Safeguards, Risk, and Inclusion Specialist (Retainer)

The Safeguards, Risk, and Inclusion Specialist supports Fund-level oversight and strengthens the implementation, review, and reporting of GFCR policies across the portfolio, including environmental and social safeguards, grievance redress, GEDSI, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, private sector engagement, and related risk and inclusion requirements. The Specialist provides strategic leadership and technical advice to integrate these considerations across GFCR programmes, operations, partnerships, and knowledge products.

Responsibilities

• Assess alignment of implementing partners safeguards, risk management, GEDSI, and grievance systems, and other policies with GFCR requirements.
• Strengthen safeguards, GEDSI and other policies integration across the GFCR programme management cycle.
• Strengthen GFCR grievance redress systems and procedures.
• Provide technical support and capacity building to GFCR Secretariat staff and partners.
• Lead processes to assess whether selected implementing partners systems and procedures are aligned with GFCR requirements, particularly where due diligence was conducted before relevant GFCR policies were endorsed or updated.
• Review relevant GFCR policies and implement partner policies, procedures and systems to assess alignment with GFCR requirements.
• Identify gaps, practical risks and corrective actions related to implementing partners oversight of downstream partners, sub-grantees, technical assistance recipients and supported reef-positive solutions.
• Prepare clear technical recommendations for GFCR and implementing partners to strengthen alignment, implementation and reporting.
• Lead the update of GFCR policies and guidance notes as required.
• Review programme documents, progress reports, replenishment materials, risk registers, annual and mid-annual reporting inputs, and other programme cycle documents to assess whether relevant GFCR policy requirements are sufficiently captured.
• Advise programme teams on environmental and social risk screening, risk categorisation, mitigation measures, risk ownership, monitoring and reporting.
• Review implementation frameworks, management plans and procedures to assess alignment with GFCR policies and identify any required updates or corrective actions.
• Lead the review and consolidation of programme risk registers, ensuring relevant GFCR policy risks are clearly described, rated, assigned to responsible parties and linked to mitigation measures.
• Support the development or improvement of a practical GFCR grievance handling procedure or standard operating procedure, including intake, acknowledgement, registration, assessment, referral, escalation, response, monitoring, closure and reporting.
• Review whether implementing partners and downstream partner grievance mechanisms are accessible, legitimate, predictable, equitable, transparent, confidential where needed, and responsive to affected communities.
• Assess whether grievance redress mechanisms and related access channels are adequately communicated to downstream partners, supported enterprises, technical assistance recipients and affected communities.
• Support grievance tracking, analysis and reporting, including identification of recurring issues, systemic risks and lessons for programme improvement.
• Provide on-demand technical advice to regional leads, programme teams and relevant GFCR focal points on GFCR policies.
• Prepare concise advisory notes, review comments, checklists, tools or templates to support implementation and quality assurance.
• Provide technical inputs for GFCR portfolio reporting, governance updates, donor reporting and internal decision-making.
• Deliver capacity-building sessions and supporting materials for GFCR colleagues, implementing partners or co-implementers on GFCR policy requirements.

Requirements

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in environmental management, environmental science, social sciences, international development, gender studies, human rights, Indigenous Peoples studies, environmental law, natural resource management, marine or coastal management, sustainable development, development finance, or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required OR Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above related fields with 7 years of relevant experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in environmental and social safeguards, social and environmental risk management, grievance redress mechanisms, GEDSI, gender-responsive programming, Indigenous Peoples engagement, stakeholder engagement, human rights, sustainability, conservation, climate finance, development finance, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience with safeguards or accountability requirements in programmes financed or implemented by United Nations agencies, international organisations, development finance institutions, climate funds, conservation funds, philanthropic funds, multilateral agencies, or comparable institutions.
• Experience with biodiversity conservation, marine and coastal ecosystems, blue economy, climate adaptation, natural resource management, community livelihoods, sustainable finance, impact investment, ESG, or private sector partnerships (desired).
• Experience with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities engagement, including culturally appropriate consultation, Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Indigenous Peoples plans or planning frameworks, and rights-based approaches (desired).
• Fluent proficiency in English.

Skills

• Environmental and Social Safeguards
• Social and environmental risk management
• Grievance redress mechanisms
• GEDSI
• Gender-Responsive Programming
• Indigenous Engagement
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Human Rights
• Sustainability
• Conservation
• Climate Finance
• Development Finance
• Safeguarding Compliance
• Accountability requirements
• Biodiversity Conservation
• Marine and coastal ecosystem management
• Blue Economy Knowledge
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Natural Resource Management
• Community Livelihoods
• Sustainable Finance
• Impact Investing
• ESG Management
• Public Sector Partnerships
• Free Prior and Informed Consent
• Rights-Based Approaches

Languages

English