Safeguarding Manager

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.

GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 different countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, together come from 21 different countries speaking 69 different languages. Team members bring experiences from the private sector, NGOs and government. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, former management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.

Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision making, and strive to build an ambitious, fast moving and high performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit.

We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed and grow. We actively seek to recruit individuals from the communities we serve, and are constantly working to foster a workplace that supports diversity, and is truly inclusive in reality, not just intent. We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

The Safeguarding Country Field Manager will own Safeguarding for the Kenya country program. They will not only own the operational execution of safeguarding policies and processes in Kenya, but will advise as the expert of safeguarding within their specific country context. Along with the rest of the Safeguarding team, their role is to ensure eligible recipients and the community they live in are safeguarded, their rights are protected, their choices are respected, and that they have the necessary support mechanisms to fully realize the impact of the transfers they receive from GiveDirectly. 

Reports to: Safeguarding Program Manager

Roles and responsibilities include:

Program Design and Project Work

• Advise and provide recommendations on program design to ensure programs are fully in alignment with Safeguarding standards and policy
• Provide guidance to other GD staff to ensure all aspects of our program are respectful, dignifying and reflective of GDs commitments to "Recipients First."
• Proactively identify safeguarding thematic areas in the country that could impact our recipients, and advise the country team on how to address and mitigate these risks 
• Conduct in-depth project safeguarding risk analysis and provide guidance on safe implementation strategies that protect recipients from inclusion/exclusion errors, community tensions or conflicts, adverse events, sexual harassment, Gender Based Violence, extortion, or concerns with local leaders.
• Conduct community spot checks with recipients, communities, local leaders, and staff for high risk safeguarding locations. 
• Review all new field surveys to ensure recipient safe communication an appropriate inclusion of consent language 
• Support Programs and Community Engagement team in community scoping, vulnerability assessment and risk sensing in advance of new program launches to help GD fully understand the needs of the communities we serve.

Safeguarding Case Management 

• Act as the country case manager for recipient safeguarding cases. 
• Work directly with recipients and relevant stakeholders to resolve safeguarding concerns.
• Develop and execute on safeguarding response protocols for action by different teams, including investigations, programs, and HR.
• Document and track all country-safeguarding incidents and share the same with the global safeguarding team and other stakeholders
• Own the referral pathways in your country, including managing partner referral databases, partner relationship management, and referral pathway playbooks.
• Serve as the liaison between GD, affected recipients and referral partners as needed

Safeguarding Policy and Training

• Advise on and monitor safeguarding policies in the Kenya country program
• Deliver and document safeguarding training to all staff during new staff onboarding and at least twice per year. Help the Safeguarding Program Manager in adapting training to ensure that they are context-specific.
• Review and customize safeguarding training materials to reflect country needs and sector changes 
• Identify and participate in safeguarding stakeholder forums that help GD keep updated on sector standards and best practices 
• Submit monthly reports on the above activities to the Safeguarding Senior Manager 

Location: This role is based in Kenya. Candidates should be able to work from our Nairobi office and travel to the field frequently.

What you’ll bring:

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
• Language Requirement: English and Swahili required, any other local language is a plus
• Strong experience in Safeguarding, including experience as a protection officer, safeguarding focal point, or other relevant work in safeguarding and/or protection.
• Deep understanding of Safeguarding best practices and industry standards. Familiarity with leading Safeguarding training, case management, and direct support to recipients.
• Empathy, honesty, and the highest standards of integrity. High emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, especially with talking to people living in vulnerable communities. As a Safeguarding FM, you will be required to work directly with recipients, including in times of crisis.
• Excellent critical thinking and decision making skills. Strong ability to show good judgment when resolving complex problems
• Technological literacy and comfort with understanding and analyzing data. The Safeguarding FM will be required to use Google Suite, Excel, Salesforce, and other programs. (Advanced experience is not required, but candidates should be comfortable using technology). 
• Experience with end to end project management, from scoping to execution. Comfort creating reports and memos. 
• Ability to frequently travel to our field programs throughout Kenya. 

Read more about our ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts here and about our decision to move our central support teams to remote first here.

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values the strength diversity brings to the workplace. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US applicants only:  We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.

 

Commitment to Safeguarding

As a global organization serving some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment issues relating to potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we serve, and prevent harm to our recipients.

 

Interview Venue and Accessibility

We conduct interviews over Google Meet with camera on (unless communicated otherwise).

Closed captioning is available during all Google Meet interviews, and interviewers will also post interview questions in the chat box throughout the call. If you need assistance accessing either of these features, please let your interviewer know at the start of your interview! 

We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process for all of our open roles. If there are questions or concerns you have about the accessibility of our hiring process, we warmly invite you to reach out to careers@givedirectly.org. Please include the word "Accessibility" in the email title.

 

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!