With over 70 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.
Come join our 34,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!
Employee Contract Type:
Local - Fixed Term Employee (Fixed Term)Job Description:
Job Title: Regional Safeguarding and Protection Advisor
Application deadline: 23 February, 2025
Location: The position is based in any country within MEER where WVI is registered to operate.
PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
The purpose of the role is to empower Middle East and Eastern Europe Field Offices to fulfil World Vision International’s Safeguarding and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) policies and to ensure delivery of quality and sustainable programmes and projects, in adherence to international humanitarian benchmarks and commitments in Safeguarding, PSEAH and gender equity. The role has two core dimensions:
(1) A business partner to national and field offices for implementing WVI Safeguarding Management Policy, including PSEA efforts and adherence to international community’s best practices and expectations for keeping children and adult project participants safe from exploitation and abuse (50% of responsibilities).
(2) A business partner to support GESI Policy implementation across the region, with emphasis on GESI strategy, GESI-responsive grants designs, staff and partners capacity strengthening, GESI-responsive storytelling and organizational GESI audits/self-assessments (50% of responsibilities).
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Regional Safeguarding and Protection Advisor’s role is to enable the Field Office’s (FOs) Safeguarding Focal Points to be successful in their roles. They also ensure that the Regional Office is safe for children and adult project participants.
1. Regional Leadership in Safeguarding
Actively support building a culture of safeguarding, where staff are informed and empowered to discuss key issues, report, and take action on safeguarding violations, making World Vision a safe place for all, everywhere we operate
Build Safeguarding capacity among Field Offices Safeguarding focal points and ensure they facilitate general and function-specific refreshers locally every two years
Build collaborative working relationships with Field Safeguarding Focal Points and other relevant staff in Field Offices
Lead thinking on safeguarding risks and protection issues across the region, including appropriate prevention, programming, and response methodology
Present to Regional and Field Senior Leaders on safeguarding compliance gaps, incident trends, and emerging risk when necessary
Influence, network and collaborate with regional level networks, coalitions, clusters, NGOs or UN Agencies among other relevant safeguarding peers
Ensure Field Offices safeguarding is properly resourced across Field Offices and programmes and advocate for increased resources as needed
Advise programme/project designs, including grants, on matters related to safeguarding and PSEAH upon request
2. Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy Implementation
Support full compliance with the WVI Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy in the Regional and Field Offices
Lead Field Offices into developing contextualised national safeguarding policies that meet or exceed the standards in the WVI Child and Adult Safeguarding Management Policy
Guide FOs to provide accessible complaints and response mechanisms in all communities where WV works, in line with the Programme Accountability Framework (PAF)
Oversee the quality of the local awareness-raising materials that inform children and communities about the behaviour they can expect from WV employees or affiliates
Roll out the Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy to all Regional Office staff and affiliates, including the obligation for all WV staff to immediately report known or suspected child/adult beneficiary Safeguarding violations within 24 hours for a Level 2 or Level 3 incident; Promote the same at the field level
Guide development of safeguarding incident preparedness plans (SIPP) for Field Offices, including referral plans for child and adult victims of sexual and other abuse, and plan to report incidents to local police and other duty bearers or regulators
Advise Regional P&C, Communications, Advocacy, Security and other relevant teams on their safeguarding responsibilities in alignment with the Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy
Lead FOs to understand and properly complete their annual safeguarding self-assessment (i.e. Safeguarding Update Report) including orientation to the questionnaire, one-on-one support as needed, reviewing every FO update report before the submission, and following-up with scores
Support FOs to complete their Safeguarding Action Plan based upon their responses on the safeguarding self-assessment and overall report score; support areas where significant change is needed in the FO according to the Action Plan
3. Safeguarding Incident Management
Support the response of Level 2 and Level 3 safeguarding incidents including investigations and reports, with accountability to the Global Centre’s WVI Integrated Safeguarding Unit, according to global protocols and local Safeguarding Incident Preparedness Plan (including but not limited to participating in global incident management calls, following-up on FO incident management, reviewing investigation TORs and reports, and supporting the FO to complete all agreed-upon actions within 90 days when that timeframe is feasible)
Support Field Offices responses to Level 1 child protection community-level incidents according to FO’s local Safeguarding Incident Preparedness Plan
Promote confidentiality of information regarding safeguarding incidents
Assure 'survivor-centred' approaches to incident management
Work closely with regional Risk and Compliance advisor and support SEA investigations as needed
Coordinate care for and support to staff working on difficult child protection and safeguarding issues
Regional Safeguarding and Protection Advisor’s purpose is to lead GESI and protection initiatives within the region and guide field offices in quality implementation of the WVI’s GESI Management Policy.
1. Build GESI capacity across Field Offices:
Ensure all field staff, partners and volunteers receive gender equality, protection and social inclusion refresher training at least once every two years.
Oversee and continuously improve the capacity building strategy and resources for WV field staff and affiliates related to gender equality and any locally defined factors of social inclusion.
Lead field staff to develop meaningful partnerships with local women’s organizations and organizations of people with disabilities.
2. Champion GESI integration in the field office’s programming across development, nexus and humanitarian contexts:
Guide Field Offices in GESI policy contextualization, roll out and progress reporting.
Empower Field level GESI specialists to ensure all programmes and projects are based on gender and disability analysis.
Guide field teams to collect and analyze data by gender, age, and disability, using inclusive approaches to data collection.
Support Field focal points with the contextualization of programming tools, models and approaches based on formative GESI and Protection risk assessments.
Lead field teams to include and report on GESI-related indicators, using WV’s GESI domains of change.
Work with the regional resource acquisition and external engagement teams for effective positioning with donors, peers and thought leaders.
Advocate and ensure there is adequate budget for GESI and protection at a field level.
3. Build GESI evidence base:
Develop and socialize a regional GESI research and learning agenda.
Initiate and oversee GESI-related research that contributes to external positioning, thought leadership, and program quality.
Capture and share learnings through GESI community of practice and with external stakeholders and audiences.
4. Build strategic partnerships and networks by influencing, networking and collaborating with national and regional NGOs, donor agencies, UN agencies, clusters, thematic working groups, and peers working on GESI.
5. Initiate and promote gender-inclusive organizational practices through the GESI self-assessment/self-audit and action planning across the field and regional offices. This may also incorporate training on Unconscious Bias, accessible workspaces, etc.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Required Education, training, license, registration, and/or Certification
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in law, social work, gender studies, development studies, or other relevant field
Knowledge of current approaches to gender equality, PSEAH, Protection and broader inclusion programming in both, humanitarian and development contexts
Understanding of institutional donors and INGO GESI frameworks, emerging models, policies and/or programming
Excellent project management, partnering and communications skills
Demonstrated willingness to be flexible and versatile in a changing work environment while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency
Ability to motivate and develop staff
Experience in advisory roles
Required Professional Experience
Five years of direct programming or management experience in gender and protection, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), gender-based violence (GBV) or safeguarding in an international NGO
Experience in supporting GESI responsive and transformative designs and related mainstreaming strategies and activities across various sectors
Experience leading GESI analysis (specifically gender and disability analysis) to inform design and to support GESI-Responsive monitoring and evaluation
Experience leading or supporting Organisational GESI Self-Assessments or GESI Audits
Experience in capacity building and staff empowerment
Required Language(s) Fluency in spoken and written English.
Applicant Types Accepted:
Local Applicants Only