Salary range: £61,700 to £65,400 (UK) | $86,800 to $92,100 (US)

I. Position Summary

Malala Fund’s mission is access to quality education for all girls, including the most marginalised. The intersectional nature of vulnerability the girls we support experience means that we are intentional in the design of our programmes in order to ensure girls’ inclusion, positive outcomes and safeguarding in all our work. We seek a dynamic individual who has a passion for changing the lives of marginalised girls, to lead Malala Fund’s gender inclusion and safeguarding work. The Manager will supervise associated staff and consultants, co-create with Malala Fund staff programmatic and engagement pathways supportive of gender transformative futures for girls, and ensure Malala Fund’s duty of care for vulnerable persons’ safety, security, privacy, and well-being.

The Gender, Inclusion and Safeguarding Manager is responsible for the delivery of the Duty of Care and the Gender Transformative agendas, both of which are of strategic importance to the organisation. The Manager will manage a Safeguarding Officer. The Manager will provide leadership on co-creating effective, positive change for the girls we work with, particularly those who face intersectional forms of vulnerability and marginalisation. The Manager will work closely with other staff and across departments to advance the highest level of inclusion and duty of care throughout the design and implementation processes of all Malala Fund activities with partners, encompassing programmes, advocacy, and communications works, and including grantees’ capacity to adhere to effective practices. A key responsibility includes ongoing development and leading the implementation of the Duty of Care Framework (related policies, procedures, and tools) with the overall aim of ensuring that these practices are in place in all engagement with vulnerable populations.

The Manager will provide leadership to ensure institutionalisation of gender transformative and inclusive practices and efficacy across the organisation and support the adoption of girl-centred principles for internal and external work. They will embed these approaches into our values and strategic plan.

II. Responsibilities

Inclusion and Gender Transformation

• Orient and direct Malala Fund programmes, advocacy and communications staff to pursue gender transformative outcomes and inclusive approaches in their delivery of work.
• Accountable for ensuring that the design of all programmes, strategies and initiatives are inclusive and gender transformative through guiding national and global teams.
• Effectively guide the Programme managers and Grants team to recruit and cultivate safe and inclusive grantee partners whose work redresses gendered structural inequalities.
• Design and roll out capacity building for gender analysis and gender transformative programme design for staff as well as grantees, partnering with the Applied Learning Officer.
• Manage collaboration and cooperation across teams on girl-centred agendas.
• Guide and support in-country staff to engage and collaborate with national level women’s movements that are transformational in their approach to gender.

Ensuring Duty of Care

• Build and socialise a comprehensive safeguarding architecture and associated policies and procedures within Malala Fund.
• Manage the implementation of organisation-wide safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Work with Malala Fund leadership to ensure Duty of Care accountability mechanisms and make clear roles and responsibilities of teams and staff.
• Guide departments to develop safeguarding procedures and tools that are relevant for each teams’ scope of work.
• Support the HR Department in ensuring staff are aware of their responsibilities for safeguarding through the design and delivery of inductions and annual training plans.
• Create contextualised national level duty of care frameworks in each Malala Fund programme country
• Work with the Applied Learning Officer to build safeguarding capacity in grantees through training and access to safeguarding resources, including supporting safer programming.
• Assess internal safeguarding reporting and response measures and readiness; coordinate periodic internal/external audits of safeguarding practice across key programme activities.
• Monitor current and new Malala Fund programme initiatives to proactively identify risks to the safeguarding practices; work with staff to craft appropriate solutions and mitigation.
• Serve as or provide technical guidance to an identified safeguarding focal point leading the investigation of safeguarding cases that arise in any Programmes or initiatives.
• Represent Malala Fund at external meetings as needed to share its approach and commitment to safeguarding.

