This role involves leading the development, implementation, and management of FSD Africa's organizational safeguarding, risk, and compliance frameworks across all programmes.
Key Responsibilities and Role Requirements
Safeguarding Responsibilities
Safeguarding Strategy and integration
- Lead the development, integration and implementation of a Safeguarding Strategy, ensuring alignment with FSD Africa’s safeguarding policies.
- Embed safeguarding principles throughout the delivery programme cycle and maintain safeguarding indicators within the programme’s Monitoring and Evaluation systems.
- Promote a culture of safety and accountability by identifying and mitigating potential risks to programme participants, especially children and vulnerable adults
- Work closely with the Manager, Gender to ensure safeguarding and gender mainstreaming approaches are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Case Management & Reporting
- In liaison with Safeguarding Officers, HR, and relevant authorities where required, manage safeguarding concerns and investigations involving programme teams, partners, and representatives across all interventions.
- Maintain a confidential safeguarding case management system and ensure timely reporting to respective donors and internal leadership in line with policies and donor requirements.
Influencing and Communicating for Impact
- Drive the development, implementation, and monitoring of annual safeguarding action plans, ensuring programme managers follow up on assessments, reviews, and audits.
- Collaborate with the Communications team to uphold safeguarding principles in advocacy, ensuring communication materials and plans are safe, inclusive, and respect informed consent and the protection of participant identities.
- Regularly evaluate programme communications to guarantee ethical representation, prevent harm or exploitation, and promote dignity for all programme participants.
Risk and Compliance Responsibilities
Support FSD Africa’s organisation‑wide risk and compliance function by contributing to key responsibilities including:
- Lead comprehensive risk assessments for interventions, develop and maintain risk registers, monitor all programme risks (operational, fiduciary, ESG, and safeguarding), and ensure robust risk mitigation plans are integrated into both programme design and implementation.
- Work collaboratively with programme teams to implement and align organisational control frameworks—including financial controls, procurement integrity, environmental compliance, and data protection— ensuring consistency with FSD Africa’s enterprise risk processes.
- Reviewing and strengthening risk management frameworks and policies, ensuring they remain robust, relevant and aligned to best practice.
- Monitoring external developments (Regulatory, economic, geopolitical or sectoral) that may present strategic risks or opportunities for the organisation.
- Conducting internal compliance reviews across pillars to assess adherence to policies, procedures and donor requirements.
- Supporting in due diligence processes for partners, vendors and programme initiatives, ensuring appropriate risk mitigation measures are in place.
- Contributing to the maintenance and enhancement of the Business Continuity Management Framework, including business impact assessments and continuity planning.
- Supporting the preparation of quarterly risk management reports for FARC and the Executive Leadership Team, ensuring timely, accurate and insightful reporting.
Knowledge Management and Capacity Building
- Collaborate with Manager, L&D to deliver risk, compliance, and safeguarding training, while building safeguarding capacity among staff and partners.
- Promote a culture of safe and inclusive programming, with zero tolerance for abuse, and foster risk awareness through sensitisation and training.
- Stay updated on safeguarding best practices and provide technical support to enhance compliance maturity and strengthen policies and systems.
Relationship Management
Take initiative to build relationships and ensure effective collaboration with and between all programme stakeholders and FSD Africa colleagues; includes managing any consultants deployed to the programmes being managed:
- Foster collaboration across organisational pillars, identifying opportunities for synergy and coordinated actions.
- Respond effectively to stakeholder information needs, organising targeted capacity-building events or knowledge dissemination on risk management, compliance and safeguarding.
- Manage consultants and teams to ensure high performance and effective programme outcomes.
- Engage continuously with stakeholders to nurture relationships, ensuring ongoing collaboration and support for programmes.
Resources Management
Ensure effective management of resources/budget for programmes under management, aiming to optimise the impact that is achieved with resources and ensuring compliance with Mastercard regulations:
- Develop programme plans, budgets, and forecasts to ensure optimal resource utilisation and compliance with organisational policies.
- Liaise internally to manage financial resources effectively, ensuring compliance with statutory and donor regulations.
General Duties
- Carry out any other duties or special assignments as assigned by the Management.
Person Specifications
Qualifications and Education
- Master’s degree and 6 years of experience or bachelor’s degree and 8 years of experience of experience in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Gender Studies, Psychology, Business, Law or related fields.
- Relevant postgraduate qualifications preferred.
- Professional certification in risk, compliance, audit, or investigations is an added advantage.
- Excellent skills in written and spoken English.
