Regional Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer

General Purpose of the Position

The Regional MHPSS Officer will be responsible for supporting JRS MENA MHPSS teams in conception, supervision, and implementation of projects responding to the specific MHPSS needs of refugees and forcibly displaced people in the region. S/he will report to the Regional Director under the supervision of and support from the global MHPSS team based at JRS/USA.

The MHPSS officer will support JRS MHPSS staff in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq with the aim of developing and strengthening MHPSS services. S/he will be responsible for ensuring that MHPSS staff are able to provide high-quality psychosocial services across all levels of the IASC MHPSS Intervention Pyramid for children and adults who access JRS services. In this role they will coordinate with and support teams comprising of Social Workers, Case Managers, paraprofessionals, Needs Assessment Teams, Tutors, Medical Staff, and any other PSS staff to ensure that they are able to deliver psychosocial support in line with IASC Reference Group MHPSS Guidelines and JRS Policy and Standards. The MHPSS Officer will also support the integration of MHPSS into other sectors through assessment, design, and training.

The Regional MHPSS Officer will also work closely with the Senior MHPSS Specialist based in JRS/USA to implement JRS’s global MHPSS strategy and implementation plan in MENA.

Main Responsibilities of the Position

1. General:

• Serves as a technical resource to the Regional Director, Country Programme Officers and Country Mental Health and Psychosocial staff to evaluate and assess new MHPSS projects and the direction of existing projects.
• Plans and implements training, coaching and supervision to reinforce the capacities of MHPSS teams
• Supports MHPSS focal points who are engaged in meetings with local government officials and specialized institutions, and other relevant authorities and stakeholders (MHPSS service providers, communities, etc.) in order to represent the priorities of the organization, provide necessary technical expertise, and support local teams in implementation of projects.
• Stays up to date on MHPSS, protection and humanitarian best practices and promotes communication with other relevant partners and actors by attending coordination meetings.
• Networking with key external stakeholders to help build referral pathways.
• Supports regional and country offices in recruitment and hiring of MHPSS staff at project and country levels to ensure appropriate MHPSS service delivery, respecting do-no harm principle.

2. Planning:

• Defines the strategy and priority actions of the MHPSS programs and activities in the region under the supervision of the Regional Director, and in collaboration with the MHPSS Global Unit at JRS USA and the rest of the regional team.
• Provides technical support to the annual review and planning of JRS projects taking into account regional and international strategies and guidelines, as well as international standards for MHPSS in emergencies.
• Leads and manages all MHPSS needs assessment activities within the region for the development of new locations.
• Provides technical guidance and support to country and project MHPSS staff for ongoing evaluation and needs assessment at existing MHPSS projects.
• Develops technical inputs for all proposals with MHPSS and related outcomes and activities within the region.
• Proposes innovative strategies and activities to address MHPSS and related needs in the region.

3. Supporting Project Implementation:

• Defines and coordinates actions that guarantee the implementation of global and regional strategic priorities in the region.
• Ensures that programs have the resources (materials, tools, knowledge) needed to effectively monitor and evaluate MHPSS services.
• Ensures that MHPSS considerations are integrated into other JRS Core Priorities resulting in improved cross-sectoral outcomes.
• Works on improving JRS intervention to vulnerable young people and their families by networking with key external medical, psychosocial and education stakeholders to help build referral networks.
• Supports JRS teams and reinforces their capacities in terms of MHPSS by:
  • Drafting and preparing key documents in order to implement and harmonize key interventions and support interventions.
  • Leading contextualized in person MHPSS skills-based trainings based on staff capacity assessments (Ex. IASC MHPSS Guidelines, IASC M&E Framework, integrated approaches to psychosocial and protection; community based MHPSS, Case Management, scalable psychological interventions etc.).
  • Where necessary, identifying external experts to conduct training and to assist the organisation of such training.
  • Providing coaching and supervision as follow-up to training provided in alignment with best practices for MHPSS skills-based trainings.
  • Coordinating with other actors in the MHPSS sector in the region:
    • To ensure the effective exchange of information, technical support, and advocacy regarding MHPSS in emergencies in the region among JRS and other key actors.
    • To support the technical work of the teams in the field and coordinate their interaction with local authorities.

4. Reporting

• Visits JRS MHPSS projects and monitor their implementation, reporting to regional and global MHPSS staff on progress.
• Writes and submits monthly activity reports to the Senior MHPSS Specialist in the USA Office.
• Proposes and creates tools to evaluate impact indicators and the quality of JRS MHPSS projects.
• Works with Regional M&E Officer to develop and train for efficient reporting on MHPSS in all the region.

Undertakes any other duties that are within the ambit of the position as assigned by the regional director.

Qualifications, Skills, and Personal Attributes

• Advanced degree in psychology, social work required. Additional degrees/certification in mental health in humanitarian settings a plus;
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience with at least 2 years of relevant field experience in humanitarian settings, within the context of mental health and psychosocial support programming;
• Experience in MHPSS program development, relationship management, capacity building, conducting needs assessments, case management, conflict mediation, basic counselling, and monitoring and evaluation;
• Experience working with people with complex needs and children and in making referrals;
• Strong knowledge of social work discipline, different types of intervention; protection topics, particularly GBV and Child Protection and Safeguarding;
• Awareness and knowledge of other sectors including education and protection is a plus;
• Knowledge of and experience in applying the IASC MHPSS guidelines and best practices as part of work;
• Demonstrable experience of, and capacity for, working collaboratively as part of a team and putting in practice team building skills;
• Training in case management is desirable;
• Knowledge of humanitarian sectors and actors in the MENA region is desirable;
• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic is essential;
• High proficiency in written and spoken English is essential;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel;
• Demonstrated ability to work in limited resources settings and adapt to dynamic and changing work environments;
• Good understanding of and compatibility with the values of JRS;
• Demonstrated ability and experience of working in a multi-cultural environment;
• Compassion for refugees and displaced people, a motivation to serve, and (desirable) experience of working in the context of forced migration;
• Trustworthy, good listener, creative, flexible, honest, and can maintain confidentiality;
• Excellent interpersonal, cross-cultural communication, planning, and organizational skills;
• Ability and willingness to travel to JRS project sites and adapt to modest living and working conditions;