Regional Safeguarding Specialist at Action Against Hunger International

Essential role responsibilities

• Safeguarding Strategy and Implementation
• Lead the implementation of the Safeguarding policy and procedures and facilitate the structural embedding of safeguarding across Regional and country operations
• Support country offices in developing contextualized safeguarding practices aligned with organizational procedures
• Support country offices in embedding safeguarding into program design and implementation
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation
• Lead and support Country office teams in conducting Safeguarding assessments, setting up processes for community complaints mechanisms and that they are mainstreamed into program design
• Identify high-risk contexts and recommend mitigation strategies, putting a plan on how this will be implemented
• Establish safeguarding risk register for all country offices and ensure these are updated and regularly reviewed for action planning
• Lead in ensuring that all country offices are compliant with donor requirements
• Work with the Regional HR Director and Director of People & Strategy and to map out a clear process for vetting & reference checking including implementation of the misconduct disclosure scheme. S/he will create the legal framework available and the HR teams to ensure that these checks are rolled out, ensure that all staff are checked in line with agreed protocols.
• Investigation, Case Management and incidents response
• Lead in investigations, case management, put survivor support mechanisms in place, and ensure accurate and proper close-out of investigations, while adhering to the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, fairness and sensitivity of investigation.
• Providing on the ground Safeguarding support and expertise during humanitarian emergencies in the region and drawing up lessons learnt
• Work with the Regional HR and Regional Director’s to deliver a coordinated Safeguarding services to Country Offices
• Capacity Building and Trainings
• Lead in the roll-out, awareness creation, training and capacity building of all staff in line with the Safeguarding priorities.
• Provide technical advice and support to Country Offices in coordination with Country Directors, Safeguarding focal points and HR teams
• Provide technical advice and guidance to Country Offices and Regional Teams in coordination with Action Against Hunger International Safeguarding policy and protocols
• Work with Country Office teams to ensure that Community Complaints Mechanisms have a safeguarding lens and adequately cover safeguarding needs.
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
• Lead, alongside Safeguarding focal points, on Safeguarding related data collection, auditing and reporting in the organization and donor requirements.
• Conduct internal audits and reviews on safeguarding practices in country offices
• Ensuring that action plans are in place at HEARO and country office regional level to facilitate continuous improvement in the prevention of and response to safeguarding reports
• Preparing and sharing safeguarding reports for the leadership team
• Partnerships and external engagement
• Create close work relationships with the Safeguarding Community of Practice members in the Network, Region and Countries
• Engage with peer agencies and safeguarding forums to understand the current trends and practices in the sector
• Represent the organization in Regional Safeguarding networks and platforms

Supervisory and Budget Responsibilities

• None
• Gender Equality Commitments  
• Foster an environment that supports values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status. 
• Value and respect in all cultures. 
• Physical Demands
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with interruptions.
• To travel to the field, the employee must attest to a level of physical fitness capable of enduring physically difficult, highly stressful situations which may include the necessity to walk long distances, to eat a limited diet and/or to reside in potentially uncomfortable housing or tents.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• The duties of the job require regular job attendance of at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or during the weekends as may be required.
• Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases. 
• Gender Equality Commitments & Zero tolerance to abuse
• Foster an environment that reinforces values of people of all genders equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where people of all genders must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff.
• Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect all cultures.

Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Social Work, Law, International Development, Human Rights, Psychology, psychology, political science, development studies, gender studies or field related to humanitarian assistance and international development
• Minimum 7-10 years humanitarian work in Safeguarding, protection, Child Protection, GBV, PSEA or related field
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex safeguarding cases and conducting investigations with knowledge of current legislation, statutory and other guidance with regards to safeguarding
• Certified trainer in Safeguarding investigations and experience in managing sensitive and serious investigations involving SEA, Child Safeguarding and trafficking of persons/modern slavery and staff safeguarding
• Experience developing safeguarding resource materials, including training curriculum, guidance tools and best practices.
• Experience working in emergency and/or development context (experience in Horn and East Africa Region an added advantage)
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills, highly confidential and maintaining trust
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French will be an added advantage.
• Eligibility – this is a national position open to Kenyan nationals or persons with the right to work in the country on national position.