By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Read our privacy policy

Director of Safeguarding

New York City

  • Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
  • Location: New York City
  • Grade: Senior level - Senior
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Human Resources
    • Gender-based violence
    • Managerial positions
  • Closing Date: Closed

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is among the world’s leading humanitarian relief and development organizations. For 80 years, the IRC has been at the forefront of every major humanitarian initiative to assist people uprooted by war, persecution, or civil conflict. IRC staff go to the toughest places, implement both immediate response and long lasting programs, and conduct the type of applied research and advocacy the aid community needs to continually push itself to find better solutions for people. In all its country programs and in the US, IRC partners with local governments and others to achieve outcomes related to people’s health, education, safety, power and economic well-being. The IRC currently works in 40 countries at 198 locations with 11,000 employees. In 2016, more than 26 million people benefited from IRC programs and those of its partner organizations.

Scope:

The Program Director is responsible for the IRC’s coordinated global program to protect beneficiaries from exploitation and abuse, and to protect IRC staff from sexual harassment. This includes: (1) prevention through the development of appropriate policies/procedures, trainings and communications; (2) implementation of prevention programs and initiatives at all levels of the organization, working with country and regional staff, USP offices, Human Resources, and  technical advisors and experts; (3)  the continued development of beneficiary and staff reporting mechanisms; (4) working with the ECU investigation team to continue to build internal investigation capacity for allegations of exploitation and abuse and workplace sexual harassment; and (5) ensuring that lessons learned and remediation following assessments, reviews and investigations are incorporated into enhancing program effectiveness.

Working globally across all IRC locations, HQ, International Programs and US Programs, IRC partners, and other agencies, the Director shall foster a work environment that minimizes the potential for abuse and exploitation of beneficiaries as well as sexual harassment of IRC staff.  As a leader in the field, the Director will be the IRC’s representative at interagency activities related to Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse and Workplace Sexual Harassment and work with appropriate internal partners to incorporate best practices into IRC’s program.

The Ethics and Compliance Unit (ECU) ensures that the IRC integrates a culture of Ethics and Compliance into its business globally and at all levels of the organization, in accordance with the IRC Way, our Values, and the law; and maintains effective policies, procedures, controls, processes, and systems to prevent, detect, and investigate potential violations of internal policies, law or regulation or material failures. The Unit addresses the IRC’s activities, and those of related third parties that may be viewed as acting on the IRC’s behalf such as partners, sub-grantees, subcontractors, suppliers, incentive workers, and others. The ECU is responsible for the IRC’s Enterprise Risk Management, Anti-Fraud Program, IRC Code of Conduct (IRC Way), Safeguarding, and Internal investigations.

Reporting to the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, with location to be determined (New York, Nairobi, Amman), The Director will work closely with: International and US Program teams, Human Resources, General Counsel’s office, Gender Equality Unit, Violence Prevention and Abuse Unit, and other IRC functional units.

 Major Responsibilities:

  1. Coordinate across US and International operational and functional teams, Human Resources, and Gender Equality Unit, Violence Prevention and Abuse Unit, and other key partners, to develop and implement an enhanced and comprehensive Safeguarding Program for the IRC, including training and awareness campaigns.
  2. Conduct country reviews, assessments, and focus groups to identify key risk areas, including cultural and safety considerations and work with Country and Regional Directors and US Programs to identify country specific issues and methods to manage and mitigate risks.
  3. Ensure that IRC has appropriate beneficiary reporting mechanisms and coordinate with ECU Investigation Team on any recommended enhancements to the staff reporting system.
  4. Provide training and advice to IRC investigators, including ECU and HR, and other staff conducting investigations into alleged sexual abuse and exploitation of beneficiaries and sexual harassment, to develop capacity within the IRC to most effectively review and address such alleged misconduct. Liaise with ECU investigators to incorporate investigations lessons learned into program enhancements, as appropriate.
  5. Conduct benchmarking with similar NGOs, and participate in industry roundtables on Safeguarding issues to ensure that IRC’s program incorporates current and best practices for the protection of vulnerable adults and children, and on sexual harassment.

Key Reporting Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, ECU

Position directly supervises:  None

Indirect Reporting: Chief Human Resources Officer

Job Qualifications:

Education: College degree required in relevant field. Masters in Social Work (MSW) or related field preferred.

Work Experience: A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with international non-profit(s) in humanitarian and development settings, and program management skills preferred.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

  • Experience with beneficiary protection from abuse and exploitation and sexual harassment in development and humanitarian contexts in conflict/refugee settings, and knowledge of international protection frameworks and mechanisms
  • Experience working with vulnerable children and adults
  • Experience working in multi-cultural environments, often in very challenging circumstances
  • Capacity building and change management skill set
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with competency in the development and delivery of training
  • Investigations experience with Sexual Abuse and Exploitation as well as workplace sexual harassment, is an asset.  

Language Skills:  Excellent spoken and written English essential. Proficiency in one other IRC relevant language (French, and Arabic) strongly preferred. 

Working Environment: Travel up to 30% of time. Location to be determined (New York, Nairobi, and Amman). 

This vacancy is now closed.
However, we have found similar vacancies for you: