Safeguarding and investigations manager jobs in south lanarkshire, scotland

Job Profile

CAFOD’s mission in the Catholic community of England and Wales is to inspire and equip Catholics to actively engage in the Church’s efforts to overcome poverty and injustice. Our regional teams focus on recruiting and supporting a dedicated group of volunteers within parish and school communities, empowering them to educate, engage, and inspire others to act in solidarity for the common good. Regional teams also collaborate with clergy and other representatives across the Catholic community to ensure CAFOD’s volunteer programme is aligned with faith life.

The primary purpose of this role is to provide administrative and communications support to the Community Participation Coordinators across England and Wales, with a focus on the West & Wales region as the first point of contact. This includes coordinating administrative tasks performed by office volunteers and identifying opportunities for process improvements. The role also involves volunteer recruitment administration, overseeing and training Office Volunteers, and ensuring effective database management.

This role can be based anywhere in the UK including our head office in London, working from home, from one of CAFOD’s Volunteer Centres, or a combination of both. The role requires occasional travel to London and other areas within the East & West side of the country. Travel expenses will be reimbursed, and time off in lieu will be granted for travel beyond normal working hours.

This is a full-time position (35 hours per week) and reports to the Volunteer Support and Development Coordinator.

Key Responsibilities Overview
The post holder will play a key role in driving smooth, efficient operations across CAFOD’s West & Wales region. As the go-to person for admin excellence and volunteer support, you’ll work closely with your line manager and colleagues in the East to streamline processes, improve systems, and keep everything running like clockwork.

You’ll lead on volunteer recruitment and engagement—welcoming new volunteers, managing onboarding, and ensuring everyone feels valued, equipped, and inspired to support CAFOD’s work. Your people skills and attention to detail will shine as you manage applications, data entry, and training coordination.

Communications will be at the heart of your role. You’ll create engaging e-bulletins and social media content that keeps our community informed and motivated, while ensuring messages are clear, consistent, and aligned with CAFOD’s wider goals.

You’ll be the guardian of accurate data, working with office volunteers to maintain up-to-date records that support smarter outreach and efficient workflows. Your collaborative spirit will help strengthen connections across teams, share best practices, and contribute to creative new approaches for engaging communities.

This is a role for a proactive, organised, and people-focused individual who’s excited to innovate, solve problems, and make a tangible impact in a supportive, values-led organisation.

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Understanding our context

1. Understanding Catholic identity: sympathetic knowledge of the life, culture and structure of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and an ability to work effectively within it and especially an understanding of parish community life.
2. Understanding CAFOD: ability to express what motivates people to volunteer for, and support, CAFOD and the main activities in which Catholic community primarily participate. Being informed about, supportive of, and actively promoting our anti-racism work.

Working together

1. Managing ourselves: strong interpersonal skills including an ability to develop personal relationships quickly and to convince others.  Ability to be self-motivated and able to work in isolation linking with different people in a variety of contexts; confident with articulating support required for you to work well.
2. Working with others: builds positive and fruitful partnerships, particularly with volunteers; works effectively as part of a team which may work at a distance to ensure sharing of good practice and shared workload; being willing and able to help other team members and be helped to achieve delivery of shared objectives.
3. Communicating: ability to identify how best to communicate instructions and processes clearly and how this helps achieve the objectives CAFOD seeks to deliver and how to share knowledge and information across teams.

Making change happen

1. Managing resources: confident with processing data for planning, monitoring and reporting:  proven time-management, data-management and organisational skills/experience of delegating tasks clearly and making improvements to processes.
2. Achieving results: ability and willingness to focus on achieving efficiencies, especially in support of regional plans for community participation and income growth.
3. Managing our performance: ability and willingness to work to targets and achieve results.

Job-Specific Competencies

Administrative Process Improvement:

Proven ability to assess, streamline, and document administrative processes. Strong organisational skills are required to manage a variety of tasks and ensure efficient delegation to volunteers. Ability to identify inefficiencies and propose practical solutions to enhance office operations.

