Safeguarding Officer | Johanniter International Assist Safeguarding

Johanniter International Assistance is recruiting a Safeguarding Officer to strengthen the protection of people, teams, and partners against any form of harm, abuse, or exploitation. This is a central role to ensure safeguarding is part of the organization’s daily work, field projects, and relationships with communities, partners, and suppliers.

Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V. is a German Christian non-governmental organization working in first aid, medical services, social assistance, and humanitarian aid. Johanniter International Assistance is its operational unit for humanitarian response. Its global strategy through 2027 prioritizes disaster response and preparedness, health, and livelihoods, with climate change and gender equality as cross-cutting priorities. More information at www.thejohanniter.org.

What this role involves

The Safeguarding Officer will be responsible for ensuring that safeguarding is integrated across Johanniter’s entire country operation. The position reports day to day to the Country Director and maintains a technical link with the Global Safeguarding Advisor, based in Berlin.

• Develop and monitor the country safeguarding action plan, aligned with the organization’s global standards and donor requirements.

• Ensure safeguarding is built into project design, funding proposals, budgets, work plans, and partner agreements.

• Participate in external PSEA and safeguarding meetings for technical exchange and coordination with other actors.

• Prepare regular technical updates for country leadership and quarterly reports for headquarters.

Where the work creates impact

This role has a direct impact on how the organization prevents risks, responds to reports, and creates safer environments for staff, volunteers, partners, and communities. In practice, this means turning policies into concrete, accessible, and trusted actions.

• Conduct safeguarding assessments of implementing partners and relevant suppliers before agreements are signed.

• Support partner organizations in strengthening internal policies, codes of conduct, reporting systems, and action plans.

• Map referral services and support immediate case response, always using a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and do no harm approach.

• Contribute to formal investigations, case documentation, and coordination with technical teams and inter-agency networks.

• Promote safe, confidential, and accessible reporting channels, including hotlines, suggestion boxes, and mechanisms adapted to community contexts.

• Work with program and PMEAL teams to integrate safeguarding indicators, ethical data collection, and continuous learning.

Best-matched profile

This opportunity is well suited to professionals with solid experience in humanitarian and development settings, able to combine technical rigor, human sensitivity, and training capacity.

• Higher education in Social Sciences, Law, or another relevant technical field.

• At least 3 years of proven experience in a similar role.

• Strong experience in humanitarian and development contexts.

• Clear commitment to humanitarian principles, gender equality, the rights of displaced people, and child protection.

• Experience in designing and facilitating trainings and capacity-building initiatives for teams, communities, partners, and government entities.

• Strong oral and written communication skills in Portuguese and English.

Terms and application

Johanniter offers competitive pay, adjusted to relevant experience, as well as benefits such as 13th salary, an insurance package, and a collaborative and respectful work environment.

To apply, send a cover letter and CV, contact details for 3 former supervisors, work certificates, and your earliest available start date to [email protected]. In the email subject line, include: JUH-MOZ-Safeguarding Officer 05/2026.

Application deadline: 19/05/2026. Shortlisting may begin before the deadline, and only candidates selected for the next stage will be contacted.

Johanniter promotes equal opportunity and values diversity regardless of cultural, religious, or social background, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation. The organization encourages applications from women and persons with disabilities. This role is subject to background checks, including criminal record and references, as part of measures to protect vulnerable people.