The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery, and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Job Overview

The Mental health and psychosocial support officer will be responsible to provide quality clinical mental health service provision in the refugee camp. The MHPSS officer will provide support on a wide range of mental health services, especially on the clinical aspect. The MHPSS officer within the coordination of the health officer and RH clinical mentor officer is responsible for planning, implementing, and leading all aspects of IRC’s mental health project in the assigned refugee camp. The position reports to the camp manager and will also be technically supported by the health and nutrition Manager based in Assosa. The MHPSS officer manages IRC’s Health projects jointly with the health Officer and other actors and the incumbent is also responsible for ensuring adherence to the implementation of program activities according to ISAC guidelines.

 Major Responsibilities:

Technical

• Ensure that the goals and objectives of the project are met as per the project proposal, work plan, and M & E Plan.
• Provide clinical mental health and psychosocial support service integration with RRS health center staff and cover the role in the absence of their staff.
• Develop the availability of mental health care for a broad range of emergency-related and pre-existing mental disorders through general health care and community-based mental health services.
• Conduct or facilitate training on MhGAP- humanitarian intervention Guide, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and interpersonal therapy to establish quality mental health service at RRS Health centers to ensure maximum and sustained knowledge and skill transfer.
• Creates strong linkages between the mental health and psychosocial support service provide in health facilities to the psychosocial support activities implemented at a community level through health social workers with close follow-up and supervision.
• Strengthen faith-based organization (FBO), and community-based organization (CBO) by providing different technical and information, education, and communication (IEC) materials in the camp on mental health and psycho-social supports.
• Develop strong partnership with Assosa hospital, other agencies, zonal, and Woreda partners implementing mental health and psychosocial support services in the targeted area.
• Conduct mental health and psychosocial support service gap assessment at community level and expand efforts to prevent harm related to alcohol and other substance use.
• Conduct rapid assessments to identify gaps in training, need for refresher training and additional skills strengthening of facility-based health workers; develop training plans to ensure coverage of skilled health workers who can deliver high-quality mental health services.
• Provide technical support for the development and use of mental health job aids and or social and behavior change communication (SBCC) material that support the demand generation activities on mental health.
• Develop community MHPSS awareness raising package in coordination with health promotion team, and protection team (CP, RaDO, and CWI).
• Represent IRC in coordination meetings, workshops, and task force meetings at the respective refugee camp.
• Provide technical support, coaching/mentoring to community health workers (IRC and RRS) on MHPSS.
• Work towards quality age and sex segregated data management system for mental health projects at the camp.
• Keep mental health program activity records both in soft and hard copies and provide activity reports as required by IRC and the donor timely.
• Take any responsibilities assigned by the health team.

Program Management

Grant Management

• Follow all IRCs standard grant Management tools as recommended by the Addis-based health unit and M & E unit.
• Ensure that all activities are implemented according to the work plan and that targets are met.

Budget Monitoring

• Work closely with the health officer, senior health officer, and health manager in the management of the active grant.
• Raise PRs as required for MHPSS program timely in discussion with health team.
• Track expenditure on a monthly basis and report appropriately

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitor the implementation of clinical mental health service provision and in health facilities.
• Ensure that the stated goals and objectives of the program are met.
• Collect, compile and report weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual report of MHPSS to camp manager and Health and Nutrition manager.
• Ensure establishment and maintain quality data management system for mental health projects.
• Attend encouraging supervision, quarter monitoring visits, and annual monitoring visits conducted in the camps and share the finding with the senior health and nutrition officer, Health, and nutrition manager.
• Collect client complaint and provide appropriate feedback. And actively participate in MEAL activities conducted in the camps.
• Promote the culture of learning and documentation so that lessons learned, and good practice are documented and shared.

Human Resource Management

• The MPHSS Officer will lead and supervise Health Social Workers in the camp to gather with Health officer.
• Ensure that Incentive workers performance evaluation is conducted on time and in a standard quality manner.

Key working relationships

Internal

• Receives technical support from the senior health officer, and health manager in Assosa and the Addis health Technical Unit.
• Closely work with CWI/GBV, Child protection/Education, and the WASH team.

External

• Work closely with RRS, UNHCR, Refugee Central Committee (RCC), Assosa hospital, Woredas Health Offices, Woredas health facilities, and other NGOs

Requirements

Qualifications : At least two years working with significant experience for BSc holders, and One year for Master holders.

Educational Requirements: BSc in Psychology or psychist nurse.

Preferred experience & skills:

• Collaborating on psychiatric intervention plans.
• Administering psychotropic and similar medications.
• Monitoring adherence to non-medicinal treatment regimens.
• Removing potentially harmful and triggering environmental features.
• Restraining, consoling, and sometimes medicating highly unsettled patients.
• Recording patients’ health journeys and reporting on notable alterations.
• Conducting targeted psychoeducation, particularly within families.

Personal specifications

• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload!
• Excellent communication skills verbal and written ones. Communication in English is a key requirement. Work experience in refugee setting is an advantage.
• Self-motivated, transparent, highly responsible, and punctual!
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as to work autonomously when required.
• Ability to constructively address gaps and weaknesses.

Certificates or Licenses:

• Trained and certified on MhGAP- humanitarian intervention Guide, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and interpersonal therapy.
• Up-to-date knowledge of ISAC mental health guidelines is advantageous.