Safeguarding and PSHEA Officer

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

The Opportunity

The Safeguarding and PSHEA Officer will work closely with the Country Safeguarding and PSHEA Manager to support monitoring efforts to ensure that the Safeguarding Policy, Standards, and Procedures are complied with by staff and partners. She/he will provide technical support to Plan’s partners and all Plan’s departments to understand and effectively implement safeguarding and PSHEA policies and procedures.

Key Responsibilities

1. Deliver and support Safeguarding and PSHEA training for staff, associates, visitors, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen awareness, commitment, and compliance with safeguarding requirements.
2. Support the development, updating, and dissemination of appropriate IEC materials on Safeguarding and PSHEA to promote awareness of expected behaviours, reporting mechanisms, and available support.
3. Support regular safeguarding spot checks and annual Safeguarding and PSHEA audits across offices and partners, providing coaching and technical support to address identified gaps and implement agreed corrective actions.
4. Provide safeguarding and PSHEA technical input into programme design and implementation to ensure Safe Programming standards are appropriately integrated throughout the programme cycle.
5. Serve as the Country Office Safeguarding focal point and coordinate with relevant focal points to ensure safeguarding concerns and allegations are appropriately reported, documented, escalated, and referred in line with established procedures.
6. Support the development, regular review, and dissemination of accessible Safeguarding and PSHEA reporting and referral pathways across offices, programmes, partners, and communities.
7. Coordinate the implementation of safeguarding standards across departments and support the development and monitoring of country-level action plans to address identified implementation gaps.
8. Support management and programme teams to identify, assess, and mitigate safeguarding risks, including online and digital safeguarding risks, across organisational and programme activities.
9. Maintain a central system for collating, recording, and monitoring information on Safeguarding and PSHEA implementation activities across field offices, departments, and relevant partners.
10. Coordinate the annual safeguarding implementation standards self-assessment, develop and monitor resulting action points with departments and partners, and escalate implementation challenges and emerging concerns to the supervisor for strategic action.

About You

We are looking to recruit person (s) with:

• University degree or equivalent in Education, Social Science, Social Work, Psychology, or related fields
• 4 years of relevant working experience as a Safeguarding Officer within an INGO in Safeguarding and PSHEA policies development, implementation, and monitoring.
• Technical skills, experience, and knowledge in protection, GBV, or gender are highly desirable
• Strong writing skills and mature communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work cross-functionally
• Demonstrated sensitivity and ability to maintain confidentiality
• Demonstrated appreciation for a survivor-focused safeguarding approach
• Excellent listening, interpersonal, communication, and networking skills in both remote and in-person contexts
• Knowledge of the Nigerian Child Rights Act, the VAPP Act, child protection and GBV policies and practice, as well as current issues in relation to safeguarding children and adults in the Nigerian context
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite)

Please respond to the requirements of the role in your cover letter.

Only CVs and cover letters in English will be accepted.  

Location: Country Office, Abuja

Type of Role: Fixed-Term

Closing Date: 7th November 2026

Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.