SAFEGUARDING COORDINATOR (BASED IN SYRIA OR YEMEN)

GENERAL CONTEXT  

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international independent medical-humanitarian organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. 

At its core, MSF is a civil society initiative, bringing together individuals committed to assisting other human beings in crisis. Each individual working with MSF does so out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF. The global MSF movement is built around six operational directorates supported by more than 25 sections and offices worldwide. 

MAIN PURPOSE 

The Safeguarding Coordinator, in collaboration with the country-level team defines and leads the implementation of a Safeguarding Strategy to strengthen detection, prevention, and reporting, based on a context-specific needs analysis. He/She/They will mentor field management teams in preventing and detecting all forms of abuse in the country. The Safeguarding Coordinator will coordinate and monitor the work plan of the team under his/her/their responsibility if any (Safeguarding Focal Points, supervisors, Behaviour officers.) 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND MAIN TASKS 

Context analysis:  

• Conduct safeguarding risk assessments and necessary discussions with all stakeholders in the operations, including the patients and the community (when possible) to identify potential safeguarding risks 
• Develop a safeguarding action plan with corresponding indicators to monitor progress and achievements 
• Analyse historical data, reports and interactions with DEI and community engagement teams to understand trends/patterns and identify root causes of safeguarding issues 
• Analyse barriers to reporting abuse for patients and community members. 
• Engage with other MSF sections to ensure harmonization of activities based on mutual  contextual analysis. 

Prevention strategy and implementation:  

• Design and lead safeguarding risk assessments and translate findings into comprehensive, actionable prevention plans with clear mitigation measures, defined responsibilities, resource allocation, and timelines, ensuring full integration across programmes and HR systems. 
• Provide technical leadership and coaching to teams, proactively support risk identification (including within partnerships), and ensure consistent follow-up and accountability for implementation of safeguarding measures. 
• Support departments to integrate safeguarding objectives into their respective strategic & operational design 
• Support new programming, proposals, and emergent/ad-hoc emergency responses by embedding safeguarding risk assessments, mitigation measures, and inclusive practices. 
• In consultation with the Head of Programme (HoM) and the HRCo, lead discussions regarding transversal integration of Safeguarding across country operations and support yearly planning activities to integrate safeguarding 

MSF staff, partners, and contractors 

• Drive the identification of knowledge gaps, lead the contextual of safeguarding materials, and deliver high-quality training while building sustainable internal capacity through a trained network of facilitators. 
• In conjunction with HR, ensure safeguarding is systematically embedded in onboarding processes, with all personnel fully informed of behavioral expectations, codes of conduct, and confidential reporting mechanisms.
• Patients, caretakers, and populations: 
• In conjunction with community engagement teams, design and roll-out community based awarenss, on rights and available complaint and feedback mechanisms. 
• Strengthen the capacity of HPCE and community engagement teams to consistently deliver safeguarding messages, clarify safe reportings, timely referral, and survivor-centered access to support services. 

Implementation of feedback and complaint channels: 

• Lead the design, continuous improvement, and oversight of safe and accessible com-plaint mechanisms, ensuring robust SOPs for reporting, triage, and referral, and driving iterative improvements based on system performance and user feedback. 
• Strengthen team capacity to proactively identify and improve barriers to reporting, and ensure staff are fully trained in complaint handling, including survivor-centered approaches, triage, and referral pathways. 

Monitoring: 

• Lead the collection, analysis, and interpretation of safeguarding data, including prevention activities, complaints, and perceptions of safety, to assess impact and continuously refine safeguarding strategies in collaboration with senior management. 
• Produce regular analytical reporting, coordinate alignment across Operational Centres, and support managers in planning and executing prevention and awareness activities while reinforcing strong line management accountability for safeguarding outcomes. 
• Supervision and management of staff  
• Coordinate, provide technical support, capacity building and mentoring of safeguarding focal points, Behaviour Officers, SG Supervisors 
• Plan and supervise, in close coordination with the HR department, the associated processes (recruitment, training, performance evaluation, development and internal communication) to improve team capacity and competence. 

MSF SECTION/CONTEXT SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES  

• Frequently high risk context with volatile security situations including high levels of sexual and gender based violence 
• Large operational context(s) with a high level of emergency reponse (nutrition, vaccinations, cholera response, WASH etc.) 
• Must be able to work at project level at least 80% of the time. 
• Engage in inter-agency coordination forums to promote safeguarding and share information 
• Where relevant, coordinate amongst other MSF sections to promote alignment of strategies, potential joint reporting mechanisms and general coordination. 
• Participate in recruitment of safeguarding staff when needed. 

SELECTION CRITERIA 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in Law, Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Humanitarian Affairs or a related field. 
• Minimum 5 years of experience in safeguarding, protection or related areas with an NGO/INGO; or at least 5 years of MSF experience as Field Coordinator or Project Medical Referent. 
• Experience in management, coordination and implementation of protection/safeguarding strategies. 
• At least one assignment in an emergency context is required. 
• Experience designing and delivering training and awareness-raising activities is highly valued. 
• Fluency in French and English (minimum B2) is required. Arabic may be required depending on the context. 
• Strong understanding of confidentiality, survivor-centred approaches, Psychological First Aid (PFA) and work with vulnerable populations. 
• Strong skills in stakeholder engagement, strategic analysis, team management and working under pressure. 

 WHAT WE OFFER 

• Salary determined by experience and MSF’s salary grid level 12  and secondary benefits according to MSF-OCBA’s policies. 
• Location: at field level, to be assigned according to operational needs. 
• Induction plan to the position. 
• The opportunity to contribute to our objective of saving lives, alleviating suffering and helping those most in need. 
• Starting date: during second semester 2026 
• Duration of first assignment: 9 to 12 months. 

HOW TO APPLY  

• To apply, please submit your CV in English or French.
• Closing date: 29th July 2026, 23:59 CET (Central European Time). 

MSF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, race, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We are committed to achieving a balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply. 

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. MSF provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference checks. 

Médecins Sans Frontières, as a responsible employer, under the¨Ley General de la Discapacidad de 2013 (LGD)¨ invite those persons with a recognized disability and with an interest in the humanitarian area to apply for the above-mentioned position.