Head of Safeguarding- Damascus- National

Position Title: HEAD OF SAFEGUARDING- Damascus- National

TeamSafeguarding Risk and Compliance GradeNational Grade 1
International -Grade 3
Reports To (Title)Director of Safeguarding Risk and Compliance Contract Length1 year with possibility to renew
LocationSyria CO with frequent (50%) travel to other field offices
LanguagesEnglish /Arabic Headcount2 (direct reports)

Team and Job Purpose
Team Purpose:

The Safeguarding Risk and Compliance team is the 2nd line of control in the organization and is responsible for providing assurance on the proper functioning of internal controls risk management compliance with local and internationals laws and legislations as well as abiding by the organizations safeguarding standards and protocols. The team is also responsible for providing expert support and guidance to all relevant stakeholders to ensure a robust Safeguarding Risk and Compliance management system is in place.

Role Purpose:

The role of the Head of Safeguarding (HSG) is to support the Syria Country Office with child and adult safeguarding expertise and guidance proactively work to reduce child and adult safeguarding risks and respond robustly effectively and in a child-centred and trauma informed way to any suspected violations. He/she will ensure that child and adult safeguarding is embedded in every stage of the response cycle from assessment and response strategy development through to exit strategy planning.

Reporting to the Safeguarding Risk and Compliance Director the post holder will work with the CD HR lead all sector leads (FSL Education Shelter Health Child protection and CVA) and importantly the existing SG focal points in-country the Head of Safeguarding will map and help the team to respond to the major safeguarding risks to children and adults in our response including (but not limited to) the risks of sexual abuse and exploitation by Save the Children staff volunteers and other INGO workers and partners and the risks of unsafe programming. There will be a substantial reactive element as this role will manage the response to safeguarding violation reports and concerns working closely with and building the capacity of the existing focal points among the national staff.

The Head of Safeguarding will work with functional leads to develop a plan to mitigate the key risks likely to include building the capacity of rapidly recruited staff and new partners identifying and ensuring integration with other programme sectors ensuring that Child and Adult Safeguarding issues are raised and addressed in real-time and work with MEAL to develop an effective accessible and child-friendly reporting mechanism. The plan will be aligned with Save the Childrens overall Child and Adult Safeguarding strategy and will ensure any reports of violations are reported and responded to correctly via Datix. This role will also work closely with the Media/Comms team members to ensure full consent processes are followed and child participants for media/comms work are adequately protected. He/she will also input into key funding proposals to ensure that Child and Adult Safeguarding risk mitigations are in place and activities appropriately resourced. Additionally he/she will provide regular updates on safeguarding and escalate any safeguarding issues to the SMT.

The Head of Safeguarding will provide guidance and on the job child and adult safeguarding coaching and mentoring for national and international staff partners and volunteers and link with Child Protection and other colleagues within Save the Children and other NGOs to ensure a coherent child-centred survivor centred and trauma informed response to any child and adult safeguarding concerns. The Head of Safeguarding will receive support from various teams including but not limited to Safeguarding & Ethical Programming & Advocacy team HR Directors and the SCI Head of Humanitarian Child Safeguarding. He/she and will also provide capacity building support to the existing SG focal points on the ground and take part in multi-agency groups such as the PSEA taskforce where active relevant clusters and work proactively with other active NGOs especially regarding any joint reporting mechanisms or referral pathways awareness and prevention interventions.

