OPERATIONS COORDINATOR – GLOBAL PROGRAMME EXPERT GROUP ON MHPSS

The GPEG on MHPSS works through a core team, hosted by SOS CV Italy, in close partnership with the five SOS regional offices.
The overall purpose of the GPEG is to strengthen the MHPSS component across SOS CV programs. The goal of the GPEG on MHPSS is to promote the resilience, as well as psychological well-being, of the children and youth the organization works with and for. The following three long-term outcomes will contribute to this overall goal:

1. Children and youth achieve increased well-being, decreased distress, and protection from neglect, exploitation, violence, and abuse.
2. Caregivers achieve increased well-being, and decreased distress and will be able to prevent child neglect, exploitation, violence, and abuse.
3. Communities are able to prevent child neglect, exploitation, violence, and abuse.

This position reports to the Head of Global Programme Expert Group on MHPSS;
Working Location: Preferably Italy with availability to travel globally;
Availability and type of contract: immediate; to be discussed and based on candidate’s experience;
Start date: as soon as possible;

Objectives
The function reports to the Head of the Global Program Expert Group. Define the annual operating plan and supports in day-to-day management and administration.

Main stakeholders
– MHPSS Technical Advisors;
– SOS Children’s Villages General Secretariat, Project Management Office;
– Regional Offices of SOS Children’s Villages in Asia, South America, East and West Africa, Middle East;

Activity and responsibilities
– Coordinates MHPSS interventions in the different countries involved, in accordance with the MHPSS advisor;
– Coordinates the work of the regional focal points assigned to the GPEG program for the implementation of the activities (capacity-building actions and training programs, research initiatives, supervision and monitoring of interventions implementation)
– Develops the program work plan and guides its implementation, through continuous coordination and monitoring of actions and budgets.
– Manages the group of external and internal consultants.
– Supports the liaison with internal (steering committees and national associations) and external (other international NGOs, etc) partners and stakeholders.
– Ensures the correct administrative and financial management of the initiatives promoted by the GPEG in compliance with the contractual rules of the donors and the procedures of SOS Children’s Villages International.
– Prepares the GPEG’s intermediate and final annual reports and supports the adaptation of the work plan based on the evidence collected.
– Guarantees an overview of the financial reporting in collaboration with the Finance team at the General Secretariat and in collaboration with the Finance and Human Resources areas of SOS Children’s Villages Italy.
– Collaborates in the drafting of new project proposals, in collaboration with the Partnership and Resource Mobilization Advisor and the program experts of the reference area.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
– Experience in Project Management and Budget Administration of large scale programmes (min. 500 K/year) of minimum 5 years.
– Background study in Economics, or Social Science is preferable.
– Preferred field experience in the area of MHPSS in both emergency and more stable settings.
– Excellent English writing and oral skills. Any other language in particular working knowledge of Italian, French and Spanish are an asset.

The ideal candidate is:
– committed to work for the care of children, families and communities in distress and the willingness to direct his/her interest and behaviors towards the social mission of SOS Children’s Villages International;
– is aware of major developments within the field of Global Mental Health and related fields (i.e. gender, migration, protection, etc.);
– has the capacity to acknowledge, respect and integrate cultural differences in a way that facilitates the achievement of SOS Children’s Villages International’s objectives;
– has the ability to prioritize and set lines of action, optimizing resources (material, human, financial, temporal, etc.), ensuring that anticipated results are obtained by means of efficient management of his/her own and colleagues’ work and that assigned responsibilities and functions are clear at all times.