occupied Palestinian territory: Safeguarding Coordinator - Gaza

Post location: Gaza Field Office - Rafah Based

Contract Duration and Level of Effort: 10 months with possible extension

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Safeguarding Coordinator will report to the HR & Admin Manager and work with all the thematic managers/advisors, Team Leads and other Safeguarding Focal points to promote the concept of “Child Safe Organizations” as well as lead in the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) in the country programme. The Coordinator’s role will be that of a resource person and will lead in raising awareness on Safeguarding, PSEA, Safe Programming as well as lead in the investigation and case management of safeguarding concerns. S/he will also be the focal for employee engagement and relations. Together with CO HR& Admin team, s/he create and facilitate employee engagement activities.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

• Reports to: HR & Admin Manager
• Staff reporting to this post: None
• Budget Responsibilities: None

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Awareness Raising: 

• Raise awareness on SC zero tolerance to child abuse by working with HR to conduct inductions for new hires, train staff and partners on SC’s Child Safeguarding and PSEA policies and the Code of Conduct to help minimize the risks of abuse and exploitation of SCI beneficiaries.
• Coordinate safeguarding capacity building and mobilise project staff, partners, volunteers and other stakeholders to undergo annual and refresher training in Child Safeguarding, PSEA and Safer Programming facilitated through face-to-face or webinars.
• Deliver training and support Safeguarding Focal Points, thematic leads and supporting functions in the fulfilment of their respective safeguarding responsibilities.
• Conduct safeguarding risk assessment of all sectors, projects and partners in collaboration with respective leads and Safeguarding Focal Points in both development and humanitarian projects.
• Provide technical support during proposal development and ensure that all new proposals are risk assessed and safeguarding activities are budgeted for accordingly.
• Maintain, update and disseminate induction and training materials to Safeguarding Focal Points and other relevant internal stakeholders.

Prevention: 

• Promote safe programming concept of all SC’s programs by ensuring safeguarding risk assessment is conducted by all programs and work with the Head of Programs/Senior Program Manager to integrate safeguarding activities and budgets in proposals.
• Lead in the development and implementation of the country’s annual safeguarding action plans as identified in the Safeguarding Self-Assessment in oPt and other global priorities.
• Conduct regular evaluation meetings, e.g. monthly, with the Country Director, SMT, ESMT, Safeguarding Focal Points and staff to discuss lessons learned and share best practices.
• Build the capacity of programme thematic teams to work with different stakeholders, in particular, children’s clubs/networks and civil society to develop key success indicators to ‘safeguard children’, which will be used in monitoring and evaluation.
• Promote best practice, resource and expertise exchange where appropriate across country boundaries.
• Support all sectors and units to understand their safe programming responsibilities, refine risk assessment tools, build capacity of thematic programme, and support service teams to carry out risk assessment in relation to safe programming.
• Work with HR to strengthen the recruitment processes in terms of safeguarding communities and colleagues from potential abusers/exploiters
• Review and update referral pathway on an annual basis that will feed into SCI’s Letter of Assurance (LoA) and local safeguarding procedures.
• Maintain, update and disseminate induction and training materials to field offices, implementing partners and implementation sites.
• Work with MEAL unit to establish child-friendly feedback reporting mechanism as well as tools to evaluate the impact of the Safeguarding Protocol’s on programmes.
• Represent the agency at inter agency forums
• Keep up to date on trends and new safeguarding approaches and share knowledge.
• Participate at the Annual Safeguarding Regional Workshops, webinars and other event

Reporting: 

• Collaborate with the MEAL team to ensure that Category 4 Complaints are thoroughly assessed so that unsafe programming reports can be escalated via Datix.
• Ensure that all staff in the Country Office are familiar with the DATIX case management platform to report all suspicions of internal and external cases.
• Promote the obligation to report SG suspicions and complaints within 24 hours through DATIX.

Responding: 

• Lead in all aspects of safeguarding investigations and case management of reported safeguarding, PSEA and safe programming incidents or concerns. The Safeguarding Coordinator will also be responsible for managing all reported incidents/concerns on DATIX and updating relevant documentation on 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, PSEA and safe programming in across the country’s programme.
• Follow up with survivor care of alleged victims/survivors identified in safeguarding concern in line with SCI procedures
• Regularly update oPt’s Local Safeguarding Procedures ensuring that all the seven-point action plan in the Letter of Assurance are duly completed.
• Assist in the development and/or update of the oPt Programme’s capacity to respond to allegations of SEA and safe programming policy violations, including the development of a pool of mentors and investigators across the country programme, including senior management.
• Ensure quality and robust case management (quality reports and documentation of decision-making process and actions).

Employee Relations: 

• Act as the focal person for employee engagement activities
• Design activities to enhance employee engagement
• Work with CO HRteam to help create a welcoming environment
• Work with CO HR team to gather concerns and issues to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of the department’s services

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS: 

Essential: 

• Degree level qualification in social work or equivalent health, education or other relevant professional Degree or higher Diploma level qualification in social work or equivalent, legal/human rights, education or other relevant professional qualification and working experience
• 4+ Significant direct experience in safeguarding or protection sector and employee engagement
• Up to date working knowledge of sexual harassment, child protection policies and practice and current issues in relation to safeguarding children and adult within oPt context as well as relevant international polices and protocols such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
• Firm and confident personality – able to stand up against more experienced and senior colleagues
• Excellent communication and listening skills in English with proven writing and numerical experience in writing/editing, e.g. for briefing documents, monitoring reports and investigation reports.
• Proven attention for detail and ability to effectively manage a high volume of data and information.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills in order to deal tactfully and sensitively with a wide range of people in a large organization, very often at a distance.
• Good team member skills, including the ability to be part of and organize, support, manage and develop a small team;
• Experience in designing and delivering training or workshops to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to manage stress, be flexible and accommodating in difficult and frustrating working circumstance.
• Commitment to and understanding of child rights, as well as of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles.
• Ability to take a proactive approach to problem solving, to recommend and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Willingness and ability to travel abroad at short notice.
• Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours in the event of major emergencies including travelling at short notice and for extended periods of time
• Ability to critically analyze written material including evidence, reports, policies
• Strong organizational skills and ability to meet regular and recurring deadlines

Desirable:

• Planning, delivering and evaluating training
• Organizing and managing a complex and demanding workload and working on own initiative
• Influencing practice and policy, including communicating effectively and persuasively at all levels, and in different situations, both verbally and in writing, at individual and group level
• Facilitating learning, development and change for individuals and/or groups/organizations
• Developing, sustaining and referring to external and internal professional networks
• Preparing written reports or materials to a publishable standard in the English language
• Valuing and respecting the contribution of others working effectively with diversity and challenging discrimination
• Coordination skills, especially in relation to cross-departmental working and external networks
• Work and travel in challenging environments
• The right to work within the country where the post is to be based

We offer a competitive package in the context of the sector**. This role is offered on the basis of** national terms and conditions. Application will be reviewed and selected on a rolling basis.

Save the Children promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment, women and people with different abilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Organisation: 

Save the Children works in development and humanitarian contexts with children and partners to help families, communities, and governments identify and use innovations to ensure all children survive, learn and are protected.

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

How to Apply: 

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at Gaza Safeguarding Coordinator - SCI Career Site Careers (oraclecloud.com). 

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.