Psychologist At International Committee of the Red Cross

Requisition ID: 17340

Region: Global Deployment Option

Contract type: Open-ended contract

What we do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and at the same time promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations.

Your role

As the psychologist, you will identify mental health and psychosocial support needs for the benefit of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. You will create and develop adapted MHPSS projects and programmes in line with the priorities determined by the ICRC. You will ensure performance tools are available for local staff, in order to guarantee smooth implementation of the programmes, while taking into consideration the local cultural context. You are entirely responsible for the implementation, monitoring and follow-up of the MHPSS activities.

Main responsibilities

• Evaluates the risk factors and identifies those in need of long- term MHPSS support (communities, vulnerable groups and victims)
• Put in place assistance programs, taking into consideration the concerns and coping mechanisms of the victims, in a given cultural context
• Implement and ensure, often in partnership with local stakeholders (NGOs, National Society), proper follow-up of the MHPSS projects/programmes for the benefit of the victims of armed conflict or other situations of violence
• Provide technical advice to allow for optimal assistance to the victims, while reinforcing and developing local networks and their MHPSS capacities
• Evaluate continually the patterns of violence, the victims’ situation and the MHPSS programs
• Analyse collected information, provide regular update reports and when necessary, adapt the humanitarian response accordingly

Education and experience required

• Strongly motivated by humanitarian work
• BSc Degree in Psychology and MSc in clinical psychology or equivalent
• Valid license to practice in your country of residence
• Minimum of 2 years of international field experience working directly with various populations and cultures
• Excellent command of English and another language of ICRC interest: French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and/or Russian
• Extensive knowledge of public mental health. Integrated MHPSS interventions models in promotion/prevention and treatments at primary and secondary health care level
• Proven capacity in planning MHPSS support programs and community health interventions in line with the psychological and psychosocial consequences of violence

Desired profile and skills

• Ability to work under pressure and lead a multicultural team in a complex environment
• Significant experience of training and supervision processes
• Good analysis, problem-solving and report-writing skills
• Positive, flexible and able to adapt to challenging living conditions and/or unstable security environment

Our operational & field constraints

• In line with the principle of neutrality, the ICRC dœs not assign personnel to a country of which they are nationals
• Our field staff members must be in good health and will have to do a medical check-up prior to departure in the field
• Our field staff members are prepared to accept unaccompanied postings (i.e. no spouse, partner, children or dependents) for at least the first 24 months
• In line with our security guidelines, our staff members must hold a manual driving license

Why work for the ICRC

Our organisation started with a desire to bring help without discrimination. Impartiality and neutrality have been central values for the Red Cross since the beginning. We hire professionals with strong humanitarian motivation to help people affected by armed conflict and other violence. Our offer in a nutshell:

• Rewarding work in a humanitarian and multicultural environment
• A two-week orientation course and other opportunities for further in-house training
• Attractive social benefits.
• Be part of the ICRC talent pool and be contacted for future assignments globally
• Length of assignment: 12 months