Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Coordinator

Boat Refugee Foundation is looking for a coordinator to lead our Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programme on Lesvos. Do you have extensive experience in the field of MHPSS programme management and working with people on the move in a multicultural setting? Are you a natural leader, able to set boundaries and work independently in a challenging environment? Are you also innovative, flexible and available for six months? Then read on!

Boat Refugee Foundation (BRF) provides medical and psychosocial (emergency) aid and stands up for the rights of people seeking refuge. We take action where systems become inhumane and compassion is lost. Since 2015, we have been working in various locations at the borders of Europe.

What will you be doing?
The MHPSS Coordinator coordinates the MHPSS activities, develops the programme, leads a team of professional volunteers and maintains and builds upon existing relationships with partner organisations and local authorities. The MHPSS-team on Lesvos consists of experienced psychologists and other mental health specialists who provide support to service users visiting our medical clinic and follow-up consultations outside of the medical shifts. The focus of our MHPSS programme is on providing mental health and psychosocial support in the form of supportive conversations, education on stress management techniques and empowerment. We work in a trauma-sensitive manner and discuss cases as a team.

The coordination team consists of the Volunteer, Medical and MHPSS Coordinator who are all line-managed by the Area Manager. Together with the Area Manager and the MHPSS Advisor, you assess the ever-changing psychosocial needs of the target population in order to develop and improve the MHPSS programme.

You have the following responsibilities:

• Coordinate all aspects of the MHPSS team and activities to ensure high quality psychological care
• Provide leadership to the MHPSS team and support them in the implementation of activities.
• Expand existing projects and set up new ones in accordance with changing needs.
• Attend relevant meetings with external actors including government officials and other organisations.
• Build and maintain existing relationships and networks and continue to collaborate with other organisations and local authorities.
• Contribute to the strong, multidisciplinary cooperation with the medical team and support the medical staff where necessary.
• Create and renew protocols, manuals, rules of conduct and external training material
• In collaboration with the Area Manager, ensure mission quality and continuously work to improve processes and policies.
• Monitor and evaluate the activities of the programme and suggest proposals for improvement based on collected data and observations.
• Point of contact for substantive questions related to MHPSS.

Required knowledge, experience and skills we are looking for:

• Master’s degree in (clinical) psychology, psychiatry or equivalent studies with technical knowledge of project management.
• At least 2 years of work experience in a clinical setting and working with individuals with specific vulnerabilities such as SGBV survivors, victims of torture and violence, etc.
• Experience working abroad and in an multicultural contexts is desirable
• An affinity for working in a constantly changing and multicultural context with adult education and empowerment-oriented activities.
• Fluent in English, both verbal and written. Knowledge of Greek,, Farsi, Arabic and/or French is an advantage.
• Leadership/management experience.
• Strong interpersonal and intercultural communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, in a solution-oriented manner.
• Open to (self) reflection and feedback discussions.
• Experience with monitoring and evaluation is an advantage.
• Eligible to live and work in an EU country.
• EU drivers licence B. This is a necessary requirement for the position.

What do we offer?

• A temporary full-time contract for six months (extension after this period is possible). Your contract will be a freelance agreement/self employment contract. The monthly remuneration for this position is € 2.613,45 in 2023.
• An allowance for cost of living
• An allowance for your flight to and from Lesvos
• (Shared) rental car + fuel