Overview
The Safeguarding Officer is responsible for integrating, implementing, and monitoring Safeguarding and Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) standards across all IRC projects in North Kivu and Ituri.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensure implementation and monitoring of Safeguarding and PSEA standards in all IRC projects in North Kivu and Ituri;
- Identify safeguarding risks related to program activities and support teams in implementing appropriate prevention and mitigation measures;
- Support the establishment, promotion, and monitoring of feedback, complaint, and reporting mechanisms to ensure accessibility, confidentiality, security, and effectiveness;
- Organize and facilitate community awareness and consultation activities with women, men, children, adolescents, and other vulnerable groups to promote safeguarding, gather community feedback, and strengthen accountability to affected populations;
- Train, sensitize, and support staff, volunteers, partners, and service providers on IRC Safeguarding policies and reporting procedures;
- Support Safeguarding Leaders (Safeguarding focal points) in carrying out their responsibilities and contribute to the implementation of the institutional initiative "Safeguarding Monday" to promote a culture of safeguarding and accountability;
- Accompany implementing partners in applying Safeguarding and PSEA requirements through awareness-raising activities, proximity coaching, and monitoring of improvement actions;
- Conduct regular field monitoring missions with IRC teams and partners to verify compliance with safeguarding standards and follow up on recommendations and corrective actions;
- Ensure that activities involving children are carried out in accordance with IRC Child Safeguarding and safe child participation principles;
- Immediately refer any safeguarding concern or incident in accordance with IRC institutional procedures and participate in monitoring risk management actions.
- Ensure operational coordination with program teams, partners, and relevant coordination structures to strengthen the coherence of Safeguarding and PSEA actions;
- Contribute to data collection, activity documentation, action plan monitoring, and reporting on Safeguarding and PSEA activities.
Required Experience
- Minimum 3 to 5 years of relevant professional experience in Safeguarding, PSEA, child protection, or community protection;
- Experience in identifying, assessing, and mitigating safeguarding risks;
- Experience in integrating Safeguarding and PSEA into humanitarian interventions, including in emergency contexts;
- Experience in capacity building, training, and supporting teams and partners on safeguarding topics;
- Experience in coordination with partners, consortia, and humanitarian mechanisms (clusters, PSEA networks, NGOs, local authorities);
- Experience in establishing and monitoring community feedback and accountability mechanisms;
- Experience working in the field in complex or unstable contexts, particularly in Eastern DRC or similar contexts.
Qualifications
University degree (Bac+3 minimum) in law, social sciences, psychology, international development, international relations, child protection, gender, or related field.
