TITLE: Safeguarding, Risk & Compliance Officer
TEAM/PROGRAMME: Programme Operations
LOCATION: Lusaka - Zambia
GRADE: 4
CONTRACT LENGTH: 2 years
Safeguarding:
Save the Children does not tolerate any form of exploitation, abuse, or harassment against any person. It is the responsibility of all employees and representatives to protect all people who come in contact with our organization. Save the Children commits to applying the same standards to all its employees and subject them to the same processes regardless of their position, influence, or reputation within or outside of the organization.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Save the Children International’s Diversity Policy, aims to promote equal opportunity in employment and to ban any kind of discrimination based on sex, age, social class, disability, HIV status, religion, race and ethnicity.
ROLE PURPOSE:
The Safeguarding, Risk & Compliance Officer is responsible for strengthening and implementing robust safeguarding and compliance systems across the country programme. This includes ensuring effective child safeguarding standards, policy adherence, risk management, and quality assurance. The role focuses on building capacity among staff and partners, integrating safeguarding into programme design and implementation, and ensuring organizational compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements. The officer will also monitor the operational environment, manage key relationships with authorities and partners, and lead internal reviews and audits to mitigate risks.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Head of Operations
Dimensions:
Number of direct reports: None
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
- Develop, adapt, and implement effective safeguarding systems, including child safeguarding and PSEA policies, ensuring all concerns are reported within required timelines.
- Build the capacity of staff, partners, and stakeholders through training, tool development, and ongoing support on safeguarding and compliance.
- Support programme teams to mainstream safeguarding and compliance into all stages of project design, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
- Conduct regular field monitoring visits for quality assurance and provide technical guidance to focal persons.
- Ensure compliance with internal policies, donor regulations, and national laws, and support, reviews, and risk assessments.
- Manage and update safeguarding and compliance records, including training data, incident reports, and action plans.
- Collaborate with Human Resources, Programme Operations, Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL), and Supply Chain teams to strengthen the control environment and integrate risk management.
- Represent the organization in relevant working groups and maintain relationships with government authorities, NGOs, and partners.
- Support internal investigations related to fraud, whistleblowing, or policy violations as required.
- Take all necessary and appropriate steps to prevent abuse, exploitation, neglect, harm and modern slavery within their areas of responsibility, and in the way they conduct themselves, report and respond to all incidents and concerns whether online or in person, and comply with the Safeguarding Policy and Procedure.
- Take all necessary and appropriate steps to prevent fraud, bribery, and corruption within their areas of responsibility, report and respond to all incidents and concerns and comply with the Counter-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and Procedure. All types of fraud, bribery, and corruption must be prevented, including where it benefits the organisation (SCI).
- Support capacity strengthening of leaders, people managers and staff on practical implementation of safeguarding risk mitigations and responsibilities.
- Deliver safeguarding training to different audiences
- Coordinate the annual Safeguarding and Counter Fraud Assessment process and ensure progress is tracked and in line with Save the Children Risk Assessment Frameworks
- Engage with stakeholders to fully embed safeguarding in the country office and partners within existing global processes.
- Implement Safe Programming practices including safety by design, fully resourced activities and contextualised risk assessments from programme design stage. Practical steps are taken to mitigate those risks and regularly review them throughout the project cycle.
- Stakeholder engagement with community members to identify and mitigate risks.
BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:
- holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
- holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
Ambition:
- sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
- widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
Collaboration:
- builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
- values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
- approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
- develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
- willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
- honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:
Desirable
- University degree in Law, Risk Management, or Professional Qualification such as ACCA/CIMA/ZICA.
- Minimum of five years of experience in safeguarding, compliance, risk management, or a related area, preferably within an NGO or development context.
- Proven experience in capacity building, policy development, and training delivery for diverse audiences.
- Certified Fraud Examiner certificate, or similar
- Safeguarding related certificate
- Strong knowledge of SCI’s child safeguarding, PSEA, and compliance standards.
- Experience in programme integration, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
- Ability to analyze data, manage complex information, and produce high-quality reports.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
- Willingness to travel extensively to field locations.
- Fluency in English, both written and spoken.
Skills
- Strong facilitation and training skills.
- Ability to work under pressure, manage stress, and adapt to changing circumstances.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and data management tools.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are essential for assessing risks and developing effective compliance strategies.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills are necessary for training employees and reporting to senior management team.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, SAFEGUARDING AND HEALTH & SAFETY:
The role holder is required to carry out their duties in accordance with:
- Save the Children’s Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies.
- Our global Commitment to Child Safeguarding, and therefore any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of rigorous background checks.
- Our Anti-Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse policies, demonstrating responsibility for helping to build a safe and supportive workplace.
- SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.
Note: The duties and responsibilities set out above are not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within the reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD ONLY ATTACH A COVER LETTER AND AN UPDATED CV.
The closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday 2nd August 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Save the Children reserves the right to re advertise if suitable applicants are not found.
Save the Children is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer that does not engage in any practices which discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, colour, religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status and we will never ask that you pay for anything as part of the selection process or thereafter
