Head of Mission - Aerial monitoring operations

Location: Lampedusa, Italy
Contract Start Date: From April 2026
Application Deadline:  March 1st, 2026

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 42.000 people have been rescued by SOS MEDITERRANEE.

With the aim of increasing contextual awareness in the Central Mediterranean and to document the human rights violations and interceptions happening in this maritime region, SOS MEDITERRANEE, as a humanitarian civilian association in partnership with HPI, lauched a civilian aerial monitoring mission that began in november 2025. The mission resumed in february 2026 in Lampedusa and will at least continue until the end of June. For this period we’re looking for our second Head of Mission in order to strengthen our team there.

The Head of Mission (HoM) is responsible for overseeing SOS MEDITERRANEE’s aerial monitoring operations and actively contributing to the definition of the aerial operational strategy. This includes supervising all phases of flight operations (before, during, and after) and comprehensively managing the dedicated team based in Lampedusa. The HoM ensures team activities align with SOS MEDITERRANEE procedures and serves as the organization’s primary representative for this mission, engaging with authorities and partners.

Responsibilities:

• Define and implement aerial operational strategy
• Lead the mission coordinating ground and air teams
• Manage the operational schedule and crew rotations
• Support air team prior, during and after flights with strategical decision making and contextual elements
• Plan flight missions
• Liaise with relevant authorities during flights to relay element of interest regarding mission goals
• Ensure security protocols, procedures, and risk assessments are followed and adapted to evolving conditions
• Act as SOS MEDITERRANEE’s representative toward local authorities, partners, and other NGO actors
• Coordinate with SOS’s shore-based HQ teams (Ops, Advocacy, Comms, Legal)
• Supervise team wellbeing, rest periods, and conflict mediation if needed
• Submit regular operational and incident reports
• Conduct team briefings, debriefings, and ensure smooth handovers between rotations

Flight involvement: HoM remains ground-based but oversees air-ground coordination.

Requirements:

• 5+ years in project management or civilian monitoring aircraft leadership
• Experience managing diverse, rotating teams
• Strong knowledge of maritime law, SAR procedures, and humanitarian coordination 
• Confident handling external representation and pressurized field diplomacy
• Demonstrated abilities in leadership, decision-making, team management, communication, and adaptability in high-pressure environments.
• Deep understanding of and commitment to humanitarian principles and civilian ethics
• Ability to work in isolated settings, with small multicultural teams, under pressure
• Fluent in English (spoken and written); French, Italian, or Arabic are strong assets

Certifications

• SAR/humanitarian coordination training (recommended)

• Contract: Fixed-term, 3 months – renewable according to fundings
• Start Date: From April 2026
• Schedule: rotative system with around 4 weeks deployements + 4 weeks off-duty, including paid leaves (might be adapted during contract period to align on operational needs)
• Location: this position is based in Lampedusa during deployment.
• Salary: between 2800 and 3200€ gross/month according to experience and contract nationality (due to social contributions changes)
• All mission costs covered: travel, local accommodation (provided in the SOS Méditerranée Guesthouse), food (as per diem), insurance
• Psychological support
• All PPE and technical equipment provided

Please submit your application by the 1st of March.

To apply for this role, please fill in the form and upload your resume and cover letter in english, through this link by March 1st the latest : Application form Head of Mission – Aerial Monitoring Operations

To finalize your application, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your application. Please do not forget this step. Once our team has received your application, you will receive a confirmation email. Please note that no information will be given over the phone.

When you apply for a job, we collect and store your personal data within our recruitment department for the administrative management of applications and the recruitment process. The purpose of the information requested as a candidate for employment is to assess the professional qualities and skills of your application, to the exclusion of any other purpose. The legal basis for this processing is to obtain your consent and for pre-contractual measures for the employment contract. If your application is successful, this data will be kept for the duration of your contract. If your application is not successful, this data will be deleted immediately unless you advise us otherwise. In accordance with the French Data Protection Act of 6 January 1978 and European regulations, you may access your personal data, rectify it, request its deletion or exercise your right to limit the processing of your data. You can request more information and exercise your rights at any time by contacting SOS MEDITERRANEE France, CS 20585 – 13294 Cedex Marseille 06, at rgpd.fr@sosmediterranee.org.

SOS MEDITERRANEE is committed to promoting an inclusive workplace and actively fights against all forms of discrimination.