Assistant MHPSS Coordinator

Jesuit Refugee Service – South Sudan

Assistant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Coordinator for Counselling

Location: Maban, South Sudan

Application Closing Date: 1st November 2022

Position: Assistant MHPSS Coordinator

Reporting Line: MHPSS Coordinator

Position opened to: Both Internationals andSouth Sudanese Nationals

Organizational Context:

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organization, with a mission to accompany, serve and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people. JRS has a priority to work wherever the needs of displaced people are urgent and unattended by others and offers a human service to refugees and the communities through a wide range of rehabilitation and relief activities, many of which centred around formal and informal education needs

JRS’ MHPSS Department offers a range of services to people who have been displaced in 4 refugee camps in Maban, the Upper Nile Region of South Sudan. JRS MHPSS services also reach the host community of the same location. The JRS MHPSS intervention in Maban uses a multi-layered response with focus on provision of basic services, re-establishing community networks and support systems and providing focused non-specialized as well as specialized services for most vulnerable groups. Services include home visits, groups, material support, individual counselling and psychotherapy, group therapy, family therapy, training in basic mental health and counselling, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and distribution of mobility assistive devices.

Position Description

JRS is seeking to recruit a suitable candidate for the position of Assistant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Coordinator for Counselling. The Assistant Coordinator is responsible for mentoring and supervising the Counselling team as well as building a culture of clinical and professional excellence with the team so that they meet the global and JRS standards of mental health and psychosocial support services. The incumbent of this role also develops and leads in adaptations of counselling tools, protocols, and curricula so they are relevant and culturally appropriate to meet the psychosocial needs of persons we serve. Ability to conduct trainings and communicate to groups of people clearly, project management life cycle, and people management are also essential skills that the successful candidates should embody. The incumbent works closely with the MHPSS Coordinator to realize the set out departmental goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, and supervise JRS Maban counselling team and coordinate all counselling activities including planning and budget management for counselling activities.
• Support individual members of the team with regular supportive clinical supervision.
• Provide technical assistance and support to complex individual counselling cases and support groups.
• Initiate innovative solutions to data management and record-keeping of counselling sessions and support group meetings.
• Prepare reports on activities of the counselling team and contribute to project reporting, project planning, and project implementation in collaboration with the MHPSS coordinator.
• Contribute to the professional development of team members through training and mentorship.
• Take lead in the follow-up and documentation of the psychosocial referral systems in conjunction with the MHPSS Coordinator.
• Enhance quality of services through new innovative intervention mechanisms and maintaining JRS and international MHPSS service delivery standards.
• Liaise and work with other JRS partners as appropriate and as delegation permits.
• Collaborate with MHPSS Coordinator on departmental strategy and implementation of operational plan, including direct planning and implementation of MHPSS activities.
• Coordinate implementation of MEAL plan and programmatic Theory of Change, including capacity development of staff in MEAL best practices in conjunction with MHPSS Coordinator.
• Collaborate with the Education department on Inclusive Education with guidance from the MHPSS Coordinator
• Timely completion of the performance management with supervisees.
• Serve as administrative back stop to PSS Coordinator as necessary.
• Attend all trainings as required.
• Provide administrative support to the department from time to time.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Experience:

Essentials:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology or any other related field.
• A Master’s degree in Psychology will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of 5 years of clinical experience in psychotherapy; individual and group setting.
• Experience in MHPSS services in emergency settings and strong familiarity with evidence-based psychological tools and interventions which include the Psychological First Aid, mhGAP, Interpersonal Therapy, Self-Help Plus, Problem Management Plus, and scalable community-based psychosocial interventions.
• Experience working with marginalized or displaced populations.
• Strong experience providing supportive clinical supervision to counselling staff, and ability to coach and mentor.
• Excellent skills in training individuals or groups of people
• Excellent oral and written English Language skills. Oral Arabic is an added advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Patience, perseverance, and ability to work flexibly in stressful environments and a simple lifestyle.
• Proactive and self-motivated.
• Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Cultural sensitivity

Working Relationships:

Internal: MHPSS Coordinator (Supervisor), Assistant MHPSS Coordinator for Rehabilitation, Psychosocial Officers, Physiotherapists, Assistant Psychosocial Officers, Education Officers (school-related work), volunteers.

External:

Government departments, National and international Protection Partners, coordination platforms and working groups, community leaders

Core values

• Commitment to JRS mission, vision and values, and the ability to convey with enthusiasm JRS’s role in accompanying and serving forcibly displaced people and in advocating for their right to protection and a life in dignity.
• High integrity, honesty, and confidentiality; ability to deal tactfully, consistently, fairly, and discreetly with situations, people, and information.
• Acceptance of diversity and inclusion as a core value. Willingness to work in flexible, sub-optimal and multi-cultural environments.