Volunteer Recruitment & Engagement:

Expertise in recruiting, onboarding, and maintaining volunteer engagement. You will build strong relationships with volunteers, ensuring their experience is positive and aligned with CAFOD’s mission. Experience in using volunteer management systems and managing volunteer data is essential.

Communication & Content Creation: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience in producing engaging content for e-bulletins, newsletters, and other media resources. Ability to tailor messaging to different audiences, ensuring clarity and consistency in CAFOD’s communications.

Data Management & Accuracy:

Attention to detail is crucial for maintaining accurate records. Experience with databases, data segmentation, and ensuring data integrity is essential. A strong understanding of data protection standards, including GDPR, will be necessary.

Collaboration & Team Communication:

Effective communicator with internal teams, ensuring smooth communication and alignment across various regions. Ability to foster positive working relationships and collaborate across teams, both virtually and in person. Proficiency with communication tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom is required.

Training & Support:

Experience in delivering training to volunteers and staff, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge. Ability to provide ongoing support to regional office volunteers, helping them succeed and contribute effectively to the team.

Adaptability & Problem-solving:

Flexible and resourceful, able to adapt to changing priorities. You will be expected to identify challenges and propose solutions to keep operations running smoothly.

Commitment to CAFOD’s Mission & Values:

A deep understanding of CAFOD’s mission and Catholic social teaching, with the ability to align volunteer engagement and administrative activities with the organization’s goals of addressing poverty and injustice.

Use of Digital Tools & Systems:

Competence in using databases, Microsoft Office Suite, and collaboration tools. Ability to train volunteers in these systems to ensure smooth operations across teams.

Project Management & Accountability:

Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring tasks are completed within deadlines and to a high standard. You will be responsible for delivering results aligned with CAFOD’s objectives.

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues.  If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).  If the post is based outside the UK the post holder will be subject to a different checking process.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

Location: Home-based in the UK, with regular national and international travel

Contract: 2 years with the possibility of extension dependent on continuation of funding.

Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer

Salary: £65,000 to £70,000.

Additional benefits: 25 days annual leave plus public holidays (annual leave increasing by 1 extra day for every year’s service up to 30 days total), life assurance and access to an employee assistance programme.

WeProtect Global Alliance will not be responding to expressions of interest or applications sent by third parties (agencies, brokers or recruitment specialists).

We require a highly skilled and motivated individual who has strong ethical standards and demonstrable commitment to the values of WeProtect Global Alliance to help plan, coordinate, implement and track our existing and new global strategy to ensure that our members collectively work together to create a world where children and young people can access and participate in the digital world free from harm, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.

The successful candidate will demonstrate considerable professional experience in a comparable role and a genuine passion for child protection. They will have a strong track record in developing, harnessing and deploying policy and research outputs to support and collaborate with the WeProtect Global Alliance community to develop real world solutions to make the digital world safer for children and young people across the globe.

Politically, commercially and financially astute, you will have a broad range of skills. You will be able to build relationships and work effectively with a broad range of global partners (who often hold competing views and opinions). You will confidently and comfortably support often ambiguous and sensitive negotiations with diverse stakeholders as we develop and implement the organisation’s new global strategy.

You will be able to focus on both the detail and the bigger picture in a complex policy and legislative landscape and be an inspirational and supportive team player who will live our values, shine confidently as a key member of the senior management team, be a role model to our brilliant research manager and policy manager and ambassador when engaging with members and external partners.

If working on strategy, research and policy, combined with our mission of making the digital world free of harm for children and young people, motivate you to come to work and give your best every day, then this is the place for you and we cannot wait to welcome you!

About WeProtect Global Alliance 

The online world was not created with children in mind and can be unsafe for children and young people to explore. Every phone and computer is a potential gateway for offenders seeking to sexually exploit children. Our Alliance generates political commitment and practical approaches to make the digital world safe and positive for children, preventing sexual abuse and long-term harm.