People Management

• Actively contributes to making Malala Fund a diverse and equitable workplace through inclusive practices and openness to different perspectives, cultures and ideas.
• Actively builds and maintains systems that allow for the growth and development of all direct reports.
• Welcomes and inducts new team members into Malala Fund, and facilitate collaboration across and within your team.
• Co-creates clear objectives and development plans for direct reports, and engages in regular and constructive performance conversations.
• Shares key messages and relevant information with direct reports, and seeks out, addresses and/or escalates feedback as appropriate.
• Ensures all team members understand and comply with Malala Fund policies, procedures and resources.

Organisational Culture

• Upholds the values of Malala Fund.
• Actively contributes to making Malala Fund a diverse and equitable workplace through inclusive practice and openness to different perspectives, cultures and ideas.
• Maintains behaviour and conduct that uphold the highest standards for safeguarding, professionally and personally.
• Acts as a role model for a ‘learning organisation’ culture by seeking insight and using problems as opportunities to learn.

III. Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours

Essential

• Senior management experience in the countries where Malala Fund operates or similar context.
• Significant experience working in a senior safeguarding capacity in an NGO, or practitioner experience of working in a related area such as gender-based violence or protection.
• Experience conducting and managing safeguarding investigations.
• Excellent team player with ability to work independently and in collaboration with colleagues at all levels across departments and external stakeholders.
• Experience working with leadership and trustees or Board of Directors in building a safe and inclusive culture in organisations.
• Experience designing, implementing and integrating gender transformative strategies in multiple contexts, preferably on adolescent girls programming.
• Experience building skills and learning in partner organisations on gender transformative approaches and girl-centred design. Preference given to those that have experience in doing this remotely and through innovative ways.
• Strong commitment to Malala Fund’s mission, purpose and values.
• Strong commitment to gender equality, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, decolonisation and social justice.
• Strong commitment to professional development and continued learning.
• Excellent team player with ability to work independently and in collaboration with colleagues at all levels across departments and external stakeholders.

Desirable

• A creative problem solver with user-centred design approach.
• Demonstrated empathy, communication, listening and interpersonal skills when working with adults, young people, and children.
• Preference given to candidates who have lived experience in any of Malala Fund’s programme countries.

Malala Fund is committed to racial equity and social justice. We actively seek applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities, to provide a wide range of perspectives, ideas, views and insights into the strategy, policies, culture and ambitions of Malala Fund. We would particularly welcome applications from candidates who have lived in countries in which Malala Fund is operating.

IV. About Malala Fund

Registered as a public charity in the U.K. and U.S., Malala Fund is working toward a world where all girls can learn and lead. With more than 130 million girls out of school today, we're breaking down barriers that hold girls back.

Malala Fund advocates for resources and policy changes needed to give all girls a secondary education. The girls we serve have high goals for themselves and we have high expectations for leaders who can help them. We invest in local education leaders and front-line organisations — the people who best understand girls in their communities — in regions where most girls are missing out on secondary school. We give girls the tools they need to advocate for education and equality in their communities and a platform for the world to hear their voices. We believe girls should speak for themselves and tell leaders what they need to learn and achieve their potential.

V. How to Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter through the application link by 31 March 2023.

Please note that due to the very high number of applications we receive when positions are posted, we are only able to respond directly to candidates with whom we wish to move forward in the interview process.

Please note you must have the required right to work for the location you are applying for. You will be asked to provide proof of your right to work should you be selected for interview.

Malala Fund is an inclusive organisation and welcomes applications from under-represented and intersectional groups including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and persons with disabilities. We are seeking people from different backgrounds, cultures, age, experience and identities, to provide a wide range of experience, ideas, views and insights into the strategy, policies, culture and ambitions of Malala Fund.

Malala Fund is committed to ensuring the safety of those involved in our work. Our first priority is protecting everyone who comes in direct or indirect contact with our organisation. Malala Fund has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse and exploitation by any of our staff, representatives or partners. We commit to ensuring that those who work with Malala Fund or on our behalf are able to work in an environment that is free from harm. To this end, Malala Fund reserves the right to conduct background checks on prospective and current employees.