Safeguarding Officer (Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH)) (P)

Job Description

Introduction

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to ensuring a workplace where all employees can thrive professionally, while working towards harnessing the full potential of migration. Read more about IOM's workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration.

For the purpose of this vacancy, the following are considered first-tier candidates:

1. Internal candidates
2. Candidates from the following non-represented member states:
   Bahamas, Barbados, Comoros, Congo (the), Cook Islands, Dominica, Federated States of Micronesia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Holy See, Iceland, Israel, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Nauru, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Second tier candidates include:
All external candidates, except candidates from non-represented member states of IOM.

Organizational Context and Scope

Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEA & SH) by aid workers is a violation of human rights and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is committed to combat any kind of SEA&SH by its staff related personnel and partners.

IOM’s zero tolerance policy not only applies to IOM staff but also extends to IOM third party contracted staff, suppliers, service providers and implementing partners. With over 16,000 staff and over 6,000 related personnel, operating in 450 Offices, and 165 countries throughout the world, the impact of SEA&SH on victims and within IOM’s operating environments, and the reputational risk it poses for the Organization needs to be addressed and remains a key priority.
The Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment (PSEAH), including the prevention of and response to SEA & SH, continues to gain momentum not only within the United Nations (UN) and Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) common systems but also amongst governments, institutional partners, media and the general public. 

Over the past decade, IOM has increasingly been seen as a strong player supporting the prevention and response to SEA & SH within the UN, IASC, and amongst the humanitarian community. While significant progress has been made to prevent and respond to SEA&SH within the Organization such as through the development of innovative PSEAH trainings, the development of a misconduct platform to report SEA & SH, and extensive interagency collaboration on PSEAH, more needs to be done within country and at the programmatic level and the Safeguarding Officer will support these efforts. 

In 2021, IOM developed its strategic approach toward the prevention of and response to SEA and sexual harassment focusing on five priority areas: 1) Leadership and Organizational Culture; 2) Institutional Accountability and Transparency; 3) Capacity-Development, Training, and Communication; 4) Quality and Accessible Victim Assistance; 5) Partnership and Coordination. 

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission (CoM), close coordination with the Gender Specialist, and technical support from the PSEAH Unit and other experts, the Safeguarding Officer (PSEAH) will be responsible for supporting the implementation and coordination of IOM’s prevention of and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (PSEAH) activities in country. As the technical PSEAH focal point in-country, the incumbent will support the implementation of PSEAH activities within IOM and actively participate as a member of the inter-agency PSEAH Network. While the incumbent will support the PSEAH agenda within country and will contribute technical inputs to PSEAH within programming, the accountability for PSEAH remains with the CoM.

Responsibilities

PSEAH COORDINATION:
1.    Support the development and implementation of an operational PSEAH Work Plan, in line with IOM’s PSEAH Strategy, the IASC’s PSEAH Minimum Operating Standards (MOS), and the UNCT country level framework and work plan, in coordination with relevant colleagues, through strategic workshops with IOM Heads of Units and other senior management at the country and programmatic levels; ensure the resulting work plan is detailed and operational with clear actions, roles and responsibilities to deliver on the actions, timeframes, technical and resource requirements, and internal reporting requirements;
2.    Support the inclusion of PSEAH within IOM Country Office (CO) Strategy, programming, risk mitigation and management, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and budgeting; contribute to the development of PSEAH programming and liaise with relevant donors as required;
3.    Actively contribute to the in-country interagency PSEAH Network (support in the development of the collective PSEAH workplan, risk management plan, PSEAH Strategies, Standard Operating Procedures for an inter-agency Community-Based Complaint Mechanism, etc), as well as actively participate within IOM internal and other interagency PSEAH communication and coordination initiatives;
4.    In close coordination with the relevant colleagues, ensure that IOM’s PSEAH prevention, mitigation and response mechanisms are in line with IOM’s global PSEAH Strategy;
5.    Support IOM teams, programmes and units to ensure the mitigation of SEA&SH risks are developed, embedded and strengthened within all IOM programming and within Human Resources (HR) practices; and,
6.    At all possible opportunities (during relevant trainings, in staff and programme meetings, through newsletters, in email messages, etc) support the dissemination of key messages on PSEAH, including mandatory reporting requirements within the country office and programming, in coordination with relevant colleagues.

