• Duration: Permanent

• Salary: Circa £55,000 per annum

• Job Level: 3

• Hours: 35 hours per week. Other flexible arrangements will be considered

• Disclosure Level: Basic. This role involves some direct / indirect work with children

• Team: Children’s Rights and Sport, Safeguarding and Participation Team

• Reports to: Director of Safeguarding and Youth Voice

• Location: Working from home and at 1 Westfield Avenue, London E20 1HZ

At the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), we pull together to achieve the best possible results for children in danger around the world.  We believe in an inclusive workplace and in the power of fulfilled colleagues who share the same values and goals, enjoy their work and are motivated to do their utmost for children. 

Our work is guided by the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which recognise the universality of children’s rights.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Senior Safeguarding Specialist sits within the multifaceted Advocacy, Programmes and Safeguarding Directorate (APS). The purpose of our directorate is to effectively protect, promote and uphold the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by mobilising multiple stakeholders, influencing key decision makers, and driving direct change, to effectively deliver positive outcomes and lasting impact for children in the UK and around the world. 

The Safeguarding Specialist role is part of the Child Rights, Safeguarding & Participation Team. This is a highly specialised team of technical experts that work cross organisationally to embed UNICEF UK’s work on Safeguarding, Youth Voice and Influence and Child Rights and Sport.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Safeguarding Specialist will lead and manage a team of Safeguarding Specialists. The team works closely with our Director of Safeguarding and Youth Voice to influence and deliver safeguarding best practice across the organisation. This includes both child and adult safeguarding, ensuring that everything we do is fully in harmony with domestic and international regulations.

You will support and encourage strong collaborative working across children’s rights, youth voice and meaningful participation, whilst contributing to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all.

What we will expect you to achieve

• You will be responsible for driving forward our operational safeguarding priorities as set out in our Safeguarding Strategy. This will include management and oversight of direct safeguarding implementation, through to working in an advisory capacity for colleagues. The scope of the role includes managing the design and delivery of training, reviewing and assessing safeguarding cases and supporting the organisation to effectively manage safeguarding risk.

• Champion best practice in child and adult safeguarding, ensure all organisational safeguarding policies, procedures, systems and ways of working are successfully implemented and fully compliant with all statutory and legal provisions.

• Work autonomously, providing expert safeguarding management and guidance to our Safeguarding Specialists. Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with wider colleagues to provide technical safeguarding support on all safeguarding matters

• Uphold our Diversity & Inclusion commitments and work consistently, compassionately, and collaboratively to support a psychologically safe, inclusive, and holistic culture where we can achieve our best work for children.

• Provide operational oversight of safeguarding case management ensuring safeguarding concerns are progressed in a timely manner, and lead on any necessary referrals to statutory agencies where required.  Effectively monitor and analyse safeguarding risks across all our work to ensure we uphold our commitment to Article 19 of the UNCRC.

• Uphold a commitment to continuous improvement and learning, keeping up to date and informed on safeguarding practices across different sectors.

• Develop and maintain strong and collaborative relationships with Senior Leaders, Heads of Teams and Managers to assess ongoing operational demands and build internal safeguarding capacity and experience to support long-term sustainability across all our work.

• Widen our external presence and networking across the sector and wider civil society by acting as a representative for UNICEF UK, building key relationships with other National Committee’s, Country Offices and UNICEF, to help influence cultural change and shape best safeguarding practice.

• Demonstrate and model a commitment to our shared values, behaviours and inclusive practices (known as Our Shared Commitment) in all aspects of your work.

BEHAVIOURS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

This section contains the essential behaviours, experience, knowledge and skills needed in order to be effective and successful in this role. All criteria in this section are essential.

Effective behaviours

Supporter driven and mission aligned.

• Is committed to children and their rights and motivated to work towards achieving a world that is fit for every child. 

Leadership

• Provides operational direction of day-to-day matters, sets clear objectives and creates and encourages cross-organisational teamwork and collaboration, acting as a visible role model.

• Employs a positive, encouraging, open and supportive management style that motivates the Safeguarding Specialists and wider organisation.

Communicating, negotiating, and influencing

• Presents and conveys complex information using a variety of methods to engage varying audiences in a complex stakeholder environment to deliver messages clearly and with impact.

• Has an awareness and consideration of partners needs and objectives, balancing their expectations with UNICEF UK’s values and mandate, placing children’s rights at the forefront.

Information & Data

• Works in a confidential, sensitive, and complex environment whilst delivering change for children.

• Protects our reputation when working with confidential/sensitive data, effectively manages systems to ensure information is processed and stored appropriately.

Achieving Change

• Works on own initiative, assesses priorities, and makes decisions within agreed parameters.  Is proactive in managing multiple tasks and projects, meeting conflicting work demands with resilience and pragmatism.

• Challenges accepted ways of working where needed, and demonstrates flexibility, adaptability, and a solution focused approach to overcoming barriers to change

Relevant experience

• Extensive experience in safeguarding and child protection, ideally within the voluntary sector, civil society, and/or the sports industry, across both domestic and international contexts.

• Strong expertise in soft skills necessary for leading and managing people, along with technical proficiency in safeguarding regulations and practices across all areas.

• Proven ability to work with diverse interests, stakeholders, and contributors, including colleagues, key partners, and the broader civil society. Consistently championing, supporting, and influencing robust and holistic safeguarding practices.

• Demonstrable safeguarding management experience, and experience of effectively devising and implementing robust safeguarding processes in a large complex organisation.

• Extensive experience overseeing safeguarding concerns and effectively managing safeguarding case management systems - including liaising with multiagency partners, reviewing risk assessments, responding to complaints, and overseeing development and delivery of training.

Specific knowledge and skills

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of safeguarding legislation and standards of best practice for safeguarding, child protection and adult protection in both domestic and international contexts.