We are a non-Âgovernmental organisation which focuses on women and young people, SWODEN will design and provide innovative and quality health, educational, economic development and social protection services to its target groups in collaboration with other organisations to improve their quality of lives. Our focus are on women, girls & children. The groups constitutes a large percentage of our population and mostly neglected in policy formulation and implementations. We design and provide innovative and quality services [i.e. Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS, STI, Malaria and TB, Agriculture, Educational and Economic development) to our target groups in both rural and urban communities of Nigeria, This is in collaboration with the communities and other organizations. Our head office is situated in Kano and branches in Jigawa, Katsina, Nasarawa states and Federal capital territory of the northern Nigeria and working in collaboration with NGOs in Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, and Yobe states to implement programmes. We provide community based services in the fourty-four (44) Local Government Areas of Kano, four (9) LGAs in Jigawa and three (9) LGAs in Katsina, states respectively. These services include among others: Advocacy, capacity building of stakeholders, Awareness creation, qualitative health care services, supply of basic equipment and drugs to health facilities, income generation skills transfer training, provision of micro credit loan to women and youth people to establish of improve businesses, support to public and community schools, support for PLWHAs, Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). We work with different groups to create awareness on identified needs, support communities to address issues using locally available human and material resources for ownership and sustainability SWODEN in collaboration with other organization such as Packard Foundation, CEDPA and The National Agency for the Control of AIDS/WordBank, USAIDÂÂMARKETS, DFID, FHI/GHAIN/HAS, FHI360, Mercy coorps, J4A, NSRP, ARFH and Jigawa /Katsina/Nasarawa States and FCT Agencies for the control of AIDS to provide services at the community level using different strategies through grants We have touched lives of numerous number of people in over 10 states we are currently working in. This is in accordance with our Strategic Plan [2013-2016) SWODEN is one of the organizations that received focused and intensive organizational effectiveness services from MSA through Organizational Effectiveness grant from Packard Foundation in 2009. MSA supported SWODEN to design and facilitate a participatory strategic review and planning process that produced the second strategic plan of the organization. This plan articulated a number of programmatic and institutional options for growth and development of the organization. Presently, our staff strength is 47 (full Âtime and part Âtime) and over Seven hundred and eighty five (785) trained/volunteers.
- Experience 3 – 5 years
- Location Kaduna , Kano
Purpose of the Position
- The Safeguarding Officer will provide technical leadership and oversight on safeguarding, child protection,
- prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and ethical community engagement throughout the project lifecycle.
- The officer will ensure that all project staff, volunteers, consultants, partners, and stakeholders comply with safeguarding policies and standards while promoting safe and inclusive programming across all intervention communities.
- This document is the copyright property of SWODEN Nigeria. Sharing or unauthorized usage by any party without prior approval will be deemed illegal.
Key Responsibilities
The Safeguarding Officer shall:
- Lead the implementation of safeguarding and child protection strategies across project locations.
- Ensure compliance with organizational safeguarding policies, donor safeguarding standards, and national protection guidelines.
- Conduct safeguarding risk assessments for project activities and recommend mitigation measures.
- Develop and implement safeguarding action plans and reporting mechanisms.
- Train project staff, volunteers, media facilitators, community mobilizers, and stakeholders on:
- Safeguarding principles
- Child protection
- PSEA
- Gender sensitivity
- Confidential reporting procedures
- Establish confidential complaint and response mechanisms within project communities.
- Receive, document, and manage safeguarding concerns in line with approved protocols.
- Coordinate survivor-centered referrals for health, psychosocial, legal, and protection services where necessary.
- Support safeguarding integration into:
- Community dialogues
- Radio listening groups
- Media production activities
- Social mobilization campaigns
- Work closely with LGA coordinators, community leaders, religious leaders, and health partners to strengthen local safeguarding systems.
- Monitor safeguarding compliance during field activities and partner engagements.
- Maintain accurate safeguarding records and prepare periodic safeguarding reports.
- Support awareness campaigns on child protection, gender-based violence prevention, and safe community participation.
- Ensure inclusive safeguarding approaches for vulnerable groups, including persons living with disabilities and adolescents.
Qualifications and Experience
The ideal candidate should possess:
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Public Health, Sociology, Gender Studies, Law, Development Studies, or related field.
- Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in safeguarding, child protection, GBV prevention, or protection programming.
- Experience working with NGOs, media development organizations, donor-funded projects, or community-based interventions.
- Strong knowledge of:
- Safeguarding standards
- Child protection frameworks
- PSEA protocols
- Gender and inclusion principles
- This document is the copyright property of SWODEN Nigeria. Sharing or unauthorized usage by any party without prior approval will be deemed illegal.
- Experience handling sensitive cases with professionalism and confidentiality.
- Excellent facilitation, communication, and report-writing skills.
- Knowledge of Hausa language and northern Nigeria community dynamics is an added advantage.
- Ability to work effectively in multicultural and community-based settings.
Core Competencies
- Integrity and professionalism
- Confidentiality and survivor-centered approach
- Risk assessment and incident management
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Training and capacity-building skills
- Problem-solving and decision-making ability
- Cultural sensitivity and community engagement skills
- Teamwork and coordination
Deliverables
The Safeguarding Officer will be responsible for delivering:
- Safeguarding implementation plans
- Safeguarding risk assessment reports
- Staff and stakeholder training reports
- Incident and referral documentation
- Monthly safeguarding monitoring reports
- Community safeguarding awareness materials
- Safeguarding compliance updates for project management
Method of Application
Interested and qualified? Go to Society for Women Development & Empowerment of Nigeria – SWODEN on docs.google.com to apply
