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:
- To rescue people in distress at sea.
- To protect and assist survivors on board our ship.
- 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.
AIM OF THE POSITION
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.
MAIN OBJECTIVE
- 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.