Safeguarding Officer

Location: Portland, OR, Washington, DC

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based (United States) is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status Full time, Exempt, Regular 
Salary Level The salary range for this position is $53,000- $57,667 commensurate on experience

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program

Mercy Corps’ global safeguarding team is a key part of the Mercy Corps Ethics and Compliance Department (ECD) and leads our organizational efforts to prevent, detect, deter and respond to safeguarding issues. The team reports to a Senior Director of Safeguarding who reports to the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO). At Mercy Corps, safeguarding is a holistic term encompassing our prevention and response to sexual exploitation and abuse of program participants, sexual harassment in the workplace, trafficking, and child safeguarding. We seek to ensure that all team members, program participants and partners are able to safely exercise their agency, access resources they need, and use and share their power safely in order to cope, adapt and thrive in their environments.The global safeguarding team is bolstered by a global network of focal points and champions working at the country level to mainstream safeguarding and raise awareness about individual rights and responsibilities of our team members, participants, partners, volunteers and others who are a part of the critical work we do.

The Position 
The Safeguarding Officer (SO) will support the Global Safeguarding Prevention-focused team on key work streams to help ensure that safeguarding and ethics are embedded within all aspects of the organization’s work.

**Essential Responsibilities

**

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Lead logistics and management of key safeguarding work streams and projects, including trainings; planning, sequencing and tracking of the above, including creation of systems to do so efficiently
• Support effective teamwork, communication, and collaboration across stakeholder groups and liaise with HQ and global teams to provide information and follow-up on safeguarding projects and initiatives
• Support internal safeguarding product development through reviewing and updating toolkits, guidance documents, trainings and other resources
• Lead logistical support to the Safeguarding team including around travel, conferences, management of external consultants through RFAs, agreements, payment, logistics, and other contractor/consultant needs and communication
• Provide planning and logistical support for team meetings, conferences and training events, including arrangement and preparation of venues, collection and dissemination of necessary documents, logistical support for participants and communication and required follow-up with all parties involved
• Manage suite of safeguarding tools including updates and dissemination
• Support recruitment of new Team Members as required
• Act as liaison between Safeguarding team, the broader ECD and other stakeholder groups within the agency

COMMUNICATION SUPPORT

• Support internal communications around safeguarding, including: newsletters, reports, emails, internal social media, and blog/vlog postings
• In close partnership with the ECD Training and Communications Manager and support communication planning and strategy
• Support and project manage safeguarding related communications processes such as the Annual Safeguarding Report and reports to relevant Board Committees
• Coordinate with the requisite HQ teams to update and/or revise the external website; and Mercy Corps’ intranet with respect to Safeguarding

INTERNAL REPRESENTATION

• Provide general internal representation of safeguarding processes and workstreams
• With support from Safeguarding team, provide safeguarding information and support to new team members globally (ie. HR managers, CDs etc); lead on onboarding around safeguarding systems and processes
• Represent safeguarding in relevant internal processes including development of team member handbooks
• Support the preparation of internal and external reporting on the status of safeguarding prevention and response workstreams
• Partner in the gathering, compiling, and analyzing of data to assess the implementation of the Safeguarding Core Standards, and to assess the impact of awareness raising activities through use of feedback channels such as surveys

EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

• In coordination and consultation with the Senior Director, Safeguarding, participate in sector established communities of practice and other networking engagements, trainings or workshops as a representative of Mercy Corps

Supervisory Responsibility
None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director, Safeguarding
Works Directly With: Global safeguarding team, Ethics & Compliance Department (ECD),  ECD Manager of Training and Communications the People Team, and safeguarding in-country partners such as Safeguarding Managers, Focal Points, Champions and Co-investigators.
 
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
 
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
 
**Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills
**

• BA/S in relevant field is required
• 2+ years professional work experience
• Technical skills, experience and knowledge in PSEAH, safeguarding, protection, GBV or gender highly desirable
• Experience with logistics, planning and project management for major events or trainings
• Excellent administrative and project support skills
• Strong coordination and organisational skills and able to keep on top of multiple workstreams
• Strong writing skills and mature communications skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work cross-functionally
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite)
• Demonstrated sensitivity and ability to maintain confidentiality
• Demonstrated appreciation for a survivor-focused safeguarding approach

**Success Factors
**
The successful candidate is well organized, a collaborator and results driven.  They are able to manage a significant amount of information, navigate and track multiple work streams for the timely completion of work plan deliverables. They are a clear communicator, a good writer and able to develop and utilize strong relationships with team members and across functional units in the organization to achieve project objectives. Flexibility and willingness to engage in a wide range of support activities, including basic administrative tasks when needed.  A sense of humor and strong interpersonal skills in order to work independently and collaboratively across teams and with a myriad of stakeholders.

**Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions

**

The position is preferably based in Portland, Oregon, with possibility of remote work in the US, UK or Netherlands
 
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

**Equal Employment Opportunity
**
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme**.** We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.

Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.
 
This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.
 
For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment.  Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations.  Failure to comply may impact your employment.  Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.