Global Safeguarding and Youth Participation Manager at Girl Effect

Safeguarding 

• Support the implementation, contextualisation and monitoring of safeguarding policies and procedures at Girl Effect, ensuring a culture that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. 
• Lead global safeguarding technical support, focusing on Nigeria and Kenya, with potential expansion to other geographies, collaborating with geo focal points and functional leads to ensure safeguarding approaches are embedded throughout programme/activity design and delivery.  
• Collaborate with partners and ensure robust safeguarding checks,  agreements and risk assessments are in place.  Ensure safeguarding onboarding is conducted with partners (such as production, media, research, UX design companies) & consultants hired in-country to ensure they meet GE safeguarding requirements.
• Collaborate with the Director of Safeguarding to implement and continue strengthening digital safeguarding and its integration across online platforms, products and events. 
• Lead global Safeguarding inductions and provide capacity building to country teams, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver safeguarding measures and practices as well as youth participation within their roles.
• Coordinate and oversee the response to disclosures of harm and abuse, facilitating case management meetings to ensure sensitive cases are handled with care and documented accurately. 

Youth Participation 

• Lead global youth participation technical support, focusing on Nigeria and Kenya, with potential expansion to other geographies, collaborating with geo focal points and functional leads to ensure alignment with global goals.
• Support revisions to and the roll-out of Girl Effect’s global youth participation strategy, tools and processes to ensure initiatives are meaningful, impactful and sustainable.
• Lead global efforts to ensure feedback loops are integrated into all youth participation initiatives, fostering transparent communication and driving continuous improvement informed by youth input.
• Work closely with MERL colleagues to track, evaluate and report on the impact of youth participation initiatives across Girl Effect geographies, using data to continuously inform and improve approaches.
• Collaborate with geo focal points to collate and disseminate best practice case studies, sharing them with the global communications team for external storytelling moments that involve co-creation with young people, where appropriate.
• Deliver quarterly youth participation inductions and refresher sessions for existing staff, partners and young people, enhancing their capacity to embed youth participation into their work.

Fundraising and Donor Engagement 

• Provide input into donor due diligence processes, ensuring compliance with safeguarding and youth participation standards. 
• Collaborate with teams on proposal development and preparation of donor reports. 
• Represent Girl Effect in donor meetings, providing technical expertise and updates on youth participation and safeguarding initiatives as required.

Who You Are

• Passion for and knowledge of youth engagement, with a commitment to amplifying youth voices and promoting their rights and well-being.
• A collaborative and inclusive team player who thrives in diverse, cross-functional environments and values open, transparent communication.
• A resilient and calm decision-maker, able to maintain composure and lead effectively in high-pressure situations, particularly when managing sensitive safeguarding issues.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, writing, and organisational skills, with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders.
• A proactive learner, continually seeking to expand knowledge of safeguarding and youth participation best practices and policies to stay ahead of emerging trends and challenges.

Qualifications and Experience

• A bachelor's degree or higher in social work, psychology, child protection, international development, or a related field.
• Experience (5+ years) in youth participation, safeguarding, child protection, or related fields, including delivering youth-focused programmes in one of Girl Effect’s African geographies (Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, or Tanzania).
• Expert knowledge of international safeguarding and youth participation standards, best practices, and relevant legal frameworks.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing youth participation and safeguarding policies, tools, and operating procedures.
• Strong experience in case management and risk assessments, with an understanding of the complexities within international development.
• Experience designing and delivering training initiatives for staff, partners, and young people in safeguarding and participation practices.