Safeguarding Officer at Nutrition International

Key Responsibilities

Safe programming and risk management

• Conduct and maintain safeguarding risk assessments across all program activities — including fieldwork, community engagement, research and data collection, partner delivery, travel and events — prioritizing activities involving direct contact with children, caregivers and communities.
• Develop, track and follow up safeguarding risk mitigation actions, maintaining risk registers, action plans and implementation checklists.
• Integrate safeguarding into program design, work plans, budgets, data collection and MEAL frameworks, applying Do No Harm, child safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) standards.
• Ensure safe and meaningful participation of children in program activities, including child participation risk assessments and informed consent processes for children and caregivers.
• Prioritize program activities and sites requiring closer safeguarding risk assessment within the program cycle and recommend risk-driven adjustments to program design or budgets for Country Director/Global Safeguarding Lead sign-off where risk is significant.

Partner capacity and compliance

• Conduct collaborative safeguarding capacity assessments of implementing partners; agree, support and monitor improvement plans to close identified gaps.
• Ensure partners, consultants, vendors, volunteers and visitors understand and meet NI’s safeguarding requirements, including code of conduct acknowledgements and the seven-day partner reporting obligation.
• Work with People & Culture, program, operations, procurement and partnership teams to embed safeguarding expectations into onboarding, partner engagement, vendor management, fieldwork and routine monitoring.
• Incorporate decisions and recommendations on findings and improvement plans from partner safeguarding capacity assessments and routine vendor/consultant onboarding requirements, escalating remediation plans or access suspension Global Safeguarding Lead where non-compliance is material.

Reporting, response and survivor support

• Serve as the primary safeguarding contact point for the program: promote and provide a safe, accessible and confidential channel for staff, partners and community members, ensuring they understand how and when to report concerns.
• Receive, document and refer concerns to the Global Safeguarding Lead within 24 hours, in line with NI’s reporting procedures and confidentiality requirements; escalate urgent concerns without delay.
• Map and maintain up-to-date local referral pathways (medical, psychosocial, legal, protection) and facilitate survivors’ access to support, applying NI’s survivor-centred approach.
• Support case management and investigations including risk assessments and safety planning.
• Decides independently on receiving, documenting, and triaging safeguarding concerns, including initial signposting to referral services; decision-making authority on case management, safety planning, and survivor referral actions

Training, awareness and documentation

• Facilitate safeguarding inductions, awareness sessions, briefings and refresher training for program staff, partners, consultants, vendors, volunteers and visitors, drawing on NI’s trainer network.
• Ensure communities, children and families are aware of NI’s safeguarding commitments, their rights and how to report concerns, using accessible, culturally appropriate formats and local languages.
• Maintain accurate and confidential safeguarding records, training trackers, meeting notes and implementation evidence, in compliance with NI’s data protection requirements.
• Prepare periodic safeguarding updates, training completion summaries, risk follow-up notes and implementation reports for the Global Safeguarding Lead and program management; contribute program-level data to NI’s safeguarding KPIs and semi-annual reporting and share lessons through the Safeguarding Community of Practice.
• Takes lead on scheduling, content, and delivery format of routine safeguarding inductions, briefings, and refresher training, within NI's approved standards and materials.

External Representation and Networking

• Represent NI in relevant government child protection and social welfare coordination structures at state/local level in Nigeria, including Ministry of Women Affairs/Social Welfare departments where program activities intersect with statutory child protection systems.
• Participate in inter-agency safeguarding and PSEAH working groups and coordination forums in Nigeria, sharing lessons learned and staying current on sector-wide referral pathways, standards, and emerging risks.
• Liaise with local child protection and social welfare actors, health, psychosocial, and legal service providers to maintain and strengthen referral pathway relationships on behalf of the program.
• Represent the Child Survival Program's safeguarding commitments and practices to implementing partners, community leaders, and other external stakeholders as needed, in coordination with the Country Director Nigeria.
• Feed insights and good practice from external networking back into NI's Safeguarding Community of Practice, ensuring Nigeria-specific learning informs organizational safeguarding approaches.

Requirements

Education

• Master’s degree in sociology, social work, community development, gender and development studies, law or a related field.

Experience

• At least four (4) years’ relevant experience in safeguarding, PSEAH, child protection, protection, gender-based violence programming or safe programming, preferably within an international NGO operating in Nigeria.

Technical Skills

• Good understanding of safeguarding principles, including Do No Harm, survivor-centred response, confidentiality, non-retaliation, informed consent and safe reporting.
• Demonstrated experience conducting safeguarding or protection risk assessments and building the capacity of staff and local partners; training design and facilitation skills.
• Working knowledge of survivor-centred case handling and safe referral practice; familiarity with the Nigerian child protection and social welfare systems
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, documentation and coordination skills; sound judgement, discretion, cultural sensitivity and demonstrated integrity in handling sensitive and confidential matters;

Language Skills

• Superior communication skills (verbal and written).
• Fluent written and spoken English essential. Knowledge of Hausa and the local language is an added advantage.

Core Competencies

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Knowledge of Hausa or other Nigerian languages an asset.
• Excellent self-awareness and understanding of the need for self-care
• Confidence and assertiveness to challenge more experienced and senior colleagues when necessary
• Analytical and data-informed reporting skills
• Adaptability and cultural agility across diverse stakeholders
• Neutrality and the capacity to build trust within vulnerable communities
• Networking and external coordination skills
• Proactive approach to problem-solving and the ability to implement continuous improvement initiatives

Travel Requirements

Travel to program implementation sites will be required   

This position is open to Nigerian nationals only