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The context:

Across the developing world, more children than ever are in school – but they are not learning. A recent study estimated that less than 1% of school children in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a school where the teaching meets basic standards of quality. At Rising Academies, we’re changing that, and we want your help. Our mission is to create the best schools and the most powerful teaching and learning tools for the people that need it most. We’re one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®.

About us:

We own and operate our own great value private schools, partner with governments to improve the quality of public school systems, and use our content and technology to help other education providers. Founded in Sierra Leone in 2014, we provided emergency education to children kept out of school by the Ebola Epidemic before opening our first school in April 2015. Today, we serve more than 270,000 students across more than 1000 schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and now Rwanda.

Through great curriculum, intensive teacher coaching and actionable data, we help teachers and school leaders bring quality to every classroom. And we get results: independent studies show Rising students make more than twice the progress of their peers in comparable schools. In June 2024, one of our private schools in Sierra Leone - Rising Academy Waterloo - was shortlisted in the Top 10 for the World's Best School Prizes in the Overcoming Adversity category. Sierra Leone's Minister for Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Hon. Mr. Conrad Sackey, helped announce this honor.

At Rising we keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to share in our commitment to meeting the highest standards of safeguarding excellence and protecting children from harm.

About the role:

We are seeking a dynamic, driven, and exceptionally organized Safeguarding Manager to lead our efforts in ensuring the highest standards of safeguarding across all Rising Academies schools and partnership programs. At Rising, we believe every child deserves to learn in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment that promotes their social, emotional, physical, and academic development and wellbeing. Safeguarding is not just a policy—it’s a foundational pillar of how we work. As Safeguarding Manager, you will play a critical role in embedding a world-class safeguarding culture across our network, driving operational excellence, and ensuring we remain a sector leader in safeguarding.

The Safeguarding Manager will:

• Be the standard bearer for all Safeguarding processes, driving consistently high quality implementation, and hold all stakeholders accountable to upholding those standards.
• Oversee all safeguarding case management, driven primarily through direct work with each program’s Safeguarding Lead, making sure that all actions are survivor-centered and that all procedures are followed, each and every time.
• Maintain regular reporting requirements to all key stakeholders, including our Senior Leadership Team, Board, and Funders.
• Monitor our safeguarding data, ensuring accurate, up-to-date information and identifying trends proactively.
• Ensure full and consistent alignment with Rising’s Safeguarding Pillars and the commitments outlined in our latest Enhancing Safeguarding Strategy (ESS)
• Project manage delivery against the action plan laid out in the ESS in order to continuously improve our systems, processes, and overall quality of our Safeguarding work.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement in safeguarding systems, practices, and culture across Rising by iterating based on feedback, observations, and gaps - our first draft is never our final draft at Rising.
• Build and empower a high-performing safeguarding team in each of Rising’s operating country, equipped to respond proactively and effectively.
• Oversee the delivery of engaging, impactful training for all Rising stakeholders to build safeguarding knowledge and capacity at every level.
• Develop, pilot, and scale a rigorous school safety audit process to continuously assess and elevate safety standards across our network.
• Embed ‘The Rising Way’-our values and culture, into every aspect of our safeguarding and child protection approach.
• Act with foresight and proactiveness; identifying risks, surfacing challenges, and proposing practical solutions that strengthen our safeguarding systems.

Location and reporting:

This will be a full-time role. We are open to candidates based in any of our operating countries [Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Rwanda] OR on the African Continent. The Role will require periodic travel for training staff. The Safeguarding Manager will report to the Director of People, Operations and Performance.

Application deadline:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis till 11th May 2025. The target start-date for this role will be June 2025.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Strong project management experience in a relevant industry.
• Case management experience from youth work, social work, law/law enforcement, health care or other relevant fields.
• University level undergraduate degree.

About You:

• You are able to work independently and effectively manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• You have strong critical thinking skills and are able to apply those skills consistently and thoughtfully to all Safeguarding responsibilities.
• You have strong project management and reporting skills.
• You have strong oral and written communication skills, especially around public-facing materials, publications, and reports.
• You understand survivor-centered approaches and communication styles to managing the support of survivors of abuse.
• You are data-driven, have an eye for details and make decisions in a logical way and on the basis of good evidence/reasoning.
• You have a strong ability to deliver effective and engaging training.
• You have a strong ability to build, monitor, and maintain systems and practices, including databases and confidential files.
• You are a strong advocate for children, their rights and well-versed in child safeguarding procedures.
• You understand the contexts in which we operate and the educational and operational challenges they pose.
• You set high standards for yourself and others, and go the extra mile to get things done.
• You have the ability to learn quickly, are happy to give and receive feedback, and are interested in trying new approaches.
• You have the highest levels of integrity and trustworthiness.

Compensation and Benefits:

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We regularly benchmark our compensation against comparable businesses, social ventures and non-profits.

Rising’s goal is to be transparent about salaries at all levels of the organisation and have a standard, global pay scale for all positions that is non-negotiable.

The benefits we offer are built to have a strong added value on our staff’s well-being and we are excited to discuss this further with you in the process.

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Rising is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, family or parental status, veteran or disability status.

Rising is committed to creating a culture within the organisation, and its schools, that recognizes the importance of safeguarding children and prioritizing their rights and needs. We strive to uphold international safeguarding standards, and keep the safety and well-being of our students at the heart of what we do. All Rising employees are expected to abide by the Child Protection Policy, and to have the same level of commitment to protect children from harm. Safeguarding questions are part of every interview process and all Rising employees undergo reference checks before joining the organisation.