Safeguarding Advisor, East Africa

The Regional Safeguarding Advisor (RSA) will provide technical guidance and support efforts to prevent, detect, and deter safeguarding issues in Mercy Corps’ East Africa programs and operations and ensure appropriate survivor support mechanisms are in place. The RSA will provide guidance and support to country teams in the region on Mercy Corps’ safeguarding approach and processes, including roll out of Safeguarding Core Standards. The RSA will support the assessment and identification of safeguarding risks to children and adults in affected populations within regional Country programs and support the development and execution of plans to mitigate these risks. They will input into key funding proposals to ensure that safeguarding risks are assessed and key safeguarding activities are appropriately resourced. The RSA will provide regular updates on safeguarding in the region and escalate any safeguarding issues to the Global Safeguarding/Ethics team.

Key Responsibilities

Training and Awareness Raising

• Work with individuals and teams throughout the region to ensure programs and operations integrate safeguarding prevention measures and standards and respond appropriately to survivors.
• Adapt existing resources and tools (both internal and external) to the regional context.
• Support the creation and adaptation of training content and develop models for delivery, including remote and in-person training.
• Support, guide and advise in-country safeguarding support roles (including Safeguarding Focal Points and Champions) with systems, processes and guidance to increase team member awareness and capacity.
• Increase partner awareness and capacity surrounding safeguarding standards including sub-grantees, volunteers, consultants, and contractors.
• Give technical guidance to CARM and program teams to ensure communities and participants understand their rights and reporting options.

Systems, Processes and Tools

• Support the roll out of the Core Safeguarding Standards throughout the region and assist in country-level strategic planning.
• Give technical guidance to Country Directors and SMTs to identify country-specific safeguarding strategies.
• Provide technical input to country-level and program-level safeguarding risk assessments and analyses.
• Support country-level safeguarding risk mitigation to ensure prevention measures (checklists, supervision, training) are implemented.
• Develop safeguarding protocols for onboarding team members, casual workers, consultants, and volunteers with Human Resources.
• Act as a resource to senior management regarding best practices and obligations under Mercy Corps’ and donor’s Safeguarding policies.

Survivor Response and Support

• Support and give technical guidance to safeguarding Focal Points as reporting avenues for concerns.
• Support country and investigative teams in employing a survivor-centered approach in alignment with investigative processes.
• Ensure adequate resource mapping and processes for survivors to ensure their safety, security, and well-being.

Engagement

• Represent Mercy Corps at relevant sector groups including Clusters and PSEA networks.
• Participate in the Global Safeguarding Task Force and regional working groups.
• Provide technical support regarding donor requirements on project proposals and design.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required. Masters or equivalent in a field related to Humanitarian or International Development is preferred.
• At least four years professional experience in development/humanitarian sector, gender-based violence and/or safeguarding field.
• Deep understanding of safeguarding and survivor-centered principles.
• Deep understanding of donor, regulatory, and sector-wide standards (e.g., PSEA).
• Experience in emergencies, fragile states, or other complex, high-risk contexts.
• Experience conducting SEAH/safeguarding investigations is preferred.
• Excellent oral and written English skills; fluency in additional regional languages is a plus.
• Experience designing and delivering training to diverse audiences.
• Proficiency with MS Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through the Mercy Corps recruitment portal on Jobvite. Follow the link below to submit your application:

Apply here via Mercy Corps/Jobvite