Chief Operating Officer

Organisation BackgroundFounded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international non-governmental organisation that supports humanitarian aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts.INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services, including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety-related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training. INSO works in 26 of the world’s most insecure countries, with its headquarters in The Hague, the international city of peace and justice.Job SummaryINSO is entering a decisive period of organisational reform and renewal. As the wider humanitarian sector restructures in response to major funding shifts and a “humanitarian reset,” we are taking this moment to strengthen our internal architecture for maximum operational impact and organisational effectiveness.The recruitment of our first Chief Operating Officer (COO) is central to that effort and represents an exciting leadership opportunity to help shape the next chapter of the world’s largest humanitarian safety organisation at a time of growing global instability.The vision for the position is to build an organisation that is structurally fit for purpose—strengthening INSO’s operational and financial resilience while ensuring that our internal structure, systems, and standards consistently enable the effective delivery of our organisational strategy and program mission. The role is foundational to our next phase of institutional evolution, preparing us for a modernised and more resilient operational delivery in some of the world’s most challenging contexts.Working in direct partnership with the Executive Director (ED), the COO serves as INSO’s senior-most internal leader while the ED focuses outward on strategy, fundraising, advocacy and long-term institutional positioning. They will line manage the support departments and their directors, including Human Resources, Finance, and Operations, and steward a cohesive, high-performing organisational services platform that reliably supports multi-dimensional global programming.The role will suit a high-level organisational executive with experience designing and running humanitarian structures at scale. They will bring the discipline of mature institutions and the innovative energy of a reformer, anchored by a genuine commitment to INSO’s humanitarian safety mandate and partner-driven impact.Key ResponsibilitiesOrganisational Design, Change Management, and Culture* Own and lead the organisational design and development process, including worldwide legal structuring, organisational chart design, role definition, and aligning structures with strategic goals. * Lead interdepartmental working structures and relationships for cohesive internal coordination both within support functions and between support and program teams. * Serve as senior budget holder, developing and supervising operational funding, budget discipline, resource optimisation, and strategic allocation of resources between departments and priorities. * Lead structured and strategic change management to modernise INSO’s structure and systems, such as through digitalisation, while safeguarding operational continuity and compliance. * Build role transferability and succession depth across services to ensure continuity and institutional stability. * Model and communicate consistent leadership, management, and performance values to strengthen and maintain organisational culture and behaviours, especially throughout change management.Services Leadership & Programmatic Partnership* Provide decisive leadership to support services as a unified organisational services platform—aligning priorities, strengthening cross‑departmental cooperation, and managing towards shared objectives. * Lead the recruitment, onboarding and professional development of support-function directors, ensuring INSO has a strong, capable and mission-aligned leadership cohort. * Take ownership of internal policies and procedures—ensuring they are cohesive, well‑communicated, compliant and consistently applied across all countries. * Drive operational excellence by ensuring systems are lean, reliable, compliant and impact‑oriented—standardising core SOPs and removing inefficiencies. * Working in close partnership with the Program Division, guarantee that organisational services consistently enable strong, timely and compliant delivery of program strategy.Risk, Compliance and Executive Governance* Lead institutional accountability across donors, regulators, audits, safeguarding, procurement, compliance and best practice standards. * Establish strong internal controls, risk registers and assurance cycles; ensure audit readiness and close findings with systemic solutions. * Take the lead on daily operational decision making, insulating the ED from all but the most strategic matters. * Act as a core member of the Senior Management Team and contribute effectively to Board meetings, informing, advising and translating strategy into operations.Key Requirements* 10+ years’ experience providing senior leadership to global operations in a humanitarian organisation and setting, including experience of delivery in high-risk contexts and crisis management. * Demonstrable cross-functional literacy across support sectors, including Finance, HR, Asset and Procurement, Systems, & Grant Management. * 8+ years’extensive experience with the legal and compliance requirements of common institutional donors (ECHO, FCDO, SIDA, SDC, NORAD etc) and external regulators. * Proven ability to design or reform organisational structures and systems, and strong execution discipline. * 5+ years’ experience developing and managing audit-driven organisational risk and compliance frameworks. * Experienced with system digitalisation through ERP, EMP, CRM systems covering grants, finance, procurement and HR. * Relevant advanced-level education (MBA, organisational leadership, public administration). * Strong people leadership and stakeholder management skills * Strong alignment with INSO’s humanitarian safety mandate and ethos. * Fluency in legal/policy-level English language is essential; additional languages from INSO operating contexts are an advantage. * Right to work in EU is an advantage but not essential.Relevant ProfilesWe are ideally seeking someone who has served in a similar role in an operational humanitarian organisation at the executive/global level. We are committed to strengthening women’s leadership in safety & security and will particularly welcome applications from women.The role is not suited for those with regional or country-level humanitarian experience only or those with limited experience in the specifics of the humanitarian sector.Personal AttributesWe are seeking a leader with the personal integrity and professional discipline needed to steward a complex, mission-critical organisation. Essential attributes include:A natural systems thinker - able to understand interdependencies, anticipate risks and see organisational patterns.* Bias for clarity and simplification - reduce noise and shorten decision paths. * Unquestionable integrity and honesty — trusted to make fair, transparent and principled decisions. * Highly organised — able to manage multiple streams of work, deadlines and reforms without losing structure. * Excellent prioritisation — able to distinguish the essential from the incidental and keep the organisation focused. * Exceptional communicator — clear, concise, calm and able to engage confidently across teams, cultures and seniority levels. * Detail-oriented — attentive to risks, compliance, controls, quality and follow-through. * Emotionally steady — able to bring calm, structure and clarity during periods of change or pressure. * Strong team builder and motivator — able to bring diverse directors together into a coherent, aligned leadership block.INSO’s Safeguarding PolicyINSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers. We ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policy throughout the recruitment process. INSO is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and the selected candidate will be required to undergo the relevant misconduct disclosure checks as part of the final hiring steps.Terms & Conditions:This is a full-time, fixed-term (renewable) position based in The Hague, Netherlands, with office presence required. The monthly salary is EUR 10,400, plus 8% vacation pay (vakantiegeld) and 2.5 days of annual leave per month. INSO provides Basic Premium ONVZ health insurance for the staff member and dependents. The position is eligible for a Highly Skilled Migrant visa and a relocation allowance.HOW TO APPLYRelevant candidates are warmly welcome to submit their CV in English and a cover letter via the link