Ammunition Technical Specialists

The HALO Trust; United States; On-site; USD 61,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The HALO Trust is seeking an Ammunition Technical Specialist based in Honduras to deliver high‑level WAM activities in Central America. You will plan risk assessments of armouries, mentor security forces, and ensure compliance with IATG/MOSAIC standards while maintaining HALO policies and safeguarding requirements.

Regular field visits and cross‑country collaboration are essential. Reporting to the Operations Manager Central America, you will design and deliver ammunition training, oversee

Responsibilities

• Plan and carry out risk assessments of armouries and explosives storage facilities; prepare assessment reports and support follow-up interventions
• Support Central American security forces with mentoring and technical assistance to ensure correct ammunition separation by division and hazard category; supervise transport and storage of ammunition
• Ensure ammunition management products comply with national and international standards; carry out disposal, transport, storage and other ammunition management activities safely; assist operations manager in identifying development areas
• Support ammunition management activities in Central America and other HALO programmes as needed
• Collaborate with Northern Triangle team to achieve programme objectives
• Establish good working relationships with project managers and the programme technical team
• This role is based in Honduras and requires regular field visits and meetings with security forces; may involve travel to Guatemala and El Salvador and occasional global HALO support
• Read background information including HALO policies, national laws, and programme documents; provide qualitative and quantitative data for Sitrep and donor reports; work with MEAL and IT to keep databases updated

Job description

Location: Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Salary:£50,400

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type:Permanent

Reports To:Operations Manager Central America

Key Internal Contacts/Relationships: Other members of the Operations Team, Project Managers (PMs), Construction Team, International Finance Manager, Administration Teams in the region

Key External Contacts/Relationships: Armed Forces, Police, Public Ministery, District Attorneys, in all of Central America. Regular contact with the Global Technical Advisor for Ammunition and Explosives.

About HALO:

HALO is the leading global NGO addressing the impact and drivers of conflict in 30 countries and territories, with over 8,000 staff. Most of our staff are local employees and include a growing number of women.

Our primary duty is to serve people affected by conflict, clearing landmines and the explosive remnants of war that threaten lives and livelihoods long after fighting has finished. We make land safe where war has ended, while also assisting those affected by active conflict and endemic violence.

HALO addresses human suffering caused by armed violence in some of the world’s most fragile places, securing weapons and ammunition and working with both state and community actors to reduce the prevalence of armed violence.

In Central America HALO has been working since 2017 in El Salvador, Guatemala & Honduras, doing WAM activities across the 3 countries.

About the role:

Reporting directly to the Operations Manager (OM), the Ammunition Technical Specialist (ATS) will provide technical support to HALO Central America operations, including the planning and delivery of Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM) activities in Central America (CA) and, when needed, in other HALO programmes. The ATS will ensure technical delivery are implemented in accordance with the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs) and other international standards (MOSAIC, IMAS, etc) as well as with HALO’s policies and mandate.

This role includes a significant assessments, training and development component, and, as such, requires someone with proven experience in assessing explosive ordnance mitigation capacity of security forces, designing and delivering ammunition training courses to a high technical standard.

Responsibilities:

• Plan and carry out risk assessments of armouries and explosives storage facilities, prepare assessment reports and support the implementation of follow-up interventions.
• Support the Central American security forces with mentoring and technical assistance to ensure the correct separation of ammunition by division and hazard category and the identification of ammunition for destruction and will supervise the transport and storage of ammunition.
• Ensure that all ammunition management products of the project comply with national and international technical standards and that all assessment, disposal, transport, storage and other ammunition management activities are carried out under appropriate safety conditions and that the necessary and appropriate risk assessments have been carried out. Assisting the operations manager in identifying areas for development, focusing on innovation, operational implementation and safety.
• When necessary and appropriate, support ammunition management activities in Central America and the implementation of other technical or administrative activities throughout the region.
• Collaborate with all members of the Northern Triangle team to achieve the programme’s objectives.
• Establish a good and close working relationships with the project managers and the rest of the programme technical team.
• This role is based in Honduras but will support project activities in Guatemala and El Salvador as necessary. This role requires regular visits to field operations, planning meetings and, from time to time, meetings with senior representatives of the security forces.
• When required supporting HALO globally. This will be determined upon necessity by Programme Manager and OM.
• Ensuring Familiarity with IATG, MOSAIC and read the programme proposal, familiarising themselves with the activities, objectives and results. They will do the same with the WAM Baseline Reports and the WAM Training Framework.
• Must read all possible background information, including, but not limited to, industry publications, HALO internal documents (such as policies, standard operating procedures, proposals, reports and sitreps), national laws, etc.
• Provide the OM/Project Manager with qualitative and quantitative data to prepare monthly situation reports (Sitrep), quarterly reports and any other reports required by the Programme Manager and/or the donor, and will work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer and the IT Officer to ensure that databases are updated and accurate.

National work plans, productivity, security

• Support the development of annual work plans and the allocation of tasks associated with training teams by.
• Ensure that appropriate security measures are in place for all ammunition management activities.

Training curriculum

• Coordinate the content of the ammunition management training course programme with the OM and colleagues at headquarters, ensuring that it is always appropriate for the target audience (national security forces).

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

• Ensure the correct SOPs are being used and key personnel understand the SOPs
• Ensure that the necessary equipment is available for the task.

Medical

• Receive basic HALO First Aid training and be regularly updated with refresher training and familiarized with the intermediate training packages.

Imaging and communication

• Collect data for use in beneficiary case studies for donor reports, fundraising, and public outreach.
• Take, collect, and share high-resolution photographic images with the programme communications officer.

Technical Support

• Support the OM and PM in the design and implementation of an Ammunition Needs Assessment for Honduran, Guatemalan and Salvadoran MoDs (and police).
• Support the review of existing national policies, procedures and practices and the drafting of new materials, as appropriate.
• identify the host country’s current ammunition management capabilities, particularly in relation to ammunition storage and transport.
• Support Country Managers in the execution of construction works for the storage of ammunition and explosives in both countries.

General:

• Uphold HALO’s core values and standards, promoting its ethos and mission statement.

• Ensure familiarity with and adherence to all HALO policies and procedures, especially the code of conduct and safeguarding

• Extensive experience and proven track record as an Ammunition Technical Officer, Technician, or Specialist with experience in ammunition lifecycle management. Equivalent to IATG Level 5 Inspector Explosives.

• In-depth knowledge and application of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs) in challenging environments.

• Strong understanding of ammunition storage and handling procedures.

• Ability to learn and train others – willingness to keep abreast of new developments and train others.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to build effective relationships with diverse stakeholders.

• Proven analytical and problem-solving abilities to address complex challenges.

• Full proficiency in Spanish and working knowledge of English required

Desirable Requirements:

• IMAS Level 3 Explosive Ordnance Disposal, E

• Experience in harsh and remote environments

• Knowledge of Small Arms Light Weapons disposal, and previous work with host nation military/police forces

• Monthly living overseas allowance (LOA)

• Free accommodation

• 49 days annual leave per year, increasing to 56 days after 2 years’ service.

• Three economy return flights to the member’s official home address

• Private medical health insurance

• Insurance package: life assurance and emergency medical insurance, including evacuation and repatriation

The HALO Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

The HALO Trust is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining talented individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

The HALO Trust is committed to ensuring that it provides a safe and trusted environment which safeguards and promotes the welfare and wellbeing of anyone who comes into contact with, or is part of, the Charity, with a zero-tolerance approach to behaviours which challenge this