Ethiopia: Consortium Safeguarding Lead

About the Role: 

This is an exciting opportunity to apply your safeguarding skills in a dynamic consortium that is putting together a compelling and innovative bid for the forthcoming five-year “Transforming Education Programme in Ethiopia (TREE)”. As Safeguarding Lead, you will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with frequent visits to specific regions to be covered by the programme and other locations as necessary.

You will report on a day-to-day basis to the Consortium Team Leader and also have a direct reporting line to the Country Director and to Concern’s Director of Safeguarding & Protection. Regular day to day liaison and coordination will be with Concern Worldwide’s Education Programme Coordinator and Technical Advisers, risk management and operations functions in Ethiopia and at head office. You will also work closely with relevant management and staff in consortium member agencies, the Core Programme Management Team, the donor and other relevant stakeholders.

This role is contingent on funding being secured.

Job Title: Consortium Safeguarding Lead, FCDO Transforming Education in Ethiopia (TREE).

Reports to: Consortium Team Leader, FCDO Transforming Education in Ethiopia, Concern Ethiopia

Terms: Fixed Term, Unaccompanied.

Salary: TBC

Requirements: Regular travel within Ethiopia.

About Concern: 

Established in 1968, Concern is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organisation, dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern’s vision, our mission and our work are all defined by one goal – ending extreme poverty, whatever it takes. Concern strives for a world free from poverty, fear, and oppression.

Our culture is values driven and we believe that our people are central to all that we do and are key to delivering on our goal of Reaching the Furthest Behind First. We are committed to ensuring a workplace where everybody feels valued and are enabled to succeed in their work and contribute to delivering on our mission.

Concern believes that education is at the heart of development and is key to breaking the poverty cycle, and improving health, nutrition, income, and opportunities for all children. Our education programming aims to improve the lives of extremely poor and vulnerable children in a sustainable way by increasing access to high quality primary education and supporting wellbeing.

Background of the FCDO Transforming Education in Ethiopia Project:

In Ethiopia, many children are out of school or at risk of dropping out, in particular girls and other marginalised groups. Progress has been made in expanding education access for children across the country, however, since 2019 progress stalled due to conflict and instability, climate-induced shocks and the impact of Covid-19 and wider macroeconomic challenges around inflation which exacerbated existing inequalities.

In response, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) aims to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes and increase access to education for girls and marginalised children through the ‘Transforming Education in Ethiopia’ project (2024-2028). The project will focus on three key components below:

• Teacher and school leader development: Improved quality of teaching and learning with a focus on continuous teacher professional development in targeted schools.
• English Language Teaching and Learning: Selected schools provide better teaching and learning in English Language as a subject, and improved use of English across the curriculum.
• Equity, Inclusion and Girls’ Education: Improved access and retention of the most marginalised children, particularly girls.

Role Purpose:

The Safeguarding Lead will ensure that robust safeguarding measures are integrated across all aspects of the programme. The role will focus on the protection and welfare of children, vulnerable adults, and staff involved in the programme. The Safeguarding Lead will establish, implement, and monitor safeguarding policies and practices, ensuring compliance with donor standards and internal organisational frameworks. They will lead on training, incident management, and coordination with partners to create a safe and supportive environment across the consortium.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and implementation of safeguarding risk prevention, mitigation and management strategies across the programme, ensuring alignment with donor safeguarding requirements and organisational policies.
• Develop, update, and enforce safeguarding procedures, ensuring they reflect best practices and the local context.
• Act as the main point of contact for safeguarding issues and manage reporting systems.
• Lead on the effective management of safeguarding incidents, ensuring timely and appropriate responses, including liaising with the Protection and Safeguarding team at head office as necessary.
• Deliver comprehensive safeguarding training and awareness-raising activities for programme team, partners and stakeholders.
• Ensure all programme staff and partners are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and duty to report via the appropriate channels any suspicions or concerns.
• Identify and assess safeguarding risks associated with the programme and implement risk mitigation measures.
• Monitor compliance with safeguarding policies through site visits, providing timely feedback to management.
• Collaborate with monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) colleagues to integrate safeguarding into project evaluations and ensure safeguarding lessons are captured and applied.
• Ensure that any safeguarding concerns are reported promptly internally to Concern Worldwide’s head office, the donor and other relevant authorities as may be necessary.
• Collaborate closely with consortium partners to ensure safeguarding standards are consistently applied across all organisations.
• Liaise with local authorities, community leaders, and other stakeholders to foster a safe environment and ensure alignment with local safeguarding regulations and practices.
• Effectively communicate Safeguarding findings to the Team Lead, programme staff and external stakeholders, including the FCDO, to facilitate informed decision-making.
• Represent the programme at external safeguarding forums and networks to share learnings and remain informed about global safeguarding trends.
• Ensure adherence/compliance with Concern Worldwide’s Code of Conduct & Associated Policies (including Programme Participant Protection, Child & vulnerable adult Safeguarding, Anti-Trafficking policies), Conflict of Interest Policy, Anti-Fraud Policy, and Modern Slavery Transparency Statement.
• Promote and ensure accountability to programme participants and wider communities in line with Concern Worldwide’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and Do No Harm principles and ensure high ethical standards throughout programme implementation.

Role Holder Requirements:

Required:

• Bachelor’s or equivalent experience in social work, gender studies, human rights, child protection, international development or related field.
• Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in safeguarding, child protection, or protection programming in an international development context.
• Experience working in East Africa, preferably Ethiopia.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing safeguarding policies and procedures within a complex programme working with vulnerable children and adults.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding principles, best practices, and international standards, with a focus on protection of vulnerable groups within the education sector.
• Experience in conducting risk assessments, managing safeguarding incidents, and leading investigations in complex, multi-partner environments.
• Demonstrated experience in delivering training and capacity building on safeguarding issues.
• Understanding of Ethiopian legal frameworks and cultural sensitivities relating to safeguarding and protection is a significant advantage.
• Ability to handle sensitive issues with discretion, maintain confidentiality, and provide empathetic support.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to respond to complex safeguarding challenges.
• Experience and ability to provide leadership and strategic direction.
• Experience and ability to work with and build effective partnerships between a broad range of stakeholders, including consortium partners.
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to articulate complex information backed with evidence to advocate to and persuade influential stakeholders.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.

Desirable:

• Experience working on FCDO-funded programmes.
• Experience working with vulnerable communities in Ethiopia or similar contexts.
• Fluency in one or more Ethiopian languages.

How to Apply: 

CVs should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by the closing date.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent - please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.