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Job Title:   National Ombuds Uganda

Organisation: SOS Children’s Villages

Duty Station:  Bugolobi, Kampala, Uganda

About US:

SOS Children’s Villages is an independent, locally registered, child-focused, social development non- governmental organization with a strong reputation for providing quality care and protection, education and health needs for children without or at risk of losing parental care. Since its inception in 1991, SOS CV Uganda has reached over 100,000 children, youths and adults directly and indirectly to become empowered and self-reliant to contribute significantly to the needs of their families and communities. The organisation has the commendable experience working in partnership with a number of donors, (institutional and corporate agencies) including; Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), Austrian Development Corporation (ADC), Grieg Foundation, ERIKS Development Partner, USAID/Bantwana World Education, European Union, AVIS Foundation, Brand Charity, USAID/Uganda Private Health Support Program (UPHSP), Terre des Hommes (TDH), Stanbic Bank Uganda, DHL–Go Teach, Madhvani Group of Companies.

Job Summary:   Reporting to the Regional Ombuds, the National Ombuds serves as a designated independent practitioner providing informal and confidential conflict resolution support to children, young people, care leavers, their families, and staff at the SOS country level.

Historical and current children, young people, care leavers, families and staff in SOS programmes who have safeguarding and/or HR inquiries that were not resolved satisfactorily within the local safeguarding teams can contact the National Ombuds for advice, guidance, and support. The National Ombuds works to promote fairness of process and conflict resolution within SOS Children’s Villages Member Associations through the SOS Ombuds Office’s fundamental principles.

The National Ombuds will operate independently from SOS Children’s Villages Uganda and will report to the Regional Ombuds.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serves as a vehicle for historical and current children, young people, care leavers, families and staff to make safeguarding or HR inquiries about issues that have not been dealt with to their satisfaction by SOS. The Ombuds will
  • Receive and address concerns in a timely manner;
  • Listen carefully to concerns, discuss an ‘action plan’, suggest next steps, guide Inquirers Through the agreed process as needed, and be available for ongoing support;
  • Help Inquirers to understand SOS processes and navigate between SOS and community structures and systems; and make referrals to appropriate SOS departments, local child protection agencies, legal advice, and/or community resources when appropriate.
• Collaborate and support children, young people and staff:
• Within their roles as Children/Young People and Staff Representatives;
• Within child-friendly and staff-friendly Safeguarding and Ombuds policies and processes; and to share their views and feedback to improve the Ombuds office.
• Develop and maintain a confidential database that tracks concerns until they are resolved.
• Identify relevant national trends within SOS programmes, services, and human resources; recommend changes to the National MA Board of Directors and the SOS Regional and Global Ombuds, while maintaining the confidentiality of the Inquirers to the Ombuds office.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in a relevant area such as child rights or child protection, child and youth studies, mediation, social work, child psychology, safeguarding or psychosocial wellbeing, law;
• Minimum five years demonstrated experience in one of the following fields: ombudsperson, mediation, child safeguarding, child protection, or child rights;
• Good level of knowledge of children’s rights or child protection/prevention and related issues – child safeguarding, child development and health, law, policies, regulations and International Standards related to children’s care;
• Experience in working with children and youths;
• Very good listener with good observational skills;
• Strong communication skills;
• Strong facilitation/training skills – Ability to develop and implement engaging trainings and ongoing support workshops for staff and children’ representatives;
• Demonstrated ability to build rapport with children and young people, to identify marginalized children and young people and connect with them and build trust;
• A problem solver, adviser and mediator capable of resolving young people’s and adults’ concerns effectively and in a timely manner;
• Understanding of the local context, including laws, policies, practices, language and social norms;
• Be gender and diverse sensitive and representative;
• Professional proficiency in English;
• Understand the foundations of the Ombuds’ work;
• You have the right to live and work in Uganda;
• Experience working in an NGO or international organization would be an asset.

We offer:

• Employment contract for one (1) year
• Training and development
• Support from the Regional Ombuds
• Satisfying and stimulating work
• In-person work arrangements
• The opportunity to work for an NGO that is a member of a recognized international network.

How to Apply:

If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, please send your application letter, detailed curriculum vitae (CV), and photocopies of academic certificates, and names and contact details of three traceable referees to the address:

All Applications must be sent electronically as one Single PDF Document not exceeding eight pages to: hr@ombuds-sos-cv.org

NB: Only electronic application are accepted.

To protect the independence of the Ombuds Office, this position is not open to SOS Children’s Villages employees or those who have been employed by SOS Children’s Villages within the last 2 years.

Applications that are late, do not have CV or certificates or exceeds eight pages or electronically submitted as images will be disqualified. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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