Senior Safeguarding and OHS Coordinator, Infrastructure

Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP)

• Long term position
• Contract duration: commencing as soon as possible to 30 June 2027, with the intent to extend to 2 years with possible further extension (subject to Program end date extension and program funding)
• This position is open to national applicants only.

FPSP Overview:

The Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP, or the ‘Platform’) is a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment that will contribute to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan.

The Platform will deliver key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities will identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs.

The Platform has three functional Outcomes:

1. The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments.
2. The Platform has prioritised gender equality and disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji agencies.
3. The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management.

The Platform implements over fifty percent of Australia’s bilateral development support to Fiji across a range of sector programs in education, health, Australia Awards, disaster response, cyclone recovery, social infrastructure and technical assistance to improve public sector governance in Fiji.

The Platform integrates cross-cutting themes, including gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), climate and disaster resilience, across sectoral programs. In particular, the Platform seeks to strengthen program outcomes by better addressing the needs of targeted beneficiaries including those who are often marginalised.

Program Overview:

The Australian Government is currently delivering three social infrastructure programs (Infrastructure Programs) in Fiji:

• The New National Hospital Master Plan Program will deliver a comprehensive masterplan for a new national referral hospital in Fiji.
• Fiji Social Infrastructure Program will support upgrades to school and health infrastructure, commencing with priority schools and hospitals identified; and provide technical assistance to the Ministries of Education and Health to uplift their systems, process and capacity for maintenance and upgrades over the medium term.

Position Summary:

The Senior Safeguarding and OHS Coordinator, Infrastructure (the “Coordinator”) is responsible for leading and overseeing Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), environmental and social safeguarding requirements across FPSP infrastructure investments.

Working within the Platform Management Unit’s Cross-Cutting Hub as a dedicated resource for the Infrastructure Program team, the Coordinator will ensure that Abt Global’s Environmental and Social Safeguard policies — including Child Protection (CP) and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) — are consistently applied across all infrastructure activities and contractual obligations to manage OHS are met.

The role provides technical guidance and training to staff, contractors, sub-contractors and delivery partners to ensure safeguarding and OHS risks are identified, mitigated and managed, in line with DFAT requirements and Abt Global policies. The Coordinator will promote a culture of safety – creating an environment where everyone understands, values, and prioritises OHS, and environmental and social safeguarding are actively integrated into infrastructure planning, delivery and monitoring.

Key Responsibilities:

OHS

• Ensure contractor OHS management plans for infrastructure works are in place and up-to-date, and develop/review plans, as needed.
• Conduct OHS site visits / job safety analysis, conducting risk assessments, identifying hazards, assessing risks, and recommending mitigation strategies to ensure compliance through immediate communication on-site, recording, reporting, and communication of findings.
• Receive, log, track resolution of OHS incidents.
• Ensure timely reporting and escalation of any report to the GEDSI and Safeguarding Manager and Infrastructure Senior Management Team for further escalation and action as needed (i.e. to the client and to determine if imminent intervention, such as stopping the job is required).
• Advise Procurement and Contracts Team and Infrastructure Senior Management on OHS risk controls at design and procurement stages.
• Review outgoing contracts to ensure rigorous contract language in OHS sections of contracts.
• Keep up-to-date with Fiji’s National OHS requirements and other regulatory authorities, as required.

Environmental and Social Safeguards

• Work with the Procurement and Contracts Team and Cross Cutting Priorities Team to ensure all activities undergo appropriate environmental risk assessment
• Ensure all partners are logged into Abt Global’s partner risk and compliance management portal – Partner Portal.
• Conduct safeguarding (child protection and PSEAH) and fraud risk assessments on partners, including sub-contractors, grant partners and service providers).
• Ensure appropriate safeguarding compliance requirements and mitigating actions are incorporated into contracts and service agreements.
• Develop and enable comprehensive reporting mechanisms for all program partners for safeguarding misconduct allegations.
• Review and assess partners’ safeguarding policies and procedures and develop Corrective Action Plans to ensure compliance with minimum standards.
• Support partners to develop and maintain safeguarding procedures that meet minimum standards as needed.
• Apply the do-no-harm principles in all infrastructure safeguarding decisions, including site layout, fencing work, work scheduling, contractor conduct, and interactions with communities setting such as schools, health facilities, and religious groups, rural and remote communities, and etc.
• Support the PMU Senior Safeguarding Coordinator to maintain and monitor a central register of grant agreements and contracts assessed as medium or high Safeguarding risks, including maintaining compliance evidence for audits.
• Respond to any reports or disclosures of child exploitation and abuse, sexual exploitation and abuse, or policy/code of conduct non-compliance in accordance with established procedures in liaison with the GEDSI and Safeguarding Manager and Cross-cutting Priorities Lead.

