff, provides legal aid to displaced people in Jordan. The team provides legal assistance to individuals navigating refugee resettlement, humanitarian protection pathways, and family reunification processes through in-house representation, legal information, and the mentorship of pro bono attorneys, students, and interns.

Opportunity

IRAP Jordan is seeking the consultancy services of a Safety and Security expert to conduct an independent, comprehensive evaluation of the physical security arrangements, operational procedures, and facility-related risks affecting IRAP Jordan Country Office. The assessment will identify vulnerabilities that could impact the safety of staff, interns, clients, visitors, assets, and confidential information, and will provide practical, risk-based recommendations to strengthen organizational resilience while maintaining a safe, accessible, and client-centered environment.

Context and Objective

• Proximity to conflict-affected populations (Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni, Sudanese caseloads)

• Potential for client psychological distress, coercion, or external third-party pressure

• Intern and junior staff exposure to high-stress client interactions

• Regulatory oversight of NGOs under Jordan's Law on Societies (No. 51/2008, amended 2009), including the Ministry of Social Development's supervisory authority over registration, foreign funding approval, and organizational dissolution

The objective of this assessment is to develop appropriate measures in place pertaining to:

• Physical security of the building envelope and entry systems

• Interview room safety for staff, interns, and clients

• Incident response and evacuation procedures

• Information security related to physical access

• Staff and intern security awareness and preparedness

Scope of Work

• In Scope




Domain

Specific Areas

Physical perimeter

Exterior doors, security door systems, gate/barrier assessment, CCTV coverage, lighting, blind spots

Access control

Entry protocols, visitor management, and tailgating vulnerabilities

Reception & waiting areas

Client flow, separation from staff-only zones, sight lines, furniture placement

Interview rooms

Door configurations, furniture layout, acoustic privacy, sight lines, and duress protocols

Staff-only zones

Staff offices, HR & Finance files, communications equipment

Emergency systems

Fire, evacuation routes, muster points, first aid, communication trees

Intern & staff protocols

Briefing adequacy, lone worker risk, incident reporting, and de-escalation training coverage

Information security (physical)

Document handling, clean desk, screen visibility from client areas

External threat environment

Neighborhood risk profile, historical incident mapping within a 500m radius

Game-theory threat mapping

Adversarial actor analysis — who benefits from compromising this office, and how

• Out of Scope

  • IT/cybersecurity (unless directly linked to physical access)

  • Field operations outside the office

  • Personnel vetting/HR background checks

  
  

  Risk Framework

  
  

  • Risk Rating Scale

  
  

  Rating

  Probability

  Impact

  Required Response Timeline

  CRITICAL

  Likely–Almost Certain

  Severe

  Immediate (within 72 hours)

  HIGH

  Possible–Likely

  Major

  Within 2 weeks

  MEDIUM

  Unlikely–Possible

  Moderate

  Within 60 days

  LOW

  Rare–Unlikely

  Minor

  Next planning cycle

  
  
  

  • Game Theory Application

  
  

  • Actor mapping — who are the plausible adversarial actors (disgruntled clients, third-party coercers, criminal opportunists, state actors, insider threats)?

  • Dominant strategies — what is the most rational course of action for each actor given the current security posture?

  • Payoff asymmetry — where does current security create insufficient cost/friction to deter action?

  • Counter-strategy — what organizational responses alter the adversary's rational calculus?

