Safeguarding Coordinator

The Safeguarding Coordinator will be based in Kabul and work in a sensitive context to mitigate risks related to safeguarding and abuse prevention across MSF operations in Afghanistan. The role involves developing and implementing safeguarding strategies, mentoring teams, coordinating training, and ensuring safe working and care environments for staff, patients, and communities.

Responsibilities

• Ensure context and activities analysis to understand the types of abuse or safeguarding issues that have previously occurred in the operations over the past two years, identifying type of situations that have led to the occurrence of abuse/ issues
• Conduct safeguarding risk assessments and necessary discussions with all stakeholders in the operations, including the patients and the community (when possible) to identify potential safeguarding risks
• Develop a safeguarding strategy and plan of action with mitigation measures, responsible persons, timeline and SMART indicators to monitor progress and achievements
• Conduct context analysis, (updating it as necessary) related to barriers, fears and risks surrounding reporting abuse in the mission for patients, community members and staff
• Ensure protection of patients and uphold patient rights through awareness of the Patient Charter, monitoring, and integration of safeguarding within service delivery
• Define with Heads of Programme and Human Resources Coordinator (HRCo) a sustainable adapted strategy for each project to maintain refresher sessions and discussions on behaviour / safeguarding for all mobile and country-based staff at least once a year
• In collaboration with the HR department, ensure that safeguarding considerations are integrated into recruitment processes and that behavioral commitments and safeguarding policies are shared, and understood by all MSF staff and affiliated parties
• Ensure that daily workers employed in the context of activities receive essential information on abusive behavior and access to complaint mechanisms
• Raise awareness of senior mission management about their role in creating and maintaining a safe working environment and safe care environment for all staff, patients, partners, and community members
• Raise awareness about how to welcome a complainant in a sensitive and culturally appropriate manner, adapted to the context, for complaints about abuse, including where to refer complainants
• Design awareness raising activities at field level for all field staff and targeted third parties, including Ministry of Health (MoH) staff, about abuse prevention, detection, and the existing complaint procedures
• Implement the prevention tools developed by the Behaviour / Safeguarding Unit and their adaptation to the local context, which includes training on the Tembo platform, videos, leaflets, posters etc
• Coordinate training to maintain awareness and meet training needs about specific safeguarding and abuse topics, e.g. sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), abuse prevention in an emergency setting, child safeguarding
• Facilitate Training of Trainer (TOT) sessions on abuse prevention for behaviour
• In collaboration with Health Promotion (HP) and community outreach teams, define and implement a strategy to raise awareness among patients and community members about abusive behavior and reporting and complaint mechanisms
• Raise awareness and train HP staff and community outreach team on the collection/referral of alerts via the existing channels, active detection of safeguarding concerns and abuse
• Contribute and support in the design of activities to assess Community members' understanding of the organization's and staff's behavior and the use of reporting mechanisms
• Conduct regular consultations with patients/ caretakers and community members on safeguarding
• Establish adapted complaint reporting system for patients, community members & staff
• Identify appropriate feedback and complaint reporting mechanisms in consultation with community members, patients and in collaboration with the HP Manager/ Community Health Workers
• Implement the complaint mechanisms identified by patient and community members, ensuring the initial rollout through targeted training, monitoring, and support for the staff involved
• Ensure that allegations of abuse are immediately reported to Project Coordinator, Head of Programme and HRCo and escalated to the relevant OC Behaviour / Safeguarding Unit for advice and management
• Ensure confidentiality in the reporting process at all times and all levels
• Ensure regular data collection of safeguarding activities in the country of operations/projects
• Evaluate and monitor this data to establish learning and improvement of prevention activities
• Engage with country and project management teams and the Behaviour / Safeguarding Unit to discuss the trends, analysis, and necessary adaptation of the safeguarding strategy and activities for the country programmes
• Provide a periodic sitrep on safeguarding activities for the country highlighting the achievements, challenges, recommendations and priorities
• Capacity building and mentoring of the Responsible Behaviour Officer / Supervisor and Behaviour/ Safeguarding Focal Points
• Coordinate and provide technical support to the Safeguarding / Behaviour team
• Plan and supervise, in close coordination with the HR department, the associated processes (recruitment, training, performance evaluation, development and internal communication) to improve team capacity and competence
• Conduct regular project visits in a high-risk context characterised by volatile security conditions and aggravated gender discrimination
• Adapt the safeguarding strategy to a large operational context with diverse programme interventions
• Support departments to integrate safeguarding objectives into strategic and operational plans
• Support new programming, proposals, and emergency responses by embedding safeguarding risk assessments, mitigation measures, and inclusive practices
• Participate in conferences, forums, and working groups related to Behaviour and/or Safeguarding
• Liaise with the existing PSEA network in Afghanistan
• Lead intersectional safeguarding discussions in consultation with the Heads of Programme, CR and the HRCo, aiming for progressive alignment through a shared pool of resources
• Provide and receive intersectional safeguarding support, including reviewing safeguarding proposals and promoting alignment through regular safeguarding platform meetings

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant domain (e.g. law, social or organizational sciences, gender, social work, anti-discrimination, whistleblowing, etc.) is mandatory
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in safeguarding/ abuse prevention in an international organization is mandatory
• International humanitarian experience, preferably in the health sector, is mandatory
• Experience in similar contexts is a strong asset (complexity and size)
• MSF experience is a strong asset
• Experience in facilitation, adult pedagogy, and coordination of training and workshops to a wide range of audiences is an asset
• Experience working in fast-paced international environment, working with colleagues from many different backgrounds is an asset
• Proficiency in English, both written and spoken is mandatory
• Good knowledge of Arabic, Dari or Pashtun or other local languages is an asset

Skills

• Safeguarding Coordination
• Abuse Prevention
• International Humanitarian Experience
• Health Sector Knowledge
• Training Facilitation
• Adult Pedagogy
• Workshop Coordination
• Risk Mitigation
• Strategy Development
• Technical Mentoring
• Safe Working Environment
• Care Environment Management
• Multi-cultural Team Collaboration
• English Language Proficiency

Languages

English