About this role
Safeguarding Officer
Position Description
Location Open to any MC office location in Syria.
Position Status Full-time
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)
Mercy Corps (MC) works in places of transition, where conflict, disaster, political upheaval, or economic collapse present opportunities to build more secure, productive, and just communities. Providing emergency relief in times of crisis, we move quickly to help communities recover and build resilience to future shocks, and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives.
MC Syria's strategic commitment to Safeguarding implies prioritizing the safety and the wellbeing of team members and the communities we serve by embedding safeguarding principles into policies, practices, and Mercy Corps' work culture, to ensure that every person's rights and dignity are upheld, fostering a safer and more inclusive society for all.
The Position (General Position Summary)
The Safeguarding Officer will support the integration and implementation of Mercy Corps' Safeguarding Core Standards in Syria programming to reduce risks of harm to program participants, particularly children and vulnerable adults. The Officer will collaborate closely with program teams, Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism (CARM) staff, and the Regional Safeguarding Advisor to ensure safeguarding prevention measures are embedded across project cycles.
The role emphasizes proactive prevention, risk mitigation, awareness-raising, and internal capacity-building, while also contributing to response efforts when safeguarding concerns arise. The Officer will act as a key focal point for safeguarding implementation across field offices and liaise with relevant clusters and protection actors as required.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Prevention and Risk Reduction
• Support the mainstreaming of Mercy Corps' Safeguarding Core Standards into Syria programming, with focus on prevention and risk mitigation.
• Conduct safeguarding risk assessments in collaboration with program teams, particularly for high-risk activities and engagements with vendors, suppliers, or partners.
• Assist in ensuring safeguarding mitigation plans are in place, monitored, and adapted throughout project implementation.
Training and Capacity Building
• Deliver safeguarding induction and refresher trainings to Mercy Corps staff, volunteers, and partners, ensuring materials are adapted to the Syrian context.
• Coordinate with the Regional Safeguarding Advisor to deliver training sessions using the Core Standards toolkit and support teams in understanding their safeguarding responsibilities.
Programmatic and Operational Support
• Collaborate with the CARM team to ensure accessible and safe reporting channels, and that program participants are aware of their rights and the expected behavior of Mercy Corps staff and representatives.
• Support integration of safeguarding into project design, proposals, and donor reports by identifying potential risks and recommending mitigation actions.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation efforts by supporting the review of survey and data collection tools to ensure safeguarding-sensitive approaches.
• Work closely with HR to mainstream safe recruitment practices in line with Core Standard 2, including supporting safeguarding inputs into recruitment processes, orientation, and onboarding of new staff.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Logistics teams to integrate safeguarding into contracting processes, ensuring vendors, suppliers, and contractors understand and commit to Mercy Corps' safeguarding expectations.
• Support the Program and Partnerships teams to strengthen safe partnerships, ensuring safeguarding is embedded in due diligence, agreements, and partner capacity building efforts.
Communications and Safe Media Use
• Work with communications teams to ensure consent processes are followed and that communications involving participants meet Core Standard 10 on safe communications.
• Support internal communications by regularly sharing updates on safeguarding initiatives with SMT and field teams.
Response and Support
• Serve as a trusted reporting avenue for safeguarding concerns and assist in guiding staff or participants through safe reporting procedures.
• When requested, provide survivor support coordination in line with a survivor-centered approach and Mercy Corps' global procedures.
• Contribute to local service mapping for survivor referral and liaise with external actors to maintain up-to-date services directory.
Coordination and Representation
• Participate in internal safeguarding coordination and planning meetings and represent safeguarding in relevant working groups as needed.
• Support country participation in national or sub-national PSEA networks and other coordination forums.
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Country Manager Matrixed technical support: Regional Safeguarding Advisor; and Global Safeguarding Team Works Directly With: All departments across all hubs; most closely with HR and program teams.
Knowledge and Experience
• University Degree in Social Work, Communications ,management, administration Law, Education.
• A candidate with a minimum of 3 years' relevant experience in protection, safeguarding, PSEA is required.
• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modeling Mercy Corps values
• Knowledgeable about protection, safeguarding, child safeguarding or similar areas such as PSEAH or sexual misconduct or protection mainstreaming.
• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic; good knowledge of spoken English.
• Good data management, data analysis, computer literacy and excellent documentation and report writing skills in Arabic and English
• Experienced in working with senior managers across different departments and functions
• Willingness to travel to and work in hard-to-reach areas
• Diplomatic in their communication and able to speak confidently and sensitively to those who disagree with them
• Experienced in facilitation and coordination of training and workshop; developing and implementing capacity building plans
• Experienced in conducting assessments and report writing; able to deliver results against various timelines and priorities
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Syria up to 30% travel across Syria, with possible visits to Amman, Jordan
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps' vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.
Success Factors
Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.
We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Team Engagement and Effectiveness
Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work. We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).
RECRUITMENT SCAMS & FRAUD WARNING
Mercy Corps has become aware of scams involving false job offers. Please be advised:
Recruiters will never ask for a fee during any stage of the recruitment process. All active jobs are advertised directly on Job.sy.
Official Mercy Corps emails will always arrive from a @mercycorps.org email address.
Please report any suspicious communications to (([email protected]))
Personal Consent:
The organization collects your personal data for the purposes of managing the organization's recruitment related activities as well as for organizational planning purposes globally. Consequently, the organization may use your personal data in relation to the evaluation and selection of applicants including, for example, setting up and conducting interviews and tests, evaluating and assessing the results thereto and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment processes including the final recruitment.
The organization is an international organization consisting of multiple affiliated companies in various countries. The organization has international sites and uses resources located throughout the world. Your data may be held on secure platforms globally, including outside of the EU. All personal data whether relating to recruitment or employment, is held on a secure platform and system which is subject to regular testing and audit. Unless stated in the job description that the post involves other organizations with which the information will be shared as part of the recruitment process, your personal data will only be shared with third parties where consent is given.
The organization participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (the “Scheme”) (www.schr.info/the-misconduct-disclosure-scheme). Accordingly, we request information from a job applicant's previous employer(s) about any investigations which found that the applicant committed sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents of misconduct under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, you confirm your consent to the organization collecting your prior employment history under the Scheme as part of the application process. Your data will be stored for up to four years.
Important Notice: Mercy Corps never charges candidates any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. If you are asked to make a payment for a job opportunity claiming to be from Mercy Corps, it is a scam.
All official communication from Mercy Corps will come from an @mercycorps.org email address. We do not contact candidates via Gmail, Yahoo, WhatsApp, or other unofficial channels.
If you receive a suspicious job offer, please report it to us immediately.