PREVENTION:
7.    Support the undertaking of a country-wide SEA&SH risk assessment to identify locations and programmes with the highest SEA&SH risk; and support the implementation of appropriate mitigation and response strategies within IOM programming and operations; 
8.    Participate in the development of a training plan and support the delivery and organization of PSEAH trainings for IOM staff and related personnel, implementing partners , key institutional stakeholders; support the work of identified PSEAH focal points within country to deliver key messaging and trainings as appropriate; 
9.    On a yearly basis, support the compilation and reporting of data on the number of staff, non-staff trained, contractors, implementing partners, and service providers trained in the mission on PSEAH, in an effort to track compliance and facilitate the management of training delivery and refresher courses, in coordination with HR. Support the registration of all participants (staff and non-staff) within the IOM system and the delivery of certificates; 
10.    Support the development and implementation of communication and awareness-raising strategies and tools to ensure appropriate PSEAH messaging and knowledge on prohibited behaviours as well as how to report allegations of misconduct, including SEA within communities and amongst beneficiaries; ensure localization of PSEA&SH messaging; and,
11.    Map existing community engagement projects in the CO and work with project leads to insert PSEAH messages and/or gather community input where appropriate.

RESPONSE:
12.    Participate and support the development of PSEAH proposals and ensure the mainstreaming of PSEAH within IOM programming; coordinate closely with institutional partners, governments, donors, and communities on PSEAH needs and responses; 
13.    Support the development and reporting on PSEAH communication products to highlight IOM’s work within programming; 
14.    Support the development and mapping of country-specific interagency victim assistance pathways and/or existing IOM programmes to refer victims for assistance and other support services;
15.    Support the coordination of referrals for victim assistance with gender, gender-based violence and/or protection colleagues and support the strengthening of victim services within country and/or programming; 
16.    Undertake duty travel as required; and,
17.    Perform any other duties as may be assigned. 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Master’s degree in Law, International Relations, Psychology, Social Sciences, Development Studies and Planning or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of relevant professional experience; or,
• Bachelor’s degree in the above fields with four years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Professional experience in the fields of protection against sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment, protection, child protection, gender-based violence, accountability to affected populations (AAP), gender mainstreaming and/or humanitarian affairs;
• Strong coordination experience within the UN system and amongst interagency partners, including governments, NGOs, and communities; 
• Experience in developing and facilitating PSEAH trainings, in particular capacity-building, and communication materials to promote behavior change; 
• Familiarity with SEA&SH case management processes;
• Experience undertaking PSEAH risk assessments, in coordination with communities, partners, and UN and other key stakeholders; and,
• Experience in policy and proposal development and the creation of standard operating procedures and tools.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to work across a wide variety of sectors/teams on cross-cutting themes; 
• Good written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external partners; 
• Ability to organize work, work independently and prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks, maintain attention to detail, and coordination with a variety of stakeholders;
• Knowledge and understanding of IOM’s institutional approach on PSEAH and related strategies, policies, rules and regulations; 
• Knowledge of the UN system and architecture;
• Good understanding of mainstreaming best practices and partnership models to ensure coordination of the same across a diversified range of actors; and,
• Ability to work with and maintain strict confidentiality, when necessary.

Languages

IOM's official languages are English, French, and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Required Competencies

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators- Level 2

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators - Level 2

• Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the Organization’s vision. Assists others to realize and develop their leadership and professional potential.
• Empowering others: Creates an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Building Trust: Promotes shared values and creates an atmosphere of trust and honesty.
• Strategic thinking and vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.
• Humility: Leads with humility and shows openness to acknowledging own shortcomings.

Notes

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile. Please refer to this link for guidance on IOM Job Category.

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, security clearances.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.

IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities.

IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.

IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM e-Recruitment system (for internal candidates link here). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For further information and other job postings, you are welcome to visit our website: IOM Careers and Job Vacancies

Required Skills

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