MHPSS Coordinator – Emergency Medical Team

Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Puerto Rico on Sunday, September 18, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and torrential rain—nearly five years to the day after Hurricane Maria devasted the island. More than 1 million customers remain without power as of Wednesday morning, while more than 35% of households lack access to water as severe flooding has impacted filtration plants.

International Medical Corps, which has been working in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria in 2017, is now deploying an emergency team, along with critical relief supplies to support response efforts. Our team is working closely with the Department of Health, state officials, and local hospitals, health facilities and organizations to support response efforts.

International Medical Corps will continue to conduct awareness sessions in Puerto Rico focused on mental health and psychosocial support for healthcare personnel and communities coping with the loss and uncertainty caused by repeated disasters. Continued investment in mental health services will be required as Puerto Rico once again comes together to recover and rebuild.

JOB SUMMARY: The primary responsibility of the MHPSS ERT Coordinator is to provide technical support to mental health and psychosocial programs; ensuring assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of MHPSS activities.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function with or without reasonable accommodation:

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

General

• Provide technical and administrative support to mental health and psychosocial program staff; providing guidance on planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of MHPSS activities in different sites.
• Conduct routine project needs assessments and program reviews to ensure successful implementation and donor compliance as well as compliance with IMC MHPSS Quality Standards.
• Manage MHPSS program team ensuring there is adequate cover during periods of absence, training needs are met and performance evaluated.
• Work directly with any MHPSS Consultants when required by the program.
• Ensure link and coordination between MHPSS department, and other departments/sectors especially protection and health department.
• Participate and represent MHPSS program in regular staff meetings, meetings with donors, regional meetings etc.
• Liaise closely with any new or previous sub grantees.
• Participate in IMC ERT team for strategic planning; working to create MHPSS component in country strategy.
• Assess the capacity of the local staff and work on a capacity building plan that is in line with the program and country strategic objectives.
• Participate in identification and hiring of MHPSS program staff
• Participate in performance appraisal of national and expatriate MHPSS staff.

External Coordination

• Actively participate in or co-chair interagency Mental Health and Psychosocial Support reference group together with representatives from other agencies and organizations.
• Represent International Medical Corps at other relevant coordination meetings and cluster meetings (e.g. health, protection,).
• Work to improve interagency coordination, sharing of information, and promote MHPSS guidelines, best practices and IASC MHPSS reference group endorsed materials and resources. This includes translation and dissemination of global MHPSS guidelines and materials and planning joint assessments and response strategies.
• Liaise and Collaborate with existing government structures, local authorities and NGOs/CBOs in organizing MHPSS activities.
• Identify and work with suitable local partner organizations and institutions for joint MHPSS work.
• Identify and where appropriate collaborate with existing formal and informal community leaders and service providers.

Assessment

• Conduct an MHPSS needs assessment among the affected populations in consultation with IMC MHPSS TU advisors. This will include using assessment tools consistent with IASC guidelines and the MHPSS WHO/UNHCR assessment toolkit (e.g. extent of mental health integration at hospitals and PHC clinics; and a rapid community-based assessment of MHPSS needs and resources, mapping of existing services and supports).
• Produce high quality report (with IMC TU support) and disseminate and discuss findings externally, including with donors.

Program Development

• Take a lead in MHPSS program development and proposal writing in consultation with IMC MHPSS TU advisors.
• Develop the strategy and mechanisms to integrate a mental health and psychosocial support into IMC programs in keeping with IASC guidelines of mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies.

Training and Capacity Building

• Assess and initiate training of identified staff in appropriate skills in consultation with IMC MHPSS TU advisors.
• Train ERT and national staff in key relevant aspects of IASC guidelines and Psychological First Aid (PFA).
• Organize external workshops in coordination with other agencies and organizations (e.g. IASC MHPSS Guidelines orientation)
• Organize tailored training and continued on the job mentoring and capacity building for national staff
• Produce and share training materials and training reports including relevant data (e.g. attendance, pre/post tests, training evaluations).

Reporting and M&E

• Develop data collection tools and forms to capture MHPSS activities, results and impact in consultation with IMC TU MHPSS advisors.
• Establish Systematic data collection for reports
• Take a lead in writing MHPSS section of all donor reports.
• Submit data required for donor reports, and monthly reports.
• Submit program information, data and success stories to promote visibility (e.g. IMC website, media)

Policy Adherence Actively promote PSEA (prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse) standards within International Medical Corps and among beneficiaries served by International Medical Corps. Adhere to the Code of Conduct, maintain humanitarian principles and respect international humanitarian law at all times.

The fluid nature of emergency response requires personnel to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape; duties may be reconfigured to meet operational requirements.

Perform other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed in this document are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and not necessarily all inclusive.

Code of Conduct As applicable to this position, an individual must promote and encourage a culture of compliance and ethics throughout the organization and maintain a clear understanding of International Medical Corps’ and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards.

If this is a supervisory position, one must set an example of ethical behavior through one’s own conduct and oversight of the work of others; ensure that those who report to you have sufficient knowledge and resources to follow the standards outlined in the Code of Conduct & Ethics; monitor compliance of the people you supervise; enforce the Code of Conduct & Ethics and International Medical Corps’ policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and the Protection from Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace Policy, consistently and fairly; support employees who in good faith raise questions or concerns.

Safeguarding It is all staff shared responsibility and obligation to safeguard and protect populations with whom we work, including adults who may be particularly vulnerable and children. This includes safeguarding from the following conduct by our staff or partners: sexual exploitation and abuse; exploitation, neglect, or abuse of children, adults at risk, or LGBTI individuals; and any form of trafficking in persons. Staff are also responsible for preventing violations to our Code of Conduct and Ethics, which may involve Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption or Harassment. If you see, hear or are made aware of any violations to the Code of Conduct and Ethics or Safeguarding Policy, you have an obligation to report.

Equal Opportunities International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

JOB REQUIREMENTS *

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Typically, a 4-year University degree in related area. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate
• The qualified candidate will be a mental health professional (psychologist, clinical social worker, psychiatrist, or psychiatric nurse) with MA/S or equivalent in social science (e.g. psychology, clinical social work or sociology) or medical field (e.g. psychiatric nurse, psychiatrist).
• Typically, 7+ year of relevant and progressive experience working in mental health related field, including minimum of 4 years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian MHPSS work, including in emergencies and in conflict settings.
• Knowledge of humanitarian field, human rights, international development, public health or other relevant field;
• Knowledgeable in and has used the IASC MHPSS guidelines and best practices as part of their previous work experience.
• Demonstrable technical expertise in the assessment of and design and delivery of responses to pre-existing and emergency induced MHPSS needs.
• Training experience required; capacity and proven track record in national staff and partner training, including capacity building of the national counterparts to management level;
• Strong organizational and supervisory skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments
• Ability to work within a team structure or in isolation, flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources
• Ability to travel on short notice to project sites
• Experience in working in the country or region is a plus.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish is required

Misconduct Disclosure Scheme

All offers of employment at International Medical Corps are subject to satisfactory references and background checks. International Medical Corps participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme from the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR). In accordance with this, we will request information from an applicant’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.