Safeguarding, Safety and Security coordinator at Save the Children: (Deadline 29 January 2025)

Safeguarding, Safety and Security coordinator at Save the Children: (Deadline 29 January 2025)

Job Description

INTRODUCTION

Save the Children has been working in Rwanda since 1994 in partnership with the Government of Rwanda (GoR) and local stakeholders to promote a bright future for children. We have experience working in all 30 districts across the country. The main areas of focus are education, child protection, child rights governance, and health and nutrition in humanitarian and development contexts.

GENERAL BACKGROUND

Save the Children (SC) is the world’s largest independent child rights organization, underpinned by a vision of a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. Our mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Save the Children implements both development and humanitarian assistance programs in Rwanda and Burundi.

ROLE PURPOSE

The Safeguarding, Safety and Security coordinator will take a lead in driving our endeavours in this focussed area of work across the country office. The Coordinator will combine elements of capacity building and monitoring whilst enforcing compliance and accountability, management and investigation as well as aspects of advocacy at the National level. The post holder will also be expected to provide significant mentoring and capacity-building to Save the Children’s staff, volunteers, suppliers, consultants, associates and partners. The role holder will work in conjunction with the Country Senior Leadership Team and Safeguarding focal persons located across the Rwanda country office

The post- holder will be working closely with both Senior Lead, ESA Safety & Security and Manager, ESA Safety & Security in carrying out safety and security assessments; make recommendations and provide support for their implementation by Country Office. She/ He will facilitate the implementation of Save the Children’s Safety and Security Policy and Standards within country programs and help drive systemic change in the quality of safety and security management. Also, to contribute to building country compliance with safety and security Minimum Standards.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Child Safeguarding Leader and Champion across the country office

• Work with programme development and programme operations teams to identify potential risks to children in all project’s activities including workshops and events, plan mitigating measures, and assign staff to be responsible for the implementation.
• Undertake clear, strong advocacy in line with the Safeguarding Policies at National levels.
• Deliver high quality, accessible and reliable support, guidance and capacity to emergency/humanitarian response and programmes team
• Establish Country safeguarding networks to champion local implementation
• Work with CP colleagues to ensure that a mapping of service providers for children is completed in Save the Children’s operational areas and local procedures are developed/up to date
• Coach and support Field Focal Points in order to improve Safeguarding practice.

Safe programming and Safeguarding Practice promoted across the Country and sectors

• Work with programme development team and other programme staff to ensure that all programming is designed, implemented and monitored through a Safeguarding lens, including supporting all new proposals
• Ensure that support for safeguarding is adequately resourced in all new project budgets
• Support staff to take proactive steps to ensure that all programming activity identifies the potential risks and works to eliminate and mitigate those risks.
• Ensure that the tools and knowledge are made available to managers and that they know how to access support and guidance
• Role model high levels of professional safeguarding behaviour and maintain the standards required by the Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct
• Develop capacity building plan for staff and partners and provide on-going mentoring and support

Capacity Building

• Serve as safeguarding lead focal point for the field office and lead on establishment of strong safeguarding procedures and risk assessment in all programme activities in accordance with the national strategies developed
• Build the capacity of Safeguarding Focal points to deliver safeguarding trainings, manage & undertake investigation
• Build the capacity of Safeguarding focal persons especially in receiving and recording reports
• Strengthen the capacity of Focal points in delivering safeguarding inductions
• With the support of the safety and Security RO, develop and deliver training modules specific to knowledge gaps within the CO Safety and Security team (SSFP) to improve safety and security capacity.
• Identify gaps within the Field Offices in security management and planning and help resource improvements.

Safeguarding Standards are applied throughout the country programme

• Coordinate with the Senior Leadership Team and monitor the overall implementation of safeguarding policies in the country programme.
• Conduct a review of safeguarding policy implementation throughout the country programme and implement the Safeguarding Policy Compliance Action Plan
• Ensure that the safeguarding mechanisms are in place and are subject to continuous monitoring/review.
• Oversee and enforce follow-up in order to ensure maximum levels of compliance and competence.
• Identify and utilise opportunities to integrate safeguarding approaches into all aspects of our work
• Apply critical analysis to ensure that we live up to our commitment to making Save the Children safe for children by ensuring child safeguarding concerns are reported effectively in line with the policy, Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team to ensure that  safeguarding and reporting are central to our accountability system for all projects
• Ensure that reporting procedures are clearly understood by staff, partners, contractors/suppliers, visitors and by children themselves. This may include providing briefings, training or developing materials for dissemination, including the development of child-friendly materials;
• Ensure that concerns are followed up safely, effectively and efficiently and to the required standards.
• Ensure that safeguarding concerns are documented and regularly analyzed to inform organizational learning and improve safeguarding practice;
• Analyze the types of cases received, and the response provided on a regular basis to inform organizational learning and improve safeguarding practice;
• Provide guidance Where appropriate, personally undertaking safeguarding investigations, sometimes in challenging environments and to rigorous timescales and standards.
• Collaborating with key teams and processes within the country office to ensure that Safeguarding is integrated into all systems