Our Alliance’s geographical reach is unprecedented: 103 governments are members along with 82 private sector companies, 126 civil society organisations and 10 intergovernmental organisations. This diverse membership is key to our ability to deliver real change. Together, we break down complex problems and develop policies and solutions to protect children from sexual abuse online. More information on who we are and what we do can be found on the WeProtect Global Alliance website.

WeProtect Global Alliance is supported by a high-performing secretariat of eleven staff based in the UK and Belgium and is overseen by an influential Global Policy Board that the Head of Strategy will work collaboratively with to ensure the Alliance members remain impact and child centred.

Job description

Overall purpose of role

As the WeProtect Global Alliance Head of Strategy, you will lead a small team to build a global network, evidence base and policy portfolio to guide and drive the implementation of our Strategy and mission targets. Your team will provide high level analysis and ask critical questions, supporting the Alliance to identify immediate and emerging issues which may require investigation or exploration, support the Policy Board, Executive Team, Head of Members and Head of Development to navigate key strategic decisions.

You will also work closely with the Head of Members and Head of Development to support the development of new ways of working to harness Alliance members and broader community of practice to understand our collective impact and ensure our secretariat, members and broader organization actively remain relevant and focused on delivering our mission and strategic objectives. 

You will lead the WeProtect Global Alliance Research and Policy work, with key accountability for the following outcomes:

· Work with the Executive Team and Policy Board to implement the existing WeProtect Global Alliance strategy and ensure the forthcoming strategy remains targeted and focused on achieving the Alliance’s global ambition.

· Work with the Executive Team and Policy Board to develop and implement the WeProtect Global Alliance approach, strategy and operational targets on participation and engagement.

· Collaborate with the Head of Members, the Head of Development and MEL lead to collectively build, maintain and oversee our theory of change and operational model to ensure our Strategy remains impactful and has real world impact on the lives of children and young people.

· Provide inspirational leadership and empower our Policy Manager and Research Manager to pro-actively deliver a portfolio of work that will raise the profile of our mission and shift the needle on governmental, public and private sector agencies approaches to child protection and safety in the digital world. This includes overseeing the production of the WeProtect Global Alliance biennial Global Threat Assessment, Model National Response and Global Strategic Response.

· Build and maintain meaningful engagement with a broad range of external stakeholders across the public, private and third sector (including government agencies, advocacy communities, specialist tech and civil society organisations) across the globe to deliver the WeProtect Global Alliance strategic mission.

· Play an active role in building the operational resilience, financial sustainability and compliance capability and capacity of the Secretariat to provide a world class service to our members and Board to ensure WeProtect Global Alliance remains focused on creating a world where children and young people can access and participate in the digital world free from harm, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.

Key Responsibilities

1. To lead the Strategy team, ensuring the research and policy portfolios are informed by best practice to achieve our mission, vision and embody our values.  This includes working across the Secretariat to deliver the existing strategy and collaborate with Executive Team to develop and implement our new strategy.

2. To be a thought leader, keep abreast of external trends and developments and changing circumstances to ensure the WeProtect Global Alliance Strategy remains relevant, targeted and focused on improving outcomes for children and young people in a rapidly changing legislative, operational and technology landscape.

3. To be accountable for strategy, research, policy and cross organisational projects and work streams.  This includes planning and organising relevant performance and delivery areas, being mindful of cross-cutting impacts and priorities.

4. To be accountable for the commissioning, delivery and impact of strategic projects, ensuring they are led and informed by participatory and advocacy principles to reflect the diversity of our membership, embed lived experience, and deliver the WeProtect Global Alliance mission.

5. To ensure the continuous development and effective delivery of the WeProtect Global Alliance Strategy in a fast paced, politically sensitive and rapidly changing external environment, including participating in and leading (where relevant) annual business planning, forecasting, setting, monitoring, reviewing and reporting on budgets and relevant donor requirements to support effective decision making throughout the year.

6. To provide exemplary leadership and line management to staff, including appraisals, supervision, team meetings, delegating, managing, engaging, developing and supporting staff to be the best they can be and achieve our strategic objectives in accordance with our vision and values.

7. Lead and develop effective working relationships with external partners, stakeholders, members and staff to maximise the collective impact of WeProtect Global Alliance (governmental, public, private, civil society and advocacy communities).

