Jonathan Sandy is the Executive Director of an evolving think-tank, the JS & Associates Centre for Governance and Security Policy Initiative in Sierra Leone, with a branch office in Nairobi, Kenya, and a Principal Founder, Campaign for National Unity – Sierra Leone. On part-time basis, Jonathan continues to be a Senior Stabilization Adviser to the African Union Peace and Security Department, particularly the Defence and Security Division in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2013 to date). His responsibilities includes, providing strategic advice and facilitating support to the AUC on the implementation of the African Union joint AU-UN-World Bank partnership and cooperation capacity building programme- with emphasis on Stabilization, DDR, SSR, and de-radicalisation challenges faced on the continent. From 2010 to 2013, Jonathan served as Chief/Director at the United Nations Secretariat, Department of Political Affairs (DPA). During that time, he served as head of the Security Sector Development Office (SSDO), within the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS).  He was the principal adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) and mission leadership on Rule of Law, Defence and military, police, SSR, DDR and Disengaged Combatants/De-radicalisation thematic issues in Somalia. He facilitated successfully, closed working relationships, cooperation and partnerships with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG), especially through the implementation of the Djibouti Political Agreement, the work of the Joint Security Committee (JSC), and its technical Working Groups (SSR, Police, Military, DDR, and Justice and Corrections), including the establishment of local level security committees in recovery areas.

Prior to joining the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (DPA), Jonathan served as Senior Security Sector Advisor with the International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT) at the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), Switzerland (2008 to 2010). His responsibilities included, the provision of strategic advisory support on Assessments, Programme design, Monitoring and Evaluation, Training and Capacity Development as required by ISSAT donors, development partners, multilateral and regional organisations such as the United Nations Secretariat (DPKO and DPA), UNDP, African Union and the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS).

From 2006 to 2008, Jonathan was Regional Programme Manager and Chief Technical Advisor for the UNDP/ECOWAS Regional Small Arms Control Programme (ECOSAP) head office based in Bamako, Mali. He managed in the delivery of ECOSAP through effective partnerships and collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, the United Nations Regional Centre for Armament (UNREC), the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping and Training Centre (KAPKTC) in Accra, Ghana, National Commissions in 15 member states, the West African CSOs (WANSA), UNDP country offices in the sub-region and other partners.

He was a UNDP Governance Advisor and Head of the Governance Portfolio in Sierra Leone, where he led analysis of the political and economic governance situation and the identification of strategic and innovative programme areas of cooperation in the governance field. Some of these included, public and civil service reform, political parties and electoral system reform, improved safety and security, Justice, Corrections and Rule of Law, and Decentralisation and Local Government institution building activities,( e.g. Health, Agriculture, and Fiscal decentralisation sectors supports). In 2005, he was Acting National Security Coordinator for the Government of Sierra Leone, responsible for the preparation and coordination policies related to security sector reforms, national security policy formulation, and coordination and intelligence management. He held other positions in the Government of Sierra Leone including Chief of Staff and the Director of Planning, Monitoring and Oversight Department in the Office of National Security, Office of the President (1999 to 2005), and served as Senior and Head of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of the Government of Sierra Leone/European Union Funded Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Marine Resources Natural Resource Governance and Community Development Programme (AFCOD Programme (1993 to 1997).

Jonathan has an MA in Public Policy and Management from the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM) at the University of Manchester, UK and B.Sc. (Hons) in Economics from the University of Sierra Leone. He is currently a Doctorate candidate with the Defence Academy in Cranfield University, United Kingdom( UK). His research interests are focused on public policy and management issues related to strategic planning and national security decision making processes, International Stabilization, Security Sector Reform(SSR) and Non-State Actors, foreign policy and international peace and security issues, the economic dimension of security sector reform, Defence and military issues, early warning and threat analysis; SSR and social policy issues.