Safeguarding Coordinator - Kenya

Main Purpose

The Safeguarding Coordinator defines and leads the implementation of a safeguarding strategy aimed at reducing the risk of abuse of individuals in the context in which he/she is deployed. He/she works closely and across the board with all coordination and project teams, reporting directly to the Head of Mission.

Your Responsibilities

1. Context analysis:

• Map key actors at the country level (other MSF sections, NGOs, MoH, community organizations, etc.) to discuss their policies and abuse prevention activities and identify available resources.
• Participate in PSEA coordination meetings.
• Using a participatory approach with staff and communities, conduct an abuse risk assessment (for individuals) to identify risks and measures to reduce them.

2. Develop and implement a prevention strategy:

• Lead Safeguarding Self-Assessments and contextual risk assessments, ensuring a participatory and cross-functional approach that actively engages staff and local communities in identifying strengths, gaps, and priorities for safeguarding improvement.
• Based on this analysis, co-develop with the country management team a plan including risk reduction measures to be included in the project, identifying the necessary resources, the persons responsible, and deadlines.
• Provide ongoing mentorship to the project teams while monitoring the implementation of the safeguarding actions.

3. Raise awareness:

Awareness-raising among MSF and MoH staff:

• Identify gaps in awareness of safeguarding risks and responsibilities.
• Adapt existing awareness training and tools to contexts as needed.
• Raise awareness among managers regarding their safeguarding responsibilities and their role in establishing and maintaining a respectful working and care environment for all staff, patients, communities, and partners.
• Conduct awareness sessions on safeguarding, abuse prevention, and complaint mechanisms for local and international staff.
• In collaboration with the HR department, ensure that safeguarding considerations are integrated into recruitment processes and that behavioral commitments and safeguarding policies are shared, understood, and signed by MSF staff. Ensure that daily workers employed in the context of activities receive essential information on behavioural expectations, prevention of and response to abusive behavior, and access to complaint mechanisms.
• Develop/adapt training for other actors, including MoH staff.
• Identify and train staff to facilitate awareness sessions about safeguarding, the prevention of abusive behavior, and available reporting channels to ensure ongoing awareness among staff.
• Together with the partner organisation or Ministry of Health, identify safeguarding risks and agree on mitigation measures, including awareness-raising measures for partners.

Awareness-raising among patients and community members:

• In collaboration with Health Promotion teams, define and implement a strategy to raise awareness among patients and community members about MSF’s work to prevent abusive behavior and about reporting and complaint mechanisms. This includes developing content for messages to be disseminated.
• Raise awareness and train HP staff on the dissemination of information and on the receipt of complaints and reports, their referral, and support for victims/survivors.

4. Designing Community Feedback Channels for abuse reporting

• In consultation with community members and the medical team, identify existing community feedback channels and design the feedback process to allow for safe reporting of abuse cases by patients and community members.
• In the absence of such channels, co-create them in consultation with the medical team and the community.
• In collaboration with the safeguarding team and the country coordination team, help projects identify and reorganize complaint reporting channels for staff.
• Train and support staff involved in receiving reports or complaints, including on the first response to the complainant, the initial triage of the complaints, onward referral for complaint management, the principle of survivor-centeredness, and available support and referral pathways for survivors.
• Support monitoring of the community feedback channels and support projects to adjust as needed.

5. Monitoring and Supervision

• Organize data collection related to prevention activities, abuse complaints received, community perception of safety and behaviour trends within the country program.
• Analyze the data to assess the effectiveness of prevention activities and the integrity structure in place.
• Engage with senior country program management and the safeguarding team to review trend analysis and adapt the prevention strategy and activities as necessary.
• Provide regular updates to the reporting line on the status of activities.
• Collaborate with counterparts from the other Operational Centres to align efforts and mutualize resources wherever possible.
• Supervise and coordinate the activities of staff actively involved in awareness raising and abuse prevention.
• Write an end-of-assignment report identifying the work carried out, the difficulties encountered, and the key recommendations to the coordination team and the safeguarding team to prevent similar risks on other assignments.
• The report will include any documents developed during the Safeguarding Coordinator's work on the assignment.

Context specific accountabilities

As this will be the first safeguarding coordinator for OCG Kenya mission, a flexible approach will be needed with potential adjustment of priorities and accountabilites. Below some priority expectations:

• Conduct a comprehensive safeguarding context analysis and risk assessment for the mission, prioritizing Dagahaley while also considering Mombasa.
• Develop and implement a context-adapted prevention strategy in collaboration with the coordination management team.
• Assess safeguarding activities, review priorities, and propose an appropriate safeguarding team structure at mission level.

Your Profile

• 5 years of experience in the field of safeguarding in an international organization (is a must).
• Proven safeguarding experiences with INGOs.
• Solid experience in conducting context analysis/risk assessment and developing a safeguarding strategy.
• English language essential (B2 minimum).
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged.
• Swahili or Somali language an asset.

About MSF

We encourage applications from people of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, backgrounds, religions, beliefs, abilities, and all other characteristics of diversity.
MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including Sexual harassment.

All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo references and criminal record checks.