Senior Director of Safeguarding, Screening & Child Protection (Volunteer)

Senior Director of Safeguarding, Screening & Child Protection (Volunteer)

PromiseTrust | Safeguarding, Child Protection & Organizational Safety

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseTrust

Location: Remote with NYC-based collaboration as needed

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week

Type: Volunteer Senior Leadership Role

Minimum Commitment: 6-month commitment required

Reports To: Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a NYC-based nonprofit organization serving children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, educational enrichment, workforce development, creative opportunity, advocacy, and community-centered support.

The safety and well-being of every child, family, volunteer, and community member is fundamental to our mission.

MAP is committed to maintaining a culture of safeguarding, accountability, transparency, and trust across every program, partnership, volunteer role, and organizational activity.

About PromiseTrust

PromiseTrust is MAP's legal, governance, compliance, ethics, risk management, and organizational protection division.

The division helps ensure that MAP operates with integrity, accountability, strong governance, and a steadfast commitment to protecting the children and families we serve.

Role Overview

The Senior Director of Safeguarding, Screening & Child Protection serves as MAP's senior leader responsible for safeguarding strategy, volunteer screening governance, child protection standards, risk mitigation, and organizational safety practices.

This role provides leadership for safeguarding systems across the organization and helps ensure that child protection remains embedded in every aspect of MAP's operations, programs, partnerships, and volunteer engagement activities.

The Senior Director works closely with PromisePeople, PromisePrograms, PromiseLearning, PromisePublic, and Executive Leadership to strengthen MAP's culture of safety and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

Safeguarding Leadership

• Lead MAP's safeguarding and child protection strategy
• Establish safeguarding standards across all programs and activities
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and prevention
• Advise leadership on safeguarding matters and emerging risks
• Support continuous improvement of child protection practices

Volunteer Screening & Verification

• Oversee volunteer screening and eligibility review processes
• Manage criminal background screening governance
• Support volunteer re-screening and monitoring practices
• Review screening outcomes and escalation cases
• Maintain screening standards and procedures

Child Protection & Risk Management

• Maintain organizational child protection standards
• Support safeguarding reviews and risk assessments
• Develop mitigation strategies for identified risks
• Partner with leadership on child safety initiatives
• Promote proactive risk management practices

Partner Due Diligence

• Support safeguarding reviews of community partners and external organizations
• Assist with youth-serving partnership assessments
• Promote child protection standards across collaborative initiatives
• Strengthen organizational due diligence processes

Incident Review & Case Management

• Support review and documentation of safeguarding concerns
• Coordinate appropriate escalation and response procedures
• Maintain confidential records and case documentation
• Monitor trends and organizational learning opportunities
• Strengthen safeguarding accountability systems

Training & Compliance

• Lead annual safeguarding education initiatives
• Develop child protection training resources
• Support volunteer and leadership training requirements
• Promote awareness of safeguarding responsibilities
• Maintain safeguarding compliance documentation

Policy & Governance

• Develop and maintain safeguarding policies and procedures
• Support policy reviews and organizational audits
• Recommend improvements to safeguarding systems
• Ensure alignment with organizational standards and best practices

Leadership Responsibilities

The Senior Director provides leadership and oversight for:

Volunteer Screening & Verification

Responsible for:

• Background screening governance
• Eligibility reviews
• Re-screening processes
• Volunteer verification

Partner Due Diligence

Responsible for:

• Partner assessments
• Risk reviews
• Organizational vetting
• Safeguarding evaluations

Child Protection & Safeguarding

Responsible for:

• Child protection standards
• Safeguarding practices
• Safety audits
• Prevention initiatives

Risk Assessment & Case Review

Responsible for:

• Incident reviews
• Risk evaluations
• Documentation
• Escalation support

Training & Compliance

Responsible for:

• Safeguarding training
• Compliance monitoring
• Education initiatives
• Policy implementation

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in safeguarding, child protection, youth development, nonprofit leadership, education, compliance, investigations, risk management, social work, or related fields
• Strong understanding of child safety and safeguarding principles
• Experience working with youth-serving organizations preferred
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality
• Strong policy, documentation, and leadership skills
• Commitment to child protection, ethical leadership, and organizational accountability

Why This Role Matters

Safeguarding is not a single policy.

It is not a single background check.

It is not a single training.

It is a culture.

The Senior Director of Safeguarding, Screening & Child Protection helps ensure that every child served by Mentor A Promise is protected by strong systems, responsible oversight, thoughtful prevention, and a community committed to safety.

This role helps safeguard the trust placed in MAP by children, families, volunteers, schools, shelters, and community partners.

Volunteer Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment
• Maintain strict confidentiality and professional discretion
• Collaborate through MAP systems and communication platforms
• Support MAP's safeguarding, ethical, and mission-centered culture
• Participate in leadership and compliance meetings

What You'll Gain

• Senior leadership experience overseeing safeguarding and child protection systems
• Opportunity to shape organizational safety and risk management practices
• Collaboration with legal, program, HR, education, and executive leaders
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Meaningful impact protecting children and families experiencing housing instability

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and include their resume and cover letter.

Please highlight experience involving safeguarding, child protection, youth services, investigations, compliance, risk management, education, nonprofit leadership, or related fields.

Help us build a culture where every child is protected, every concern is taken seriously, and every family can trust that safety comes first.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understanding of these constraints.