Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is Seeking an Employee Relations and Safeguarding Lead – Apply By 14 May 2026

The Employee Relations and Safeguarding Lead is a strategic leadership position within the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), focused on strengthening organisational culture, safeguarding systems, and employee relations practices across the organisation. The role is offered on a fixed-term, full-time basis for two years and is based in either Nairobi, Kenya or Abuja, Nigeria under a hybrid working arrangement.

The position plays a critical role within the Human Resources function, ensuring that workplace policies, safeguarding standards, and employee relations frameworks align with organisational values, legal obligations, and global best practices. The successful candidate will provide leadership in creating a safe, inclusive, respectful, and high-performing work environment that supports both staff wellbeing and organisational effectiveness.

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT

GAIN is an international non-profit organisation committed to improving nutrition outcomes and strengthening food systems globally. The organisation works across multiple countries and collaborates with governments, civil society, and private sector actors to address malnutrition and improve public health outcomes.

The organisation promotes a people-centred culture grounded in equality, inclusion, accountability, and safeguarding. Its HR systems and policies are designed to ensure that all staff, partners, volunteers, and communities operate in environments that are safe, respectful, and free from discrimination, harassment, exploitation, and abuse.

The Employee Relations and Safeguarding Lead position supports this commitment by strengthening governance, compliance, leadership capability, and safeguarding accountability across the organisation.

STRATEGIC PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The primary purpose of the role is to provide leadership and oversight for all employee relations and safeguarding functions within the organisation. This includes developing strategic frameworks, strengthening compliance systems, improving leadership capability, and embedding safeguarding practices into organisational culture and operations.

The role combines technical expertise, policy leadership, training delivery, and operational oversight to ensure that workplace issues are managed fairly, consistently, and in accordance with both legal and ethical standards.

The position also contributes to organisational transformation by fostering a culture of trust, inclusion, transparency, and accountability across geographically diverse teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Employee Relations Leadership

The Employee Relations and Safeguarding Lead is responsible for shaping and implementing strategic employee relations frameworks that support organisational goals and values.

Core responsibilities include:

• Leading the development and implementation of employee relations strategies
• Embedding organisation-wide approaches to managing employee relations cases
• Supporting managers in handling workplace issues effectively and confidently
• Promoting fair, inclusive, and legally compliant people management practices
• Supporting organisational culture change and workforce wellbeing initiatives

The role requires strong judgement and the ability to manage complex and sensitive workplace matters with professionalism and discretion.

Safeguarding Strategy and Oversight

Safeguarding is a central component of the role. The position ensures that safeguarding systems, procedures, and organisational practices meet high international standards.

Key safeguarding responsibilities include:

• Designing and implementing safeguarding policies and frameworks
• Monitoring safeguarding systems and continuous improvement initiatives
• Overseeing mechanisms for reporting, investigating, and responding to safeguarding concerns
• Ensuring safeguarding compliance across all operational contexts
• Building and supporting safeguarding communities of practice within the organisation

The role also ensures that safeguarding principles are integrated into organisational culture, leadership behaviours, and HR processes.

Policy Development and Compliance

The role provides leadership in policy review and compliance management by:

• Reviewing and updating HR and safeguarding policies
• Ensuring alignment with labour laws and safeguarding regulations across countries of operation
• Advising leadership on regulatory changes and required policy adjustments
• Supporting consistent implementation of organisational standards across global offices

This function requires strong understanding of international employment law, safeguarding principles, and organisational governance frameworks.

Learning, Development, and Capacity Building

The position works closely with Learning and Development teams to strengthen people management capability across the organisation.

Responsibilities include:

• Designing and delivering training programmes on employee relations and safeguarding
• Building leadership capability in conflict resolution and inclusive management
• Supporting awareness initiatives on workplace harassment, diversity, and inclusion
• Enhancing organisational understanding of safeguarding responsibilities and procedures

Training and capacity development are viewed as critical tools for prevention, accountability, and cultural transformation.

CANDIDATE PROFILE AND COMPETENCIES

The ideal candidate is expected to demonstrate strong strategic leadership, emotional intelligence, and technical expertise in employee relations and safeguarding.

Essential competencies include:

• Strong leadership and stakeholder management capabilities
• Deep expertise in employee relations, safeguarding, and labour law
• Ability to influence organisational culture and drive behavioural change
• Excellent conflict resolution and problem-solving skills
• High levels of discretion, confidentiality, and professional judgement
• Strong communication and training facilitation abilities
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work across diverse international environments
• Resilience and adaptability in complex operational settings

The successful candidate must also demonstrate commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

GAIN promotes a flexible hybrid working model designed to support work-life balance, employee wellbeing, and productivity. Staff members are expected to work from designated country offices while benefiting from flexible arrangements that combine office-based and remote work.

Important employment conditions include:

• Candidates must already have the legal right to work in the advertised country location
• Visa sponsorship and relocation support are not provided
• Employment offers remain subject to eligibility verification and safeguarding checks

The organisation offers a competitive salary package, with the advertised Kenya-based salary ranging from KES 6,236,928 to KES 7,127,928 gross annually depending on experience.

SAFEGUARDING AND ETHICAL STANDARDS

The organisation maintains a zero-tolerance approach toward:

• Harassment and discrimination
• Sexual exploitation and abuse
• Bullying and abuse of power
• Safeguarding misconduct

All successful candidates undergo rigorous background screening, including:

• Criminal record checks
• Safeguarding vetting
• Reference verification
• Terrorism finance checks where applicable

Applicants are required to disclose any prior investigations, disciplinary actions, or safeguarding-related concerns during the recruitment process.

CONCLUSION

The Employee Relations and Safeguarding Lead role represents a critical leadership opportunity within the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, combining strategic HR leadership with safeguarding governance and organisational culture transformation.

The role is suited for an experienced professional capable of leading complex employee relations functions, embedding safeguarding standards, and supporting inclusive, ethical, and high-performing workplace environments across international operations.

VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.