Duty Station:  Palebek and Kiryandongo, Uganda

Reports to: Project Manager

About US:

Finn Church Aid (FCA) is Finland’s largest international aid organization with operations in 12 countries and more than 70 years of experience in humanitarian and long-term development work. FCA specialises in supporting local communities in three priority areas: Right to Quality Education, Right to Livelihood, and Right to Peace. We work with the most vulnerable people, regardless of their religious beliefs, ethnic background or political convictions. Our vision is a world of just and resilient societies. With anticipated funding from the European Union/ECHO. FCA Uganda is now looking for competent persons to fill the following positions for the; TOGETHER consortium’s Education in Emergencies (EiE) project.

Job Summary: The Child Safeguarding Officer will combine elements of monitoring and capacity building of staff, teachers, and partners, whilst enforcing compliance accountability, and investigation as well as aspects of advocacy across the consortium. She/he will play an integral role in in ensuring child safeguarding during project implementation. The holder will serve as the safeguarding lead for the project and lead the establishment of strong safeguarding procedures and risk assessment in all project activities following FCA and national safeguarding strategies.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Implement all child protection and child safeguarding-related activities in specified projects.
• Ensure all staff members – as well as other representatives – are familiar with our CS Policy and Code of Conduct and informed and empowered on how to report.
• Support Programme managers in reviewing concept notes and ensuring that all planned activities are, implemented and monitored through a Safeguarding lens.
• Ensure that the tools and knowledge are made available to project staff, teachers, and volunteers and that they know how to access support and guidance.
• Support project staff, teachers and volunteers, partners to identify potential risks to children in all project activities including workshops and events, plan mitigating measures, and assign staff to be responsible for the implementation.
• Ensure that concerns are followed up safely, effectively, and efficiently and to the required standards.
• Assess partners, and sub-contractors Safeguarding capacities and compatibility to FCA safeguarding policy and standards, advice on capacity building activities, and help build capacity of partners and other external actors as agreed to.
• Develop a database on core training on Child Safeguarding and get relevant updates from HR on who is trained on child safeguarding.
• Develop IEC material on Safeguarding Policy, associated policy guidelines, and local procedures within response locations, such as leaflets and posters, including child-friendly material. Ensure materials are adequately disseminated and used within the organization.
• Ensure all incidents are reported following Safeguarding timelines.
• Ensure all mandatory reports are submitted on a timely basis.
• Ensure all safeguarding concerns, allegations, and incidents are reported, and recorded within 24 hours and with support from the safeguarding lead and HR Investigate some concerns.
• In collaboration with the monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning team, adapt and implement Complaint/Feedback Response Mechanisms (CFRM) involving beneficiaries and children.
• Address all child safeguarding concerns and take necessary mitigation measures in line with the local procedures and in coordination with the country safeguarding lead.
• Support the implementation of developed procedures and relevant guidance/tools documents on safeguarding for reporting, investigation, and case management.
• Support the child protection assistant and focal CP teachers in identification, responding, reporting, and prevention of CP issues in schools and strengthen school referrals.
• Attend internal and external child protection working group meetings

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities, Child protection, Law
• Five years of working experience in Child Protection or training in an INGO.
• Experience in child protection/ safeguarding practice in a humanitarian setting
• Demonstrable commitment to Children’s Rights
• Leadership experience within an INGO or similar organization working with vulnerable communities and children.
• Experience of planning and undertaking training programs/workshops in child protection/safeguarding at a range of levels (e.g. field workers, managers, senior managers and decision-makers
• Knowledge of Child protection minimum standards

All suitably qualified and interested applications should send a cover letter and a CV (not more than 4 pages) with at least three referees and a daytime telephone contact, addressed to: The Human Resource and Administration Manager, Finn Church AID, Uganda Country Office. P.O. Box 21826 Kampala, Roche Close – Off Tank Hill Rd, Plot 1495 Muyenga, Uganda. Email applications should be in one file attachment (MS Word or PDF) mentioning the position title in the subject to Ugaco.hr@kua.fi

Please do not attach academic documents when you apply online.

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Finn Church Aid is committed to keeping children safe at all levels of its program operations, so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from all forms of abuses. Employment is subject to our Child protection standards, adherence to Child Safeguarding Policy including background checks”.

NOTE: FCA does not charge any fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process and does not act through recruitment agents.