8. To take accountability for preparing papers, reports and presentations for internal and external meetings including senior management meetings, executive team, trustee, board and reference groups meetings. To attend, chair, and contribute to meetings, briefings, reviews, due diligence and auditing and compliance activities.

9. Represent the Executive Director and the Chief Operating Officer at internal and external events, share peer responsibility for problem solving challenges, creating a ‘one team’ approach to delivery and deputising were appropriate.

10. To be an ambassador, spokesperson and representative of WeProtect Global Alliance Secretariat at external events.

Expectations

As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) you will also have a pivotal role to play in supporting and improving the organisations effectiveness as we develop the WeProtect Global Alliance new strategy, operating model and ways of working to ensure we remain effective, responsive and relevant in an increasingly polarized political landscape as we enter the fourth industrial revolution.

As a global, multi-sector alliance, ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is embedded in everything we do is a critical priority. We embrace diversity and understand that being an inclusive organisation, recognising different perspectives, will enable us to be impactful and effective.  We are committed to ensuring all our employees are treated fairly and equitably at work and promoting equality in physical and mental health for all.

1. To attend and contribute to meetings, training and other events as required.

2. To actively participate in our supervision and appraisal process.

3. To ensure that all responsibilities and activities within this post are delivered in accordance with WeProtect Global Alliance core values and relevant corporate, organisational, financial and compliance policies.

4. To travel to meetings and fora which may require the need to work unsociable hours e.g. attending evening or weekend meetings.

5. To adhere to relevant legal and statutory requirements including Data Protection Act and the Health and Safety at Work Act.

6. To use WeProtect Global Alliance resources responsibly.

Person Specification

Essential criteria

Experience

1. Significant senior experience and demonstrable record leading a Strategy Team to deliver an ambitious child centred mission on the global stage.

2. Outstanding leadership and team management experience, including experience coaching and line managing direct reports.

3. Demonstrable effective influencing and negotiation skills and political judgment with a proven track record building productive and impactful professional relationship and partnerships with a wide range of individuals and organisations.

4. Demonstrable experience leading change and transformation with demonstrable qualities as a change agent. 

5. Demonstrable senior management level experience in project management, financial, donor and budget management, monitoring, evaluation and lesson learning across the fields of strategy, research and policy.

6. Significant experience commissioning high quality, high value research and policy projects and able to demonstrate the use of insights in long term planning and impact frameworks.

Skills

1. Outstanding communication skills and ability to effectively engage and build meaningful relationships with internal and external staff and stakeholders at all levels.

2. Outstanding self-management skills to work independently, autonomously and as part of a team, using own initiative and being flexible and adaptable to deliver as ‘one team’.

3. Excellent IT, project management, financial management and donor engagement skills.

4. Demonstrable excellent planning and organisation skills to deliver work to agreed timescales and standards.

Knowledge

1. Knowledge and understanding of WeProtect Global Alliance mission, vision, values and ambition and how it applies to this post.

2. Knowledge and understanding of a child centred approach to participation, advocacy and EDI and how it applies to this post, with a focus on embedding effective policies and processes.

3. Awareness of global child protection policies and procedures within the digital arena and a genuine passion for child protection.

Other

1. A willingness to travel and work unsocial hours (time in lieu can be claimed)

2. Commitment to your own continuing professional and personal development

3. To uphold high standards of work, standards and conduct in line with WeProtect Global Alliance values.

Diversity, inclusion and equity

We welcome applicants from all sections of the community, regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation. We particularly welcome applicants from ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups. 

Safeguarding and values

As a child-focused organisation, we have a strong commitment to child safeguarding and rigorous procedures. The successful candidate will be required to provide two referees and to undergo a criminal record check. 

All staff are expected to act at all times in a manner consistent with our values and in compliance with our policies and procedures, including our Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct.

Our values are: 

· Empowerment – collaboration, innovation, challenge

· Accountability – responsibility, delivery, safeguarding

· Respect – honesty, feedback, inclusion