Director of Protection and Safeguarding

Reports to: Emergency Director

Direct reports: The Director of Protection and Safeguarding manages the Protection and Safeguarding Unit which is currently comprised of the Protection and Safeguarding Project Manager, the Protection Adviser, and the Safeguarding Adviser.

Liaises with: Members of the Boards of Concern[1], Senior Management Teams[2] , and senior managers (including those in the International Programme Directorate, Internal Audit and Investigations and at the country programme level).

Job location: Dublin, with approximately 30% of the post holder’s time spent travelling.

Pay Band: Band 8: €76,092 – €89,520

Contract: 2 year fixed term contract initially.

Job Purpose: Our approach to protection and safeguarding seeks to meet the organisational commitment to ensuring that all programme participants, especially children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with our programmes, are protected from any form of exploitation, harassment or abuse. While this responsibility lies with all of the employees of Concern and its partner organisations, the Director of Protection and Safeguarding has a critical role in ensuring that this commitment is realised and that all of Concern’s programmes are delivered in as safe a way as possible.

Consistent with this, and building on first-hand experience and deep knowledge gained while working in complex overseas environments, the post holder ensures that protection and safeguarding are central to the design and delivery of all country programme interventions, and that robust complaints and response mechanisms are in place in all of these. The post holder also provides strategic leadership for all protection and safeguarding activities at the country programme level and ensures that an effective safeguarding culture is maintained across the organisation[3].

Key Responsibilities:

1. Manage and guide the Protection and Safeguarding Unit, ensuring that the team enhances and supports our overall programming approach to protection and safeguarding at the country programme level;
2. Creating an inclusive work environment where a diverse staff, regardless of identity, culture, or situation, feel valued as members of the team and are able to contribute their expertise, energy and creativity to the work of the Unit;
3. Ensure positive internal and external working relationships within the team and with other directorates, particularly,, the Internal Audit and Investigations Unit, Human Resources and the International Programmes and the Strategy, Advocacy and Learning directorates;
4. Engage with senior managers to implement the Concern’s approach to protection[4], the protection and safeguarding strategic framework,[5] action plan and protection and safeguarding risk management framework;
5. Ensure that adequate policy and guidance is in place to support the protection and safeguarding of all programme participants who engage with Concern’s country programmes, including through the dissemination and regular review/adaptation as needed of Concern’s safeguarding policies[6];
6. Support country programmes to reduce the potential for their responses to cause harm to any programme participants;
7. Building on learning from existing Complaints and Response Mechanisms (CRMs), further develop and strengthen Concern’s current CRM processes to ensure that all programme participants have access to reliable and accountable mechanisms. Ensure that the annual analysis of reporting to country-level CRMs is completed in a timely manner, disseminated and that issues arising from these reports are addressed;
8. Working with the senior managers, ensure that cases are managed using Concern’s case management process and adhere to the requirements of a survivor-centred approach;
9. Consider how best to roll out the Approach to Protection papers and ensure the development and roll-out of safeguarding guidance and good practice for the staff of Concern and our partners;
10. Ensure timely and adequate responses to donors’ due diligence assessments/reviews of Concern’s programming safeguarding measures;
11. As a senior member of the Emergency Directorate, contribute to the overall strategy and output of the directorate;
12. Using existing connections with key international and national groups/institutions, represent Concern externally with safeguarding and protection working groups/institutions, donors and the media, using knowledge and experience to influence good practise and change in the sector;
13. Accept, advance and pursue any new objectives or responsibilities that may be assigned by your line manager;
14. Ensure that Concern’s values and policy commitments, including accountability and equality, are reflected in assigned responsibilities.
15. As required, provide updates and reports to the Concern SMT and to the Safeguarding Committee of the Board.

Person Specification:

Experience and background:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field;
• At least eight years leadership experience, of which a minimum of five years must have been spent working for a development or humanitarian organisation in Africa or Asia;
• Demonstrated experience of implementing safeguarding, protection and accountability procedures and standards during the design, delivery and review of development or humanitarian responses;
• Extensive experience of planning, developing the material for, and delivering training programmes/workshops in safeguarding related issues;
• Excellent relationship management and influencing skills with demonstrated success in the delivery of cross functional/organisational wide initiatives;
• Sound understanding of M&E and donor reporting requirements;
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills;
• Fluency in French and/or Arabic;
• Ability to travel to and work in challenging and insecure contexts, potentially at short notice;
• Experience of managing complaints and internal investigations.

As this is a key management position, potential candidates are expected to demonstrate significant ability in the following areas:

• Leadership;
• Communicating and working with others;
• Delivering results;
• Planning and decision-making;
• Managing yourself;
• Creativity and innovation;
• Influence, advocacy and networking;
• Change management.

Concern Worldwide encourages all qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, ethnicity and origin, disability, political beliefs, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status to apply to become a part of the organisation. Concern is against all forms of discrimination and unequal power relations, and is committed to promoting equality.

Candidates must be legally entitled to work in Ireland at the time of application.