Background/Context

The Central and West Africa Regional Office (CWARO) located in Dakar, Senegal, supports and provides oversight to NRC’s country programmes in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. NRC’s programmes and advocacy support families affected by conflict in the shelter, food security and livelihoods, education, water and sanitation, camp management, and legal assistance sectors. NRC has over 1,450 employees working on the NRC regional response.

Regional Investigation Specialist

In this position you will be responsible for supporting and conducting internal investigations in the region, in coordination with the HO Anti-Corruption and Investigation Specialist, Head of PSEA and Safeguarding, and relevant regional and country office staff. You will mainly conduct and advise on administrative, internal investigations into allegations of misconduct, but also on other potential violations of NRC’s rules and regulations as needed. The Regional Investigation Specialist is responsible for providing expert advice and to actively contribute to NRC’s wider learning on fraud and corruption risk reduction specifically, but also on other areas such as on PSEA as advised by the technical line.

In this role you will ensure independence by completing/supporting investigations that are ethical and free of conflict of interest and in turn, provide assurance to the affected communities, the organisation, and donors that complaints, allegations and incidents are investigated and resolved effectively, in a timely manner and without bias or prejudice, as well as ensuring confidentiality in sensitive cases. In addition, you may be required to operate outside of the assigned region to manage or advise on high-risk investigations, relieve the pressure of high caseloads for other investigators or cover leave in other regions.

The Regional Investigation Specialist will work closely with the Global Risk Management Section, the Regional Management Group, NRC Country Directors, and a variety of staff across NRC programmes in the region. You will report to the Regional Office, and have a strong technical line to the Head Office Anti-corruption and Investigation Specialist on technical aspects of investigations, investigation plans and casework, and to the Head of Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Safeguarding on all SEA cases and PSEA efforts.

1. Role and responsibilities

These responsibilities shall be adapted to the particularities of the job location and context, phase of operation, strategic focus, and type of intervention. This section shall be revised whenever a new employee is hired or the context changes significantly.

• Assess initial reports of possible misconduct in line with NRC guidelines and support to determine if an investigation is necessary.
• When required, travel to carry out high-quality, internal investigations in country offices in the region or other NRC locations, including documentation analysis, interviews of witness’s and subjects of complaints and other investigative actions. Position may require extensive travel to remote areas with limited amenities.
• In consultation with other NRC regional positions, the HO Anti-Corruption and Investigations Specialist, the HO PSEA Unit, and other relevant Head Office staff, coordinate due process and help promote compliance with NRC polices and processes.
• Prepare regular analysis reports for regional management, the HO Anti-Corruption and Investigation Specialist, and the HO Head of PSEA and Safeguarding, outlining trends and highlighting specific issues related to investigations including corruption, and sexual exploitation and abuse in the region.
• Support in tracking all ongoing incidents, cases, and relevant documentation according to NRC standards via case filing system and online case tracking system.
• Support the operation of whistleblowing and complaint and feedback mechanisms, including appropriate response and follow up with whistleblowers and complainants.
• Train, coach, and mentor country office staff who participate in investigations
• Contribute to the development of capacity building programmes, including but not limited to Code of Conduct, investigations and Anti-Corruption.
• Roll out capacity building and learning while in country offices.
• Support high risk investigations, offload large caseloads or cover leave/absence in other offices or regions upon request and in line with NRC procedures
• Lead on tracking and follow up of investigations and recommendations with relevant countries based on investigation findings and trends
• Other related tasks, as required

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Head Office Anti-Corruption & Investigations Specialist
• The Head of Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Safeguarding Unit
• Country and Regional Risk and Compliance Staff and Units
• Peer Regional investigators and Country investigators, where in place
• Regional Office Management Group and other departments
• Country Directors, Heads of Units, and managers
• CO and RO HR and HSS staff
• Head Office departments/specialists, especially Institutional Partnership advisers, Data Protection Officer, Senior legal advisers
• International bodies working on anti-corruption and investigations

2. Competencies

• University degree or equivalent in investigations; or significant training and experience in the field of investigations
• Formal training and/or certification in investigative methodology (ACFE, CIP) or significant training and experience in the field of investigations
• At least 5 years investigative experience
• Fluency in written and spoken English and French
• Knowledge of the context in the Central and West Africa region desirable
• Experience with administrative investigations
• Management experience in the humanitarian sector.
• Relevant international work experience, ideally in conflict or post-conflict settings
• Experience in conducting survivor centered approaches when handling cases of sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian settings
• Clear ethical focus, high integrity, and ability to confidentially handle sensitive information
• Attention to detail, and ability to manage/support on large number of incidents/cases

Find here JD for more details Regional Investigation Specialist

What We Offer

• 12months fixed contract with possibility of extension
• An opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause
• A chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields

Internal candidates are encouraged to apply but we are also open to external applicants who can show a commitment to NRC and being part of a challenging, but important mission to make a difference.

To apply as an internal candidate, click on the suitcase icon “I am an employee” on the top right of the page to be redirected to NRC’s internal career site

**Apply by completing all the system required fields of your experience in your application**