Training and Capacity Building

• Deliver Safeguarding (CP and PSEAH) incident management training for partners tailored to program activities and context
• Monitor and and mentor staff to ensure consistent implementation of safeguarding procedures across all Infrastructure activities.
• Be part of the Abt Global Safeguarding Community of Practice to share knowledge, identify emerging trends and challenges, and implement continuous improvement to safeguarding systems across Abt programs in Fiji.

Incident Management

• Ensure that incident reporting and response processes are confidential, accessible and appropriate for all workers and community members, including contractors, sub-contractors and facility users.
• Serve as the central contact point and respond to any reports or disclosures of child exploitation, sexual exploitation and/or abuse, including potential non-compliance with Safeguarding Policy or Code of Conduct by staff or partners.
• Support end to end safeguarding incident management process with a victim/survivor-centred approach and provide referral to in-country support services.
• Support the GEDSI and Safeguarding Manager, Cross-cutting Priorities Lead and Safeguarding Officer (corporate office) to ensure timely reporting to DFAT within required timeframes (immediate/same day reporting for potential child protection incident or child protection policy non-compliance, within 48 hours for potential sexual exploitation abuse or harassment (SEAH) incident, and within 5 business days for SEAH policy non-compliance); in accordance with the Abt Incident Management Procedure Safeguarding.

Team Collaboration

• Work closely with PMU Cross Cutting Priority Hub to support unified Safeguarding management practices.
• Interface with Abt Head Office (Brisbane) and other counterparts as needed.

General

• Maintain and provide OHS and safeguarding data for internal and external audits and other reporting (including quarterly, six monthly and annual reporting), supporting with report writing, as needed.
• Collaborate with the Senior GEDSI Coordinator on the intersection with GEDSI, Safeguarding (Child Protection, PSEAH) and Fraud, this includes in relation to risk assessment and processes.
• Collaborate with the Climate & Disaster Resilience Manager on the intersection with Environmental Safeguards and Risk Assessments.
• Work with Abt Global Safeguarding and Risk and Assurance staff to ensure continuous improvements in the Safeguarding Risk assessment systems, including the Partner Portal.
• Other reasonable duties as required by GEDSI and Safeguarding Manager.

Key Working Relationships:

• Directly reporting to: GEDSI and Safeguarding Manager (PMU)
• Indirectly reporting to: Senior Program Manager, Infrastructure
• Working in close collaboration with:
  • Infrastructure Senior Management Team
  • Senior Safeguarding Coordinator (PMU)
  • Broader PMU Cross Cutting Priorities Team
  • Platform Leadership Team
  • Operations and Procurement Team
• Other
  • FPSP Infrastructure Team, including but not limited to Project Managers, Officers, Coordinators, Admin, Communications personnel.
  • Abt Safeguarding Centre of Expertise
  • Abt Safeguarding Community of Practice
  • Infrastructure partners and sub contractors and National OHS Council and other regulatory authorities as required

Selection Criteria:

• Demonstrable experience related to social and environmental safeguards risk assessment; and implementing safeguards focused on child protection and/or prevention or sexual exploitation abuse and harassment.
• Significant demonstrated experience in supporting safeguarding compliance on large, complex programs, including leading the development and implementation of policy safeguard risk assessments, implementation plans and technical capacity development across a broad range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in OHS / Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
• Comprehensive understanding of DFAT’s Environmental and Social Safeguard Policy, including child protection, PSEAH, environmental safeguards and health and safety.
• Experience managing investigation processes and handling sensitive information with the utmost discretion.
• Commitment to equity-centered, rights-based, intersectional, survivor-centered and trauma informed approaches.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including colleges, partners, government officials, and other key internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills including the preparation of reports, briefs and policy analysis for executive audiences and key stakeholders.
• Experience working on DFAT projects is highly desirable

How to apply:

Applications close on Friday 25 September 2026

Please apply online by submitting a cover letter addressing how you meet the selection criteria of this role and up-to-date comprehensive CV.

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Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits. Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer: Abt Associates will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment.