Safeguarding and Accountability Advisor

Job Title: Safeguarding and Accountability Advisor

Department: Operations

Division: Quality & accountability

Duty Station: Odesa

Line Manager: Head of Mission

Line Management Responsibility: N/A

Position Type: Full-time

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organisation. We work with people affected by violent conflicts to enhance their security and dignity through Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP). We work to reduce violence, protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath, and help transform the world’s response to conflict situations.

Overview

NP Ukraine operates from its head office in Odesa. Currently, NP Ukraine has five field sites in the Northeast and South of the country. The position is hosted in the Odesa office and will entail visits to field sites across the country programme. The successful applicant will report to the Head of Mission.

Job Summary

The Safeguarding and Accountability Advisor will lead efforts to implement and strengthen NP’s safeguarding and accountability approaches across its Ukraine programme. The successful candidate will possess technical expertise and understanding related to safeguarding of stakeholders, including relevant national and international rules, regulations, and donor requirements concerning safeguarding and accountability. They will translate those standards into day-to-day practices for use by NP staff and build an infrastructure within NP Ukraine to support compliance. The Safeguarding and Accountability Advisor will develop detailed guidance and provide ongoing technical support to field teams and partners across NP Ukraine to strengthen best practices, tools, and implementing strategies for safeguarding and accountability. The scope of work will include ensuring that quality support is provided to persons with protection concerns while working alongside UCP Specialists and Protection Officers, particularly related to case management.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement strategies to support and guide staff ensuring that safeguarding measures are integrated into office operations, processes and programmes in line with safeguarding implementation standards and other core safeguarding documents.
• Coordinate the implementation of NP’s Safeguarding Policy Implementation standards, ensuring managers are aware of which standards apply to their area of responsibility and facilitating a team of delegate focal points, in order to ensure safeguarding measures are integrated into activities across all departments.
• Effectively manage an audit programme within NP Ukraine, ensuring compliance with national and international requirements and to ensure that any action plans are fed back to the global Safeguarding Manager.
• Undertake clear and strong advocacy on safeguarding at all levels across the office, acting as an ambassador and role model for safeguarding implementation at all times. This will involve making use of appropriate internal platforms and events (e.g. management meetings, staff inductions etc.) to raise awareness of and increase commitment to policies.
• Deliver mandatory safeguarding briefings, inductions and/or workshops to staff, managers and associates ensuring all are aware of what safeguarding means for them and how to execute their specific responsibilities under the policy.
• Coordinate the annual safeguarding implementation standards self-assessment and incident reporting exercises, providing reports on outcomes and trends to the country management team.
• Focal point for coordination with staff cares external provider, promoting the use of mental health tools available to all staff.
• Supporting field-based safeguarding focal points with refresher training and support materials.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree or equivalent experience in a field related to humanitarian assistance and international development, or Ethics and HR Management.
• Demonstrated experience in the application of safeguarding and accountability policies, protection programming and rights-based approaches to development.
• At least 4 years’ experience in protection and safeguarding programme design and implementation in fragile context settings.

Key Challenges

• Building and sustaining collaborative partnerships, negotiating, and resolving contentious issues and conflicts of interest while managing and balancing varied, diverse stakeholder priorities across a geographically dispersed region.

Other Specialized Requirements

• Ukraine is a complex security environment, and the evolution of the war is completely unpredictable – experience in insecure environments is essential to success in this position.
• This posting can be physically demanding that may require walking and driving long distances.
• A strong motivation to do what’s necessary in a complex logistics environment is required.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and independently.
• Manage complex issues discreetly and confidentially

Preferred skills/Qualifications

This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in demanding and often difficult environments.

• Proven experience responding to and managing sensitive protection/safeguarding matters in a confidential manner.
• Experience developing safeguarding and accountability resource materials, including guidance, tools, and best practices.
• Experience in effectively delivering training, workshops and inductions.
• Experience working in fragile settings that have conflict, post-conflict, or transitional state characteristics.

Skills

Independent Judgment/Analytical:

• Ability to set priorities, solve problems and analyze data.
• Ability to manage information with discretion.
• Demonstrable conflict analysis skills, identify entry points and design prevention and safeguarding strategies.

Interpersonal:

• Ability to communicate effectively with individuals, motivate and provide leadership to the team and to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Solutions focused, creative problem solver.
• Proven ability to build relationships with the full range of actors including government, chiefs, military, police and non-state actors.
• Genuine commitment and interest in living and working at the community level.
• Flexibility and adaptability.

Management:

• Ability to structure and direct work plans of national and international staff, managing conflict and maximizing human resources.
• Manage a busy schedule, prioritizing cases of greatest urgency.
• Ability to address staff welfare issues maturely and discreetly.

Languages:

• Ability to interact confidently in English with colleagues and external contacts, including in writing, and to present relevant information coherently and effectively.
• Fluency in spoken and written Ukrainian and/or Russian is a plus.

Information Technology:

• Good skills in Microsoft Office applications. Knowledge of Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack is a plus.

Other Specialized Requirements

• Ukraine is a complex security environment, and the evolution of the war is completely unpredictable – experience in insecure environments is essential to success in this position.
• This posting can be physically demanding that may require travelling long distances and living in challenging conditions.
• A strong motivation to do what’s necessary in a complex logistics environment is required.

Working Conditions

• This field position may include challenging living conditions, limited access to amenities, and potentially unstable security situations.
• The successful candidate will have to be prepared to work irregular hours from time to time, as needed.
• You must be prepared to live in basic or non-traditional accommodation, which may include shared housing, camps, or field-based settings
• Demonstrated ability to adhere to strict security protocols and maintain high level of security awareness.