  
  

  Key Deliverables

  
  

  1. Executive Summary (3–5 pages)

     1. Overall risk rating for the facility

     2. Top 5 prioritized findings

        1. Immediate actions required before the next operational day (if any)

  2. Full Security Assessment Report

     1. Current state description (observation-based)

     2. Gap identification

     3. Risk rating (probability + impact)

     4. The threat actor most likely to exploit the gap

     5. Recommended mitigation measure(s)

     6. Cost estimate category (low/medium/high)

        1. Responsible party for implementation

  3. Interview Room Security Protocol (standalone document)

     1. Room configuration standards — furniture placement, door opening direction, staff positioning relative to exit

     2. Pre-interview checklist — room clearance, panic device test, colleague notification

     3. Duress signal system — verbal and non-verbal protocols, staff response procedure

     4. Escalation ladder — from client agitation through staff concern to active incident

     5. Intern-specific protocols — buddy system required

     6. Post-incident procedure — reporting, staff support, room lockdown sequence

     7. Client dignity safeguards — balancing security measures against client experience

  4. Prioritized Risk Register

  5. Security Management Plan (SMP) Draft

     1. Daily opening/closing procedures

     2. Visitor and client management flow

     3. Key holder policy

     4. After-hours incident contacts

     5. Emergency communication tree

        1. Quarterly review schedule

  6. Training Needs Assessment

  
  
  

  Methodology

  
  

  Method

  Purpose

  Physical walkthrough

  Full facility inspection, minimum two passes (announced and unannounced)

  Structured staff interviews

  Minimum 80% of staff, all interns, confidential format

  Document review

  Existing SOPs, incident logs, etc

  Observation periods

  Morning arrival, client-peak hours, end-of-day — minimum one session each

  Simulated access test

  Attempt to access staff-only areas using client pathways (with management consent)

  Neighborhood assessment

  500m perimeter walk, local incident history review via OSINT and community sources

  Red team scenario modeling

  Three adversarial scenarios gamed against the current security posture

  
  

  Specific Focus Area — Interview Rooms

  
  

  • Physical Layout

    • Can staff exit the room without passing the client if needed?

    • Is there a secondary communication point (phone/alarm) visible to staff but not obstructive to the client?

    • Are there objects in the room that could be used as weapons of opportunity?

    • Is acoustic privacy sufficient to prevent corridor eavesdropping (client confidentiality risk as well as security risk)?

    • Staffing Configuration

      • Is there a clear policy prohibiting solo interviews by interns?

      • Is there a colleague designated as a monitor during all interview sessions?

      • What is the response time from alert to the physical presence of a second staff member?

      • Duress Systems

        • Is there a functioning duress alarm or panic button? If yes — tested when? Linked to what response?

        • Is there an agreed verbal duress code known to all staff AND interns?

        • Is the code refreshed regularly enough to prevent client community familiarity?

        • Client Risk Profiling

          • Is there a pre-interview risk-flagging system for clients with a history of incidents?

          • Who has access to flag data, and when in the client journey does it appear?

          • Does the intake process screen for indicators of third-party coercion or external surveillance of the client?

Timeline

Reporting Line & Authorization

• Minimum 7 years of security management experience, with at least 3 years in Southwest Asia (Middle East) contexts

• Direct experience assessing NGO or humanitarian operations in urban environments

• Familiarity with Jordan's legal and regulatory framework for civil society organizations, including current Ministry of Social Development registration and foreign funding approval requirements

• Working knowledge of UNHCR, ICRC, GISF, or equivalent facility security standards

• Demonstrated competency in threat and risk assessment methodology (HEAT-equivalent or higher)

• No conflict of interest with the organization or its donor base

• Clearance/reference check completed prior to engagement




Conduct & Confidentiality




• The assessor shall sign a confidentiality agreement before accessing any facility, staff, or documentary information.

• All findings are for internal use only unless explicitly authorized for external sharing.

• Staff interviews shall be conducted on a no-attribution basis.

• The final report shall be stored in accordance with the organization's data protection policy.

• The assessor shall disclose any findings of immediate danger to the Operations Manager within 24 hours of identification, regardless of the overall reporting timeline.

Application

Applications should include:

• A brief cover letter and understanding of the assignment. addressing the purpose, objectives, scope, criteria, and deliverables of the project.

• Updated profile/ CV listing similar experiences/assignments

• Experience / Survey / Study – similar work with References / Recommendation letters

• Three references from a previous employer.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue on a rolling basis.