MHPSS Officer At Save the Children

MHPSS Officer National Contract:

The MHPSS Officer is a member of Save the Children’s (SC) team in Abyei, South Sudan. SC currently runs a health and nutrition response in Abyei. Furthermore, SC is an experienced emergency responder with interventions tackling disease outbreaks, including measles and Ebola Virus Disease, and meeting the multi-sector needs of flood-affected populations. SC plans to complement COVID-19 National Taskforce (NTF) efforts and fill the gap in COVID-19 prevention activities in Abyei by strengthening the health system and scaling up community awareness on MHPSS aspects of COVID-19 and appropriate response. COVID-19 related MHPSS issues include: stigma and discrimination ascribed to COVID-19 affected individuals, including frontline workers; increased levels of stress and anxiety; rumors and myths about the disease; interrupted access to services for people with pre-existing mental health conditions or those with new acute presentations; compromised functioning of existing referral pathways; and increased barriers to services accessibility especially for vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities, older persons, women and other vulnerable adults, and increase in sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) as a consequence of restricted movement, confinement, and loss of livelihood opportunities, among others. The mental health and psychosocial support component of the response in Abyei will provide support to COVID-19 community-based initiatives such as awareness raising and community mobilizations for child protection/MHPSS services and continuation of services in areas of case management, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE). Under the supervision of the Assistant Programme Manager with technical support from the MHPSS Specialist, the post holder will build capacity for the integration of MHPSS services within the various sectors of SC activity and support provision of direct MHPSS services for individuals with high PSS needs. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE/Skills:

• Degree or diploma in counselling, psychiatry, psychology, social work or any other mental health relevant field.
• At least 2 years work experience in implementing mental health and psychosocial support programming
• Proven capacity to train, supervise, and coach staff on key MHPSS topics
• Practical experience on MHPSS community based approaches
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Fluent in basic/Juba Arabic

Desirable

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Problem solving and decision making skills
• Ability to prioritize tasks
• Able to work to tight deadlines and under pressure
• Strong interpersonal skills, ethical sensitivity and ability to empathise with children, youth and their carers

Contract Duration: 9 Months-with possibility of extensions

Location: Abyei-South Sudan

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/careers

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.