Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer (P2) Juba, South Sudan

Position Title: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer

Duty Station: Juba, South Sudan

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade P2

Type of Appointment: Special short-term graded, 9 months with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 12 June 2024

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. Read more about diversity and inclusion at IOM at www.iom.int/diversity.

Applications are welcome from first- and second-tier candidates, particularly qualified female candidates as well as applications from the non-represented member countries of IOM. For all IOM vacancies, applications from qualified and eligible first-tier candidates are considered before those of qualified and eligible second-tier candidates in the selection process.

For the purpose of this vacancy, the following are considered first-tier candidates:

1. Internal candidates
2. Candidates from the following non-represented member states:

Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Botswana; Cabo Verde; Comoros; Congo (the); Cook Islands; Fiji; Guinea-Bissau; Holy See; Iceland; Kiribati; Lao People’s Democratic Republic (the); Madagascar; Marshall Islands; Micronesia (Federated States of); Namibia; Nauru; Palau; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Solomon Islands; Suriname; The Bahamas; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu

Second tier candidates include:

All external candidates, except candidates from non-represented member states.

Context:

IOM in South Sudan has a broad range of programming centred around three broad areas: humanitarian coordination and support, humanitarian response and resilience, and peacebuilding, transition, and development. Humanitarian coordination and support include leading/co-leading the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) and Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI) Clusters, Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and management of WASH and Shelter and NFI core-pipelines, humanitarian hubs and standard transport services. Humanitarian response and resilience include CCCM, WASH, Shelter & NFI, Health, Protection, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and the management of a Rapid Response Fund. Under peacebuilding, transition and development, IOM South Sudan implements programming on housing, land and property issues, transition and recovery, transhumance conflict prevention, community-based violence reduction, community development and migration management.

IOM’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support programme in South Sudan includes capacity building for IOM staff, government partners and other international and national actors on areas such as family and community supports including socio-recreational and cultural activities, as well as focused supports including the establishment of peer support groups for vulnerable displaced people, individual and group psychosocial counselling.

Under the overall guidance of the Emergency Response Coordinator and the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator (Protection, Gender Equality and Inclusion), the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer will be responsible for supervising and coordinating the work of relevant MHPSS team members and for facilitating the planning, implementation and monitoring of the MHPSS portfolio in South Sudan in line with relevant international guidelines and standards.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Provide technical inputs and information to support the development and implementation of a holistic and systemic MHPSS strategy for IOM in South Sudan, in line with global IOM MHPSS approaches and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines for MHPSS in emergencies.
2. Research potential programme development opportunities for MHPSS for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and host communities and provide technical inputs to support the development of project proposals.
3. Contribute to knowledge management and capacity building by providing technical inputs and guidance in the field of MHPSS to IOM MHPSS staff, psychosocial mobile teams and other relevant actors, including line ministries, IDPs and host community members. Topics would include basic psychosocial support skills, psychological first aid (PFA), and MHPSS guidelines.
4. Monitor the quality of the IOM psychosocial mobile teams, composed of counsellors and animators/facilitators who provide multi-layered MHPSS services in target communities, recommend qualified personnel, and provide ongoing training and supervision.
5. Check that the programme has adequate referral pathways in place for access to multi-layered MHPSS services, especially for services that IOM cannot directly provide. Bring issues to the prompt attention of the supervisor.
6. Encourage and facilitate the integration of MHPSS elements into IOM’s transition and recovery programming, including in processes geared towards social cohesion and reconciliation, and the establishment of support groups.
7. In close coordination with M&E colleagues, contribute to the development and maintenance of the MHPSS Monitoring and Evaluation framework and the database with clinical/casework undertaken. Collect and collate statistics for analysis and sharing of information for weekly, monthly, and/or quarterly reports.
8. Draft reports covering MHPSS related activities, including weekly and monthly reports, briefing and background notes and specific information requested by IOM or other entities.
9. Closely coordinate and liaise with other agencies and key actors, and participate in Inter-Cluster Working Group (ICWG), cluster meetings, working groups, and mapping, planning and reporting exercises.
10. In close coordination with the National Technical Working Group Co-Lead (Ministry of Health), provide technical, administrative and logistical assistance to the MHPSS Technical Working Group in Juba, and to the IOM MHPSS Project Assistants in Bentiu for MHPSS TWGs.
11. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Work, Counselling, Pedagogy or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of relevant professional experience; or,
• University degree in the above fields with four years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience in mental health and/or scalable psychological interventions in emergencies;
• Experience in working in large scale complex humanitarian emergencies (previous working experience in South Sudan is an advantage);
• Experience in providing or supporting community-based MHPSS services to displaced populations, migrants, refugees or conflict affected populations;
• Experience supervising the implementation of MHPSS projects and supervising and training MHPSS staff;
• Experience in protection related programming in emergency, including GBV and Child protection is an advantage;
• Experience and/or knowledge of UN and international agencies structures;
• Experience in capacity building activities and curriculum development is an advantage;
• Experience in designing and implementing problem management and projects is desirable; and,
• Experience in community engagement, dialogue and conflict transformation is desirable.

Skills

• Theoretical and practical knowledge of the IASC MHPSS in Emergency Settings Guidelines and associated products;
• Strong networking capacities for constructive relationships with all humanitarian actors, donors and relevant government line ministries;
• Familiarity with the humanitarian architecture (cluster system), humanitarian appeals, humanitarian response plans and common humanitarian funds;
• Advocacy and negotiation skills;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion in appropriate areas of work;
• Ability to develop and/or implement culturally relevant psychotherapeutic interventions and knowledge of the psychosocial impact of forced displacement; and,
• Knowledge of mental health Gap action program (mhGAP) for supporting the Ministry of Health in implementation of holistic psychiatric care, in coordination with WHO and other partners.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish. All staff members are required to be fluent in one of the three languages.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the Organization’s vision. Assists others to realize and develop their leadership and professional potential.
• Empowering others: Creates an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Building Trust: Promotes shared values and creates an atmosphere of trust and honesty.
• Strategic thinking and vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.
• Humility: Leads with humility and shows openness to acknowledging own shortcomings.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.p df

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile.

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations.

Recommended candidates will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.

The list of NMS countries above includes all IOM Member States which are non-represented in the Professional Category of staff members. For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country cannot be considered eligible.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and background verification and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.