Safeguarding Officer at Save The Children

ROLE PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION:

Save the Children is a leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need around the world. With its headquarters in London, UK, SC works in over 120 countries globally, including Nigeria, helping children survive, learn, and be protected by improving their education, health, nutrition, protection and economic opportunities, and in times of acute crisis, mobilizing rapid life-saving assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters.

Save the Children International (SCI), Nigeria is implementing Reaching Out of School Children (ROOSC) Project in Kaduna State, Nigeria. This is a 4-year initiative to support crisis-affected out of school children (aged 6-14) to exercise their equal rights to quality education and gender equality. The project is funded by Educate a Child, Islamic Development Bank, Global Partnership in Education and Kuwait fund. 

The ROOSC project is designed to support Kaduna State government in ensuring the inclusive and equitable provision of quality primary education for all children. Project approach, strategies, and interventions are gender-sensitive and promote inclusivity in primary education provision. Adequate attention will be given to infrastructure and providing facilities and teaching-learning supplies and processes to ensure child-friendly and enabling environments in schools and learning centres to promote and sustain enrolment, full participation, completion, and quality learning outcomes in primary education. 

The Safeguarding Officer will:

• Strategically lead and manage safeguarding inputs on the Reaching Out of School Children (ROOSC) education project, which is to be implemented in Kaduna State.
• Be accountable and responsible for the promotion and practice of safe programming and safeguarding on the project.
• Promote and build a ‘Safe Organisation’ and zero tolerance to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) of children and adult beneficiaries through safeguarding awareness raising and prevention.
• Facilitate confidential reporting of abuse, harm, and danger caused by Save the Children’s activities, staff, and representatives through authorized channels.

Under the guidance of the Project Director and the National Safeguarding Coordinator, the Safeguarding Officer will ensure that the ROOSC project is implemented in a safe manner, free of abuse and harm towards beneficiaries. 

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

• Develop the project safeguarding strategy and monitor the implementation of safeguarding standards.
• Identify and address training needs of staff and stakeholders in ROOSC project in relation to keeping children safe and protecting adults at risk.
• Coordinate safeguarding capacity building and mobilize project staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders to undergo induction and annual training in Safeguarding, PSEAH and Safe Programming training through formal and informal training sessions, webinars, discussion of case studies, quizzes etc.
• Technical supervision and mainstreaming of core operational safeguarding activities (COSA) on the project.
• Stakeholder engagement with partner organizations and state government representatives supporting the project.
• Develop and prepare materials for all safeguarding and Safe Programming related trainings.
• Assist in organizing and facilitation of safeguarding induction for newly recruited staff, volunteers, beneficiaries, stakeholders, and partners in the field office.
• Develop safeguarding messages for various groups of stakeholders and facilitate publication.
• Conduct safeguarding risk assessment for all sectors and activities involving children on the project in collaboration with respective leads of such activities.
• Compile partners’ activity documents, analyses partners risk assessment result and support on identified gap.
• Oversee safeguarding financial activities and manage safeguarding expenses on the project.
• Maintain clear records of number of staff, partners, volunteers, contractors, vendors, consultants and other parties trained in safeguarding.
• Compile and develop monthly safeguarding training data/activity report with coordination of focal points and send to the Country Office. 
• Develop safe programming quality benchmarks in collaboration with MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) team.
• Lead in all aspects of safeguarding investigations of reported child safeguarding, PSEAH and unsafe programming incidents/concerns and manage the online reporting system by ensuring that all updates on investigations are up to date. 
• Support the capturing and sharing of lessons learnt on safeguarding, PSEAH and safe programming in the project.
• Assist the MEAL team during the evaluation processes for compliance with indicators of safe programming and safeguarding on the project.
• Monitor the safe implementation of the ROOSC project against approved safe programming benchmarks.

QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• A bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Development Studies, Gender, Child Protection, Human Rights, Humanitarian Action, Anthropology, or another related field
• At least 3 - 4 years of accrued working experience in education programme implementation with a minimum of 2 years in a humanitarian organization, international NGO, or equivalent organization. 
• Minimum of 2 years’ leading or supporting safeguarding, gender/GBV, ASRH, inclusion, child protection, AAP or accountability functions.
• Proven knowledge and experience in applying child participation methodologies.
• Commitment to SCI’s mission, values, and approach (includes gender equality, child safeguarding and equal opportunities)
• Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and handle multiple tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality.
• Substantial experience of child safeguarding, disability inclusion, child protection, PSEAH, SGBV or safe programming issues and practice, within insecure settings.
• Experience in leading or supporting in safeguarding investigations.
• Experience of assisting in the development of local procedures, SoPs, manuals, and guidance on safeguarding, PSEAH and Safe Programming.
• Experience on facilitation and coordination of training and workshop.
• Experience in conducting assessment, monitoring, and risk analysis.
• Direct or indirect experience with child protection practice, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
• Knowledge of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Nigeria Child Rights Acts, VAPP Act, child protection and GBV policies and practice as well as current issues in relation to safeguarding of beneficiaries in the Nigeria context.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic planning abilities.
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information as well as facilitate training to a wide and diverse audience.
• Excellent report writing skills.

Desirable:

• Ability to foster and maintain strategic alliances across multiple stakeholders. 
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation, and coaching.
• Ability to establish and maintain conducive collegial relations and perform effectively as a member of a team.
• Willingness to travel and work in hard-to-reach areas, occasionally under strenuous conditions.
• Computer literacy and excellent documentation skills are a must.
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, Hausa, and Pidgin