Project Officer - Safeguarding at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Job Summary:

The Safeguarding Officer will support safeguarding and accountability implementation for the Faith and Community Initiative (FCI) in Nigeria. Working within CRS’ country office structure and in coordination with project, MEAL, partner, and government-facing teams, s/he will help ensure that FCI’s community-based health systems strengthening activities are delivered safely, respectfully, and accountably. The role will support safeguarding awareness, safe reporting channels, feedback and complaint tracking, documentation of safeguarding-related concerns, and timely referral or follow-up in line with CRS policies and procedures. In the context of FCI’s hub-and-spoke health service delivery model, faith and community-based partnerships, and work with community and frontline health worker networks, the Safeguarding Officer will help strengthen community trust, protect children and vulnerable adults, and promote learning that improves program quality and local ownership.

Roles and Key Responsibilities: 

Safeguarding Prevention, Reporting and Response Support

• Support implementation of CRS safeguarding policies, standards, and procedures across FCI-supported hub-and-spoke health service delivery activities, partner sites, and community platforms.
• Receive, document, and refer safeguarding-related concerns from FCI program participants, community members, CHWs/frontline health workers, staff, and partners in line with approved reporting, confidentiality, and escalation protocols.
• Maintain safeguarding records, trackers, and follow-up documentation for assigned FCI activities as directed by the supervisor.
• Prepare concise safeguarding updates and reports that support FCI implementation, risk monitoring, and management review.

Feedback, Accountability and Community Reporting Mechanisms

• Support safe, confidential, inclusive, and accessible feedback and reporting channels for FCI program participants, communities, CHWs/frontline health workers, faith-based and community-based partners, staff, and volunteers.
• Work with project teams and partner focal points to ensure communities understand how to raise safeguarding concerns, complaints, and general feedback within FCI-supported service delivery platforms.
• Maintain FCI feedback and complaint logs, ensuring safeguarding-related entries are referred promptly, handled confidentially, and tracked for follow-up.
• Support periodic review of feedback trends to inform program improvement, risk mitigation, and transition-ready community health systems.

Training, Awareness and Capacity Strengthening

• Support safeguarding and accountability awareness sessions for CRS staff, FCI consortium and implementing partners, volunteers, CHWs/frontline health workers, and program participants.
• Assist in adapting simple training, refresher, and information materials on safeguarding, safe reporting, confidentiality, and accountability standards for use across FCI community and facility-linked platforms.
• Maintain records of training, awareness, and community sensitization activities and submit periodic summaries to the supervisor.

Compliance and Relationships

• Work closely with Program, MEAL, HR, Risk and Compliance, consortium, faith-based, community-based, and government-facing teams to promote safe programming and accountability within FCI implementation.
• Support periodic reviews of safeguarding and accountability practices across FCI project locations and recommend practical improvements that support integration into national and sub-national systems.
• Contribute to periodic reports summarizing safeguarding/accountability trends, response status, and lessons learned to support adaptive management and sustainable country-led ownership.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (SKAs)

• Working knowledge of safeguarding, accountability, feedback mechanisms, and community engagement in humanitarian or development programming.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion, confidentiality, and respect for survivor-centered principles.
• Strong interpersonal, listening, and communication skills, with the ability to engage respectfully with diverse stakeholders.
• Good documentation, data management, and basic report writing skills.
• Proactive, organized, service-oriented, and able to work effectively in a team environment.

Required Languages: Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Hausa, Pidgin, or other relevant local languages will be an added advantage.

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 25% to project locations and partner sites, as required.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, psychology, law, counseling or similar. 
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant work experience in safeguarding, accountability, protection, MEAL, community engagement, complaints handling, or related program support. Experience with an NGO or humanitarian/development organization is preferred.