Search and Rescue (SAR) Manager

SOS MEDITERRANEE is a civil European rescue association founded in 2015 to face the humanitarian tragedy and the lack of adequate state rescue capacity in the Mediterranean on the deadliest maritime migratory route in the world since 2014. Created by a group of European citizens, our maritime and humanitarian organisation has three missions:

1. To rescue people in distress at sea.

2. To protect and assist survivors on board our ship.

3. To bear witness and raise awareness about the tragedy unfolding in the central Mediterranean.

Today, SOS MEDITERRANEE is a network composed of four European entities (Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland) sharing the objective to support our rescue operations at sea. Search and Rescue (SAR) operations have been carried out since February 2016 in the Central Mediterranean off the Libyan coasts with the chartered ships Aquarius and Ocean Viking. To date, over 40.000 people have been rescued by SOS MEDITERRANEE.

Under the management of the Head of Search and Rescue, the Search and Rescue Manager ensures safe, efficient and effective Search and Rescue operations, throught the development of SAR standards of operations and processes.

The person will :

1 . Ensure the definition and capitalization of safe and effective SAR processes 

• Define and maintain a standard of readiness for safe and effective rescue, adequate to the needs of the context of intervention, respecting the institutional principles, objectives and capacity. 

• Oversee the safety risk management of SAR activities, ensuring that risks are effectively identified, assessed and mitigated

• Review safety-related incidents and implement corrective actions to continuously improve SAR operations and minimize future risks. 

• Ensure that rescue practicies and techniques used onboard are meeting with SOS MEDITERRANEE standards

• Ensure the capitalization, dissemination and diffusion of the rescue practices to ensure the appropriateness of the SAR processes and tools in place

• Ensure the continuous evolution of SAR tools and procedures, adapting them as necessary to address the emerging challenges or opportunities for improvement

• In collaboration with the Learning & Development Coordinator, ensure appropriate training tools and contents are available and diffused

2. Contribute to the development of the SAR strategy and operations 

• Contribute to the definition of the strategical orientation for the SAR missions, providing SAR technical inputs

• Participate in the definition of new SAR missions

• Identify and recommend technilogical advancements, resource allocation strategy and potential improvements to enhance SAR capabilities

3. Ensure the management of his.her team, and the readiness of the SAR onboard team

• Analyze and define the HR needs in his/her team (onshore and onboard)

• Define the pre-requirements for the SAR positions onboard

• In collaboration with the HR department, recruit and validate their team members

• Ensure the briefing and induction of each new team members

• Coordinate with the HR department to ensure that adequate recruitment strategy is in place to ensure the required mid and long term crewing resilience

• Establish the minimum crewing standards for the onboard team, and validate deviations from the established standards when gaps occured

• Validate the crewing plan proposed by the HR&Crewing officer to ensure the respect of the minimum crewing & team readiness standards

• Ensure the professional development of his.her team in collaboration with the Learning and Development Coordinator and the HR department

• Ensure the debriefing of his.her team onboard

4. Ensure the readiness of the SAR equipment 

• Define the necessary requirements and complement of SAR equipment, to ensure it is appropriate for the mission specific needs

• In collaboration with his.her onboard team and with the equipment officer, define the equipment needs and ensure a good coordination with the logistics department for the procurement

• Supervize the Equipment Officer and ensure that she.he maintain and manage the rescue assets to guarantee their safety, operability and resilience under all operational conditions.

5. Ensure the SAR budget management and financial follow-up

• Ensure the annual definition of the SAR budget

• Regularly update the finance department on his.her budget consumption

• Validate operations expenses when necessary

6. Support the SAR department in its outreach and representation activities 

• Support the Outreach Manager to ensure the capitalization of SAR expertise and the accuracy of the SAR content for outreach activities

• In collaboration with the HR and Crewing officer and Outreach Manager, ensure that necessary onboard HR resources are available for outreach activities

• Support the Outreach Manager in the organization of SAR workshops with the SAR actors

• Contribute to institutional reporting

Vocational qualifications and certifications

• Maritime bachelor degree, or related maritime certification

Work Experience

• At least 4 years of work experience onboard

• At least 1 year of SAR leadership experience onboard

• Experience in migration and SAR context

• At least 2 years of experience in team management

Technical expertise

• Knowledge  of maritime laws and conventions framing the Search and Rescue operations

• Konwledge of the specificity of offshore mass-rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean sea

• Technical understanding of SAR equipment

• Highly computer literate with capability iMS Office, including Excel. Knowledge in Information Management is mandatory.

• Knowledge of context of migration in the Mediterranean Sea

Languages

• Excellent command of English, minimum C1 proficiency level

• Knowledge of French, or Italian is an added value

Interpersonal competencies

• Sound teamwork experience

• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, autonomous

• Good understanding of cross-cultural issues

• Capacity to work with remote teams

• Ability to cope with uncertainty and frequent change of plans