 Safety and Security responsibilities 

• Assess threat, risk, and vulnerability and make recommendations to SMT to reduce staff exposure.
• Undertake safety and security risk assessments of program areas, potential program areas, facilities (office, accommodation, warehouse, etc.) as requested by CD /SMT. Report on findings and propose mitigation measures.
• Undertake reviews of individual safety and security procedures and policies as requested and make recommendations to SMT.
• Assist to the CD to prepare/maintain/update safety and security management plan (SSMP).
• Develop Security briefing materials for new staff and visitors. Provide security orientation/briefing for newly appointed SC staff and CO visitors.
• Ensure all SC staff understand and comply with incident reporting requirements and procedures. Follow-up as necessary re: issues related to reported incidents.
• Ensure that appropriate systems are in place to effectively disseminate safety and security information and updates of the security situation to SC staff.
• Liaise with administration and supply chain department regarding vehicle movement and facility safety and security. Ensure established standards and procedures are followed

Planning and Preparation

• Responsibility for ensuring compliance of and alignment with SCI Key Performance Indicators.
• Responsible for preparing, managing and reporting on the CO Safety and Security Budget.
• Assist the Leadership team to prepare for major events and critical incidents where security is concerned.
• Conduct periodical safety security awareness trainings at both country and field office level in accordance with SCI policies and procedures and with support from the ESA Safety & Security team when required.

Procedures and Protocols

• Redundancy in communication is ensured by establishing multiple modes of communication between base and all offices in the field.
• All staff ‘communication tree’ is established, kept updated and tested on regular basis so as to contact all staff when necessary.

Act in a Critical Incident or Crisis

• Support the Senior Management Teams (SMT) and advise them of possible actions or options in a time of crisis or critical incidents.
• Coordinate information through the relevant reporting lines during critical security incidents.
• Report, investigate and follow up security incidents in accordance with SCI protocols and using the online reporting system in timely manner. This includes investigation for multi-faceted cases.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• A Child Protection or Child Rights Governance professional with a degree in child protection, governance, law, social work.
• Experience in child protection/child safeguarding practice in humanitarian setting
• Experience within an INGO or similar other organisation working with vulnerable communities and children or with similar experience within Save the Children.
• Experience of managing as well as undertaking complex child protection/safeguarding investigations and or disciplinary investigations
• Experience of planning and undertaking training programmes/workshops in child protection/safeguarding at a range of levels (e.g. field workers, managers, senior managers and decision makers)
• Excellent verbal communication and report writing skills in English and Kinyarwanda
• Excellent presentation skills
• Demonstrable commitment to Children’s Rights
• Ability to provide long distance support and establish supportive relationships and networks
• Experience in current safety and security practices and issues affecting Country office
• Proven ability to undertake Security Risk assessments.
• Able to manage a high workload and meet tight deadlines
• At least 2 years demonstrable experience in role with similar responsibly for Safety/security and fraud management
• A university Degree in a related field not limited to other professional certificates
• An understanding of response management and the critical importance of safety/Security/ fraud  management and communications

  • Excellent and proven communicator able to communicate to a wide range of audiences.

• Builds capacity with hands on practical approach and can demonstrate experience of training.

• Resourcefulness, flexibility, good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise and to meet deadlines.

Desirable

• Evidence of professional expertise, personal development and learning in the field of child care
• Experience of working within hostile and challenging environments
• Experience of work-related travel in challenging environments

Application Link: Click here

Application Deadline: January 29th 2025

CHILD SAFEGUARDING

This position is Child Safeguarding Level 3: the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; ore because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY

We are committed to ensuring a safe working environment for all those who work for us and for all those who come into contact with our staff and representatives, including children and members of the communities with whom we work.

SCI takes a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and any other conduct that is discriminatory or disrespectful to others.

We need to keep children safe, so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

*Note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. *

*Disclaimer: Save the Children International does not charge any kind of fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process.

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