Safeguarding Officer

The Safeguarding Officer leads and champions child safeguarding across Rwanda offices, working with programme teams to identify and mitigate risks to children, delivering training, and ensuring compliance with safeguarding policies. The role also includes safety and security responsibilities, including risk assessments, training, and incident management to ensure staff and program safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead and champion child safeguarding across Rwanda offices.
• Work with programme development and operations teams to identify potential risks to children and plan mitigating measures.
• Advocate for safeguarding policies at national levels.
• Provide support, guidance and capacity building to emergency/humanitarian response and programmes teams.
• Establish country safeguarding networks to champion local implementation.
• Ensure mapping of service providers for children and update local procedures.
• Coach and support Field Focal Points to improve safeguarding practice.
• Promote safe programming and safeguarding practice across Rwanda offices.
• Support programming design, implementation and monitoring through a safeguarding lens.
• Ensure safeguarding support is adequately resourced in project budgets.
• Support staff to identify and mitigate safeguarding risks in programming.
• Provide tools and knowledge for staff to access safeguarding support.
• Role model professional safeguarding behaviour and maintain standards.
• Roll out and maintain safeguarding training programmes.
• Deliver mandatory core training workshops and refresher training.
• Review and strengthen safeguarding systems and training programs.
• Identify safeguarding issues and develop response plans with partners.
• Deploy resources to maintain safeguarding standards among staff and partners.
• Develop capacity building plans and provide mentoring and support.
• Serve as safeguarding focal point and lead establishment of safeguarding procedures and risk assessments.
• Build capacity of safeguarding focal points to deliver training and manage investigations.
• Strengthen capacity of focal points in receiving and recording reports and delivering inductions.
• Develop and deliver training modules for safety and security team.
• Identify and help resource improvements in security management and planning.
• Monitor safeguarding policy implementation and compliance.
• Ensure safeguarding mechanisms are in place and monitored.
• Analyze safeguarding concerns to inform organizational learning.
• Provide guidance and undertake safeguarding investigations as appropriate.
• Integrate safeguarding into all country office systems.
• Assess threat, risk, and vulnerability and recommend risk reduction measures.
• Conduct safety and security assessments and report findings.
• Review safety and security procedures and policies.
• Assist in preparing and maintaining safety and security management plans.
• Ensure staff training and orientation on safety and security roles.
• Facilitate safety and security management training.
• Develop security briefing materials and provide orientation for new staff and visitors.
• Ensure compliance with incident reporting requirements and follow-up.
• Disseminate safety and security information and updates.
• Liaise with administration and logistics on vehicle movement and facility safety.
• Prepare and manage the CO Security Budget.
• Assist in preparation for major events and critical incidents.
• Conduct security awareness training in cooperation with Regional Security team.
• Oversee assessment of staff premises and advise on security measures.
• Ensure redundancy in communication systems and maintain communication tree.
• Support risk and compliance team in crisis management and emergency response.
• Facilitate information gathering during serious security incidents.
• Assist with emergency evacuations and investigate security incidents.
• Report security incidents in accordance with SCI protocols.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in Gender, Child Protection or Child Rights Governance, governance, law, social work or related degree.
• Knowledge and/or experience of child safeguarding, child protection, gender, PSEA or SGBV.
• Experience within an INGO or similar organisation working with vulnerable communities and children or similar experience within Save the Children.
• Experience managing and undertaking complex child protection/safeguarding investigations and/or disciplinary investigations.
• Experience planning and undertaking training programmes/workshops in child protection/safeguarding at various levels (field workers, managers, senior managers, 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 safety and security practices.
• Proven ability to undertake Security Risk assessments.
• Ability to manage a high workload and meet tight deadlines.
• At least 2 years demonstrable experience in a role with similar responsibility for Safeguarding and Safety/security management.
• 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.
• Resourcefulness, flexibility, good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise and meet deadlines.
• Desirable: Evidence of professional expertise, personal development and learning in the field of child care.
• Desirable: Experience working within hostile and challenging environments.
• Desirable: Experience of work-related travel in challenging environments.
• Desirable: Commitment to Save the Children values.
• Desirable: Knowledge of international humanitarian systems, institutions and donors.

Skills

• Child Safeguarding
• Child Protection
• Gender-Based Violence Awareness
• PSEA Integration
• SGBV
• Safeguarding Investigations
• Disciplinary Investigations
• Training Programme Delivery
• Report Writing
• Presentation Skills
• Children's Rights Advocacy
• Long Distance Support
• Safety Practices
• Security Practices
• Security Risk Assessment
• Safeguarding Management
• Safety and Security Management
• Response Management
• Fraud Risk Management
• Incident Management

Languages

English, Kinyarwanda