Principal Accountabilities
Support SMT and functional leads in ensuring minimum standards of safeguarding are met and mitigated.
Ensure that the safeguarding focal points respond in real-time to child and adult safeguarding violations in an effective robust and child-centred way.
Ensure that case information is kept confidential documented and filed/stored appropriately.
Provide expertise to SCO colleagues and local staff to identify analyse and act to mitigate key safeguarding risks to children and adults in our programmes and programme areas identifying groups who may be at higher risk (e.g. adolescent girls disabled children children without appropriate care).
Identify and ensure integration with other programme sectors ensuring that child and adult safeguarding issues are raised and addressed in real-time e.g. in the Distribution Units CFSs and Adolescent Friendly Spaces and schools.
Provide (or support the emergency response team to provide) child-friendly information to children and families at programme sites around humanitarian principles unacceptable behaviour ways to report concerns.
Provide expertise to funding proposals ensuring that proposals include an amount for effective child and adult safeguarding (e.g. cost of printed materials set up of complaints mechanisms in a large programme awareness raising and community committees) and that they support Save the Childrens commitment to Safe Programming.
Deliver Child and adult Safeguarding training to Syria Country office team members.
Deliver Child and adult Safeguarding training along with safeguarding focal points to partners and local support staff who may be able to report safeguarding violations among staff especially (but not limited to) drivers cleaners and cooks.
Work closely with MEAL to develop (or strengthen) adequate reporting mechanisms.
Participate in relevant coordination mechanisms including Clusters and PSEA networks and support the coordination of Child and adult Safeguarding activities.
Support the CP to set-up referral mechanisms that work for both CP and Child Safeguarding concerns.
Ensure that lessons learned are captured and shared with the regional Child and adult Safeguarding team on a regular basis.
Ensure key safeguarding risks are recorded (without confidential data) on the regular situation reports.
Provide expertise to local focal points to develop a fully costed emergency response Child and adult Safeguarding action plan to eventually merge with the CO Child and adult Safeguarding annual action plan.
Other SG relevant tasks assigned by the Line Manager.

Budget
N/A

People Management Responsibility (direct/indirect reports)
Number of people managed in total: 2
Manager of a team: Yes
Team Manager (manager of multiple teams): Yes

Size of Remit
Syria Country Office

Travel Requirements
Local and international travel required: Yes

Percentage of required for travel: 50%

Key Relationships
Internal (excluding direct team and manager)
Area offices
Program Managers
Technical Advisors
All support functions (HR Finance Supply Chain etc.)

External

Partners
Other international organizations

Competencies
Cluster: Leading
Competency: Delivering results
Level: Skilled
Behavioural Indicator: Understands the link between their work and the organisations objectives.

Cluster: Leading
Competency: Leading and inspiring others
Level: Skilled
Behavioural Indicator: Takes a flexible and positive leadership style adapting to a given situation or to the needs of the team.

Cluster: Thinking
Competency: Applying technical and professional expertise
Level: Skilled
Behavioural Indicator: Delivers work that reflects a good knowledge and application of technical and professional standards.

Cluster: Thinking
Competency: Problem solving and decision making
Level: Skilled
Behavioural Indicator: Stays with a problem or challenge until a solution is reached or is no longer reasonably attainable.

Cluster: Engaging
Competency: Communicating with impact
Level: Skilled
Behavioural Indicator: Ensures communications are concise and well-structured.

Cluster: Engaging
Competency: Working effectively with others
Level: Skilled
Behavioural Indicator: Clarifies their role and responsibilities within the team to maximise impact.

Experience and Skills
Essential

Experience of child and adult safeguarding in emergency or development contexts including experience of case management and investigations.
Excellent knowledge of Child and adult Safeguarding policy and best practices.
Substantial experience working in a development context emergency response contexts or fragile states.
Good team member skills including the ability to be part of and organise support manage and develop a small team.
Experience in designing and delivering training on safeguarding including strengthening the capacity of key stakeholders to prevent and respond to safeguarding issues.
Experience of working with partners and of using a participatory approach as well as of coordinating responses with a range of actors including Government authorities national/local organisations NGOs UN.
Ability to achieve results and maintain consistent high standards of professional behaviour and achievement including when working alone.
Ability to manage stress be flexible and accommodating in difficult and frustrating working circumstance.
Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic.
Commitment to and understanding of child rights as well as of Save the Childrens aims values and principles.

Desirable
Good knowledge of and experience in using established inter-agency standards and guidelines in child protection such as the Inter-agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children IA Case Management Guidelines and others.
Budget development and financial monitoring skills.
Training and workshop facilitation skills
HEAT / Safety & Security Training for Insecure contexts or recognised equivalent.

Education and Qualifications
Essential

Bachelors degree in relevant field (such as social sciences social work education )
Minimum of 5 years experience in a similar position
Knowledge in safeguarding child rights child protection case management etc.
Arabic fluently spoken read and written
English fluently spoken read and written

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

Level 1: A basic criminal record background (DBS) check is required/equivalent police record check.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities
Diversity Equity and Inclusion is core to our vision values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse equitable and inclusive organisation and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival protection development and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of gender sexual orientation race colour ethnic origin nationality disability marital or civil partnership status gender reassignment pregnancy and maternity caring or parental responsibilities age or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.