Safeguarding Specialist

Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:

Safeguarding Specialist

Department:

Executive Director’s Office

Grade:

5B

Location:

Cross site – Based in Rwinkwavu, with frequent travels to Kigali , Kirehe and Burera Sites

Reports to:

Executive Director

Positions reporting to:

N/A

Main Responsibilities

1

Job Purpose

The Safeguarding Specialist is a strategic senior leadership position within IMB, harnessing safeguarding as a shared organizational responsibility. The role works alongside other senior leaders to ensure prevention, risk mitigation, safe reporting, and accountability are embedded across every function of IMB. The Safeguarding Specialist leads policy implementation and strengthens trust in safeguarding systems. The role requires an experience protection leader to guide institutional culture, mobilize safeguarding ownership across all IMB programs and operations, and champion a workplace where safety, dignity and integrity are embraced by all, recognizing that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

2

Specific Responsibilities

The position will primarily work to create and promote a safe working environment that promotes zero tolerance to any form of harm within the organization and ensuring that safeguarding extends to patients and program participants, strengthening community feedback and accountability, safety and dignity across IMB operations. The Safeguarding Specialist reports to the Executive Director, with a dotted line to the Regional Safeguarding Advisor to support the following key deliverables:

• Lead Organization-Wide Policy implementation

  Provide institutional leadership to drive implementation of safeguarding and PSEAH policies across IMB, ensuring senior leadership consistently models and sustains zero tolerance for exploitation, abuse and harassment, and that safeguarding principles are translated into everyday practice.

  • Strengthen HR Systems for Safe recruitment and harnessing organizational culture

    Work as a strategic advisor to Human Resources to ensure recruitment, selection, performance management, staff welfare, and housing policies uphold safeguarding, workplace respect, non-retaliation, and ethical conduct, aligning organizational systems to duty-of-care standards.

    • Govern and Oversee Safeguarding Risk Management Across Departments

      Lead Risk Register Governance in partnership with all senior leaders across programs and departments to ensure safeguarding and PSEAH risks are identified, documented, reviewed and mitigated through formal risk registers and risk-mitigation plans owned at Departmental level.

      • Ensure that IMB has trusted, safe and Evidence-Led Reporting and Redress Mechanisms

        Strengthen IMB reporting frameworks to ensure complaints and concerns are received through secure, confidential channels, investigated and followed up with procedural fairness, timely action, and accountability for all staff and stakeholders.

        • Safeguard Patients and Program Participants

          Extend organizational safeguarding systems to protect patients, caregivers and program participants across IMB program areas in Burera, Kirehe and Rwinkwavu sites, while leading community feedback and accountability systems that harness community voices to inform prevention, learning, and redress.

          • Embed safeguarding in program designs, systems and culture

            Work with Directors across Programs, HR, IT, Communications and Operations to embed safeguarding into program design, monitoring and learning, budgets, grants, and institutional governance, ensuring safeguarding is operationalized as a shared responsibility with and measurable accountability.

            • Build a Network of Departmental Safeguarding Champions and focal points

              Oversee the appointment, training and strategic enablement of safeguarding focal points in all departments, equipping them to act as safeguarding culture champions, reinforce policy compliance within their functions, and form a strong internal ecosystem of peer leadership on prevention and reporting.

              • Implement survivor-centered Case Management including strengthening reporting channels and mapping referral networks

                Support PIH/IMB to design and rolling out safe, accessible, and survivor-centered mechanisms that enable effective reporting and response and provide appropriate survivor support and survivor case management.

                • Capacity and Awareness

                  Lead and oversee safeguarding and PSEAH capacity building for all staff and Associates Role provides strategic guidance for development and delivery of trainings, onboarding orientations, and associates' awareness including vendors and visitors. This role partners with Communications, training department and safeguarding focal points to develop, awareness and safe reporting information, including awareness for community-based feedback and reporting ownership across IMB operational areas including in Burera District and Butaro.

                  • Community Reporting, Feedback and Accountability Stewardship

                    The safeguarding Director enables local community focal networks, feedback loops and escalation of concerns to inform prevention, learning and response, partnering with MOH, UGHE and other key leadership to strengthen community ownership and sustain trust in the program areas of Rwinkwavu, Kirehe , Burera and national level.

                    • Perform any other duties as assigned from time to time

                      Required Qualifications & Competencies

                      We are looking for a dynamic, visionary and ethically grounded safeguarding leader. The ideal candidate brings at least 6 years of senior experience leading refined safeguarding and PSEAH systems within the INGO or NGO development sector exposure. You must demonstrate strategic leadership working with senior management. Strong experience in leading SEAH investigations, applying confidentiality and due process, assuring evidence-led decision-making, and guiding institutional learning.

                      Qualifications:

                      • A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Social Sciences, Law, Gender & Development, Sociology, Community Psychology or related fields is required,
                      • Proven technical expertise and senior stewardship in safeguarding system design, organizational risk mitigation, HR alignment, community accountability and partner standards.
                      • Experience in conducting SEAH/safeguarding investigations. Additional investigation qualifications aligned to sector standards from reputable bodies such as CHS Alliance or comparable accredited training are highly desirable.

                        Technical Competencies

                        • Strong communication and active listening skills, strong facilitation and presentation skills with demonstrated proficiency in both written and spoken English and Kinyarwanda
                        • Computer literacy including Microsoft Office Suite
                        • Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders and influence using a variety of different styles, taking into account cultural differences

                          Behavioral Competencies

                          • Demonstrable interest and commitment in working to prevent SEAH and in working with survivors of safeguarding incidents
                          • Empathy for the challenges survivors face in reporting and the pressures an investigation places on all stakeholders, including the alleged perpetrator and management.
                          • Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of highly sensitive information.
                          • Ability to demonstrate integrity throughout the decision-making process.
                          • Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships and to work in an inclusive and collaborative manner with internal and external stakeholders.
                          • Exemplary interpersonal relationship skills; ability to collaborate with staff of diverse backgrounds and cultures
                          • Strong interest for social justice
                          • Ability to demonstrate sound judgement based on evidence, knowledge and understanding
                          • Willingness to live in a rural area and travel within and to IMB-supported sites regularly

                            Our values in practice:

                            • Ubumuntu - Compassion,
                            • Ubupfura - Integrity,
                            • Ubunyangamugayo - Honesty,
                            • Ubwubahane - Mutual respect,
                            • Ubumwe - Solidarity,
                            • Agaciro - Dignity,
                            • Kugira ishyaka - Determination.
                              • Gender Equality, diversity and inclusion statement:

                                It is the policy of PIH not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex and gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression.

                                • Commitment to safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment:

                                  At Partners in Health, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including our patients, the families and community members – as well as our staff are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Partner in Health’s PSEAH policy. Partner in Health will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.

                                  By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment commitments and procedures.