Veterans

Why the humanitarian and NGO sector can be a strong fit for veterans

Many veterans leave the Armed Forces with highly developed skills — leadership, resilience, decision-making under pressure — yet struggle to find civilian roles that offer the same sense of purpose, responsibility and meaning.

The humanitarian sector is one of the few environments where those qualities genuinely matter every day. This includes roles such as NGO security manager, security advisor, and security risk management, as well as operational roles in logistics, procurement, engineering, project management, and people management supporting humanitarian operations.

This page explains why — and, just as importantly, what the reality actually looks like.

Construction of a humanitarian field camp in Salamiyah, Syria, illustrating logistics, site security and risk management in a

From Service to Purpose: A Veteran’s Route into Humanitarian Operations

Like many leaving the military, I initially followed a conventional post-service path — commercial qualifications, stable employment, corporate logistics roles.

On paper, it made sense.

But something was missing.

Not just pace or structure — but purpose, belonging, and the weight of decisions that genuinely mattered.

In 2003, I rediscovered that sense of purpose in the humanitarian sector, joining an international NGO as a Security & Logistics Officer in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We worked in small teams, in remote areas, delivering medical and agricultural aid.

There was no headquarters, no backup, no QRF.

What mattered was judgement, adaptability, teamwork, and trust — with colleagues and with communities.

From there, I went on to work across Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other complex environments, sometimes with NGOs, sometimes in commercial roles, and sometimes leading multi-country humanitarian and security operations.

Across all of these contexts, one pattern was consistent:

Veterans often thrive in humanitarian operations
NGOs actively need people with military experience
Many veterans are never shown how their skills translate — or what the roles actually involve

Why Veterans Often Succeed in the NGO Sector

Veterans typically bring strengths that are highly valued in humanitarian organisations:

Comfort operating in uncertain and high-risk environments
Calm decision-making under pressure
Team leadership with limited resources
Strong situational awareness and planning discipline
Practical problem-solving when conditions change rapidly
A sense of service beyond profit or personal advancement

These qualities are increasingly important as humanitarian organisations operate in more complex, politicised and dangerous environments.

The Part Many People Don’t Tell You

Experience alone is not enough.

Senior NGO safety, security and risk roles are not tactical jobs. They are governance, leadership and judgement roles — often without formal authority.

Understanding this reality early matters.

What Senior NGO Safety & Security Roles Actually Involve

Based on real (anonymised) NGO role profiles, senior safety and security positions typically involve:

Designing and maintaining organisation-wide safety and security policies, standards and SOPs
Advising senior leadership on risk acceptance, operational limits and crisis response
Developing context-specific security plans for field teams, medical missions and deployments
Ensuring staff and volunteers are properly briefed, trained and supported before deployment
Building organisational capacity and security culture — not dependency on individuals
Supporting humanitarian access through coordination, credibility and relationships
Advising during serious incidents and prolonged crises
Maintaining oversight of risk registers, incident reporting and organisational learning
Coordinating with UN, NGO and local security forums
Balancing duty of care, ethics and operational necessity in politically sensitive contexts

These roles rely on influence, judgement and trust — not command authority or force.

The Shift Veterans Must Understand

In humanitarian organisations:

You are accountable, but rarely in command
You advise, but do not issue orders
You train others rather than act for them
You operate unarmed, often without backup
You manage systems of risk, not tactical manoeuvre

Decisions still carry real consequences — often for unarmed civilians and medical teams — but the tools are clarity, preparation, judgement and communication.

No rank.

A position.
No ROE.
No QRF.
Still your decision.

A Reality Check — Ask Yourself Honestly

Can you manage risk across an entire country without controlling the people exposed to it?
Can you influence decisions at the point of risk — whether through delegated authority or advisory judgement — without rank, ROE or coercive power?
Can you advise senior leaders on whether to proceed, pause or withdraw operations?
Can you train civilians and volunteers to operate safely under pressure?
Can you remain analytical and supportive during prolonged, ambiguous crises?

If these questions make you think — that’s a good sign.

A note on roles:

In some organisations, security professionals hold managerial positions with delegated authority to pause or adjust movements when agreed risk thresholds or SOPs are breached.

In others, security functions are advisory, requiring the individual to brief, recommend and influence programme and country leadership rather than direct operations.

In both cases, decisions are made without rank, force or immediate enforcement — relying instead on credibility, judgement, and trust.

Translating Military Experience into NGO Reality

Military Experience NGO Safety & Security Reality

Operational planning & orders Country-wide risk strategy & SOP ownership

Force protection & ROE Duty of care, ethical judgement & risk acceptance

Unit training & drills HEAT & safety training for civilians

Incident command Crisis advisory & leadership support

Intelligence & threat reporting Context analysis & scenario planning

Command authority Influence, coaching & culture-building

This translation gap is where many capable veterans struggle — and where targeted preparation matters.

How Peritus Global Training Supports Veterans

Our training is designed to prepare veterans and humanitarian professionals for the real expectations of NGO operations — not just to tick a box.

Our courses help you to:

Understand how humanitarian organisations actually manage risk and duty of care
Develop judgement suited to unarmed, civilian operating environments
Build credibility with NGOs through recognised, relevant preparation
Translate military experience into language and behaviours NGOs understand
Decide honestly whether this sector — and these responsibilities — are right for you

This is not about selling a pathway.
It is about preparing you properly — or helping you decide not to proceed.

Example NGO Safety & Security Role Profiles

We provide anonymised examples of real NGO safety and security roles to help veterans understand what these positions actually involve in practice — from country-level security management through to global leadership roles.

These profiles are shared as a reality check, not recruitment material, and reflect the judgement, responsibility, and ambiguity common to senior NGO security work.

Download: “NGO Security Roles: Country to Global (Anonymised)”