Global Ombuds

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**About us**:
The Ombuds Office for SOS Children’s Villages (the 'Ombuds Office') is an independent office supporting children and young people with concerns that have not been successfully resolved by SOS Children’s Villages safeguarding processes. An Ombuds is a trustworthy person who can listen, support, and guide children, young people, and concerned adults. Developed with input from children and young people, the Ombuds Office functions on the principles of independence, impartiality, confidentiality, and informality. Honouring these principles are critical to the success of the Ombuds Office.

SOS Children’s Villages International is the umbrella organisation for the global federation of SOS Children’s Villages. As a non-governmental social development organisation, we support children without parental care and families in difficult living conditions through services in care, education, health and emergency relief, and we advocate for the rights of children and young people, in alliance with a great diversity of partners. We work in 136 countries and territories, reaching over one million children, young people, families, and caregivers each year.

**Mission**:
The Global Ombuds and the rest of the Ombuds Office for SOS Children’s Villages (i.e., National Ombuds, Regional Ombuds) work independently of SOS Children’s Villages while also aligning with SOS Children’s Villages International policies and processes. The Global Ombuds position is selected by and accountable to the Ombuds Board.

The Ombuds Office for SOS Children's Villages (the 'Ombuds Office') is an independent accountability mechanism that aims to strengthen SOS CV Child Safeguarding systems. The Ombuds Office operates with a child-centred and rights-based approach in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The goal of all Ombuds within the Ombuds Office is to promote fairness of process and successful conflict resolution within the SOS Children’s Villages’ federation and member associations.

The Global Ombuds oversees the global Ombuds Office. Within this role, the Global Ombuds is responsible to oversee the recruitment, training and mentoring of Regional Ombuds and support them to find solutions at the local level through National Ombuds. The Global Ombuds identifies child safeguarding trends and gaps and reports on them to the SOS Children’s Villages Senate, National and Regional Directors, National and Regional Child Safeguarding Teams, the Ombuds Board, and national association Boards.

The Global Ombuds represents the Ombuds Office to SOS Children’s Villages executive management and Senate, the Ombuds Board, and external stakeholders. The Global Ombuds provides consistent management of the Ombuds Office and ensures it acts with independence.

The Global Ombuds also collaborates with SOS Children's Villages to strengthen safeguarding. To this end, the Global Ombuds ensures that the Ombuds Office is consistently identifying and defining themes and gaps in child safeguarding so that SOS Children’s Villages Safeguarding understands how to strengthen its systems at all levels.

**About the role**:
**Location**:Innsbruck or Vienna (Austria)

**Duration**:Limited term to 31 December 2027

**Contract type**:Full-time Employment Contract

**Main activities**:

- Oversee the operations of the Ombuds Office, which includes Regional Ombuds, National Ombuds, an Ombuds Coordinator, and Ombuds Human Resources personnel.
- Regularly meet and report to the Ombuds Board to ensure accountability across the Ombuds Office.
- Oversee the confidential, secure Virtual Office and database.
- Lead and manage scale-up of the Ombuds approach.
- Train, supervise, and support Regional Ombuds. Refer Regional Ombuds to appropriate SOS Children’s Villages departments, national agencies, legal advice, mediation, and/or community resources when appropriate.
- Support Regional Ombuds to train, supervise, and support National Ombuds in their region.
- Report on Ombuds Office progress, challenges, global themes and gaps and actions taken in SOS Children’s Villages Safeguarding and make recommendations as appropriate.
- Review Ombuds’ concerns and communication challenges and find help them find solutions in a timely manner with accurate and helpful information.
- Support Regional and National Ombuds to navigate between SOS Children’s Villages policies and processes and external child safeguarding processes and systems as defined by national legislation and policy.
- Oversee the fair and equitable treatment of Ombuds.

**Requirements**:

- A Master degree in a relevant area, such as law, social work, psychology, sociology, child rights, or child and youth studies. A PhD or advanced degree or diploma is desirable.
- Eight years demonstrated experience as an Ombudsperson or a closely related role in child safeguarding, child protection, or child rights (including in assessments and investigations). Experience fac