Internals Only: Senior Safeguarding Specialist (Fundraising Members, Country Cluster)

Your mission

The Safeguarding Specialist provides technical expertise to strengthen safeguarding practice across War Child Alliance, ensuring that safeguarding standards, policies, and approaches are consistently understood, applied, and continuously improved. The role supports the organisation to identify and manage safeguarding risks, embed safeguarding into programmes and organisational processes, and strengthen systems, capacity, and culture. Working across teams, functions, and contexts, the Safeguarding Specialist contributes to safe, accountable, and ethical ways of working that protect children, communities, and staff.

What you will do:

This role sits within the Integrity & Safeguarding function and works across country programmes, regional structures, and global teams. It supports coordination between HR, safeguarding, investigations, and operational teams to ensure a consistent and effective approach to integrity, safeguarding, ethical behaviour, and misconduct management.

• Provide technical safeguarding advice and guidance to managers and teams, supporting consistent interpretation and application of safeguarding standards, policies, and frameworks.
• Contribute to the development, refinement, and contextualisation of safeguarding approaches, tools, and frameworks to ensure they remain practical, relevant, and aligned with organisational and sector standards.
• Advise on the identification, assessment, and mitigation of safeguarding risks across activities, programmes, and partnerships, supporting informed and risk‑aware decision‑making.
• Guide the strengthening of safeguarding systems and processes, including reporting mechanisms, community feedback channels, and risk management practices, ensuring consistency and effectiveness.
• Support the integration of safeguarding principles into organisational processes, including programme design, partnerships, recruitment, and operational practices.
• Provide technical input to capacity strengthening efforts, including advising on learning approaches, training content, and capability development for staff, focal points, and partners.
• Contribute to monitoring, analysis, and interpretation of safeguarding data, trends, and risks, providing insight to inform organisational learning, improvement, and decision‑making.
• Work across functions (e.g.HR, programmes, MEAL, safeguarding, integrity) to promote alignment and coherence in safeguarding approaches, policies, and practices.

Role‑Specific or Context Responsibilities

The Safeguarding Lead Fundraising Members+ is responsible for strengthening safeguarding awareness, risk management, and safe practices across Fundraising Member (FM) offices and supporting the a country office in the delivery of its I&S action plan. The role ensures that safeguarding is consistently integrated into fundraising, communications, advocacy, ambassador (or equivalent) engagement, and public‑facing activities. This includes delivering training, supporting Focal Points, ensuring compliance with global standards, and providing oversight and guidance during fundraising events and campaigns. Where FM offices also implement War Child programmes, the role will additionally support safe programming activities, including with partner organisations as relevant.

• The role is also expected to contribute to wider I&S prevention activities as required.
• This role is expected to be mobile across Fundraising Member countries; expected duration can vary depending on needs of the country.

Awareness Raising & Capacity Building

• Work with Fundraising Member countries (UK, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and USA) to conduct safeguarding gap, risk exposure and context analysis reviews and develop action plans with clear deliverables
• Work with Fundraising Member Focal Points to ensure safeguarding materials are visible, accessible, and adapted to local context across all fundraising offices and fundraising-led events.
• Facilitate the Global Integrity & Safeguarding Community of Practice (Fundraising Members), providing FM‑specific insights, learning, and follow‑up actions.
• Coordinate and deliver safeguarding briefings for ambassadors, high‑profile representatives and other groups (e.g. content gathering trips) to ensure that they receive appropriate sessions with in‑country I&S representatives ahead of proposed visits.
• Work closely with the Fundraising Member Communications, Media and Advocacy teams to embed safeguarding, integrity and ethical practices including safeguarding in digital/online communications
• Ensure FM safeguarding practices align with FM Country regulatory expectations and support FM offices during any regulatory reviews and/or audits

Your profile

Knowledge, Skills, Experience

Education

• Relevant qualification or equivalent professional experience in safeguarding, social work, psychology, international development, humanitarian action, human rights, or a related field is desirable.

Experience

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience working on protection, PSEA and/or safeguarding with civil society / I/NGOs
• Experience of delivering safeguarding activities in emergency response situations
• Worked on safeguarding, protection, or related risk areas in a complex organisational or programme environment
• Supported or advised on safeguarding concerns, incidents, or risk management processes
• Contributed to the development or application of safeguarding policies, frameworks, or standards
• Worked across teams, functions, or partners to support consistent approaches to safeguarding practice
• Supported integration of safeguarding into programmes, partnerships, or organisational processes
• Contributed to capacity strengthening, learning, or awareness initiatives related to safeguarding or protection
• Worked with sensitive information and situations requiring discretion, sound judgement, and ethical decision‑making
• Worked in international, humanitarian, development, or values‑led environments

Languages

• Fluency in English is required for this role.
• Additional languages may be useful depending on stakeholder groups and organisational context, for example Arabic, Dari, French, Spanish, or Ukrainian

(Technical) Knowledge

• Knowledge of safeguarding principles, protection standards, and risk management approaches
• Understanding of safeguarding in both organisational and programme contexts, including partnerships and community engagement
• Understanding of relevant international standards (e.g. CHS, PSEA, safeguarding frameworks) and their practical application
• Ability to provide clear, practical, and context‑sensitive technical advice
• Ability to assess and interpret safeguarding risks and support appropriate mitigation measures
• Ability to work across functions and build effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to communicate clearly and support shared understanding on sensitive or complex issues
• Uses judgement to balance policy, context, and organisational values in decision‑making
• Ability to support learning, reflection, and continuous improvement in safeguarding practice
• Supports inclusive, respectful, and values‑led ways of working

What We Offer

• Location : We work with global teams with team members being based in different locations. War Child is currently operates in: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (soon to be registered), and Yemen. We also have offices in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Preference is given to applicants who reside and have valid working permits. War Child does not offer relocation.
• Type of Contract : Local contract with salary and secondary labour conditions based on the in‑country salary scale, local T&C's will apply.
• Internals only may apply.

Why You Should Apply

• Meaningful Impact : Contribute directly to improving the lives of children and families affected by conflict through quality education and long‑term, sustainable change.
• Professional Growth: Join a dynamic organisation that values learning, innovation, and professional development, with opportunities for capacity building and growth through the role and War Child’s global network.
• Global Reach : Play a key role in scaling a ground‑breaking programme across multiple conflict‑affected contexts worldwide.
• Collaborative & Inclusive Culture : Work alongside passionate, mission‑driven colleagues in a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace that prioritises safety, fairness and equal opportunity for all.

About Us

The War Child Alliance is an international non‑governmental organization committed to providing psychosocial support, child protection, youth empowerment programming and quality education to the children affected by armed conflict. We implement evidence‑based interventions to empower key stakeholders—governments, educators, caregivers, and communities—to foster children’s wellbeing, education, and self‑determination. We work with global teams with team members being based in different locations. War Child is currently operates in: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (soon to be registered), and Yemen. We also have offices in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Learn more about War Child and our programmes https://www.warchild.net/

Safeguarding and Integrity. Our work with children and at‑risk adults to keep them safe is the most important thing we do. We are committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in all areas of our work. We have zero tolerance for any behaviours and practices that puts children and/or vulnerable adults at risk of abuse and/or harm. All (prospective) employees will be expected to be compliant with and sign up to our Child Safeguarding policy, our Code of Conduct and PSEA: Adults at Risk Policy. You can find the Child Safeguarding and Adults at Risk policy here: Integrity & Safeguarding - Home

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and Belonging (DEIB). We value diversity and inclusion and are committed to ensuring that all our people and job applicants are treated fairly, irrespective of where, what or whom they were born, or of other characteristics. We want to offer a safe and inclusive workplace where all our people, especially those who are currently marginalised or underrepresented, can be themselves at work.