Your mission
War Child is looking for a:
Senior Safeguarding Specialist (Africa Country Cluster)
Who strengthens safeguarding systems and drives a culture of safety, accountability, and protection.
About the role
The Senior 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, 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.
Your profile
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.
Fluency in French is also desireable
Additional languages may be useful…