Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Senior Officer (Social Cohesion Project)

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) wants to hire employees in the following vacant positions the details of which are mentioned below.

About the Ethiopian Red Cross Society

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) was established in 1935 and is one of the oldest and largest humanitarian organizations in Ethiopia. ERCS provides services to communities affected by natural and manmade disasters through the provision of emergency responses, ambulance and first aid, family reunification, essential drugs, water and sanitation, and other humanitarian services. ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. Currently the ERCS has a structure consisting of 15 Regional Offices, Zonal Branches and District/Woreda Branches, Woreda Red Cross Committee and Kebele Red Cross committees.

ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs relating to food security, climate change adaptation, livelihood diversification, and institutional capacity building interventions, with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. ERCS works in partnership with the Ethiopian Government, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), partnering National Societies, members, volunteers and the communities we serve.

Details of the vacant position

Work Unit: DRM -MRFL

Reports to: Migration Project Coordinator

Terms of employment: Contract for one year (possibility of extension)

Place of Work: Addis Ababa (most frequent travel to branches)

Salary: Negotiable

Job Summary:

Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions play a crucial role in promoting psychosocial well-being, resilience, a sense of safety, calmness, self- and community efficacy, social connectedness, and hope. MHPSS is essential for addressing underlying social tensions caused by fear, discrimination, anxiety, and loss of hope, and for rebuilding compromised relationships due to conflict and displacement.

As the Senior Officer for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), the individual will be instrumental in implementing the social cohesion EU funded Project and will be responsible for promoting mental health and psychosocial well-being at the community level to address natural and manmade psychosocial issues experienced Internal displaced persons and host communities in the project locations. Additionally, he/she will provide technical support to field officers and develop, implement, and monitor MHPSS interventions for project beneficiaries and staff. This will involve close collaboration with communities, volunteers, and other stakeholders to ensure that MHPSS services are accessible, culturally appropriate and effective and create synergies between partners.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design the MHPSS implementation strategy and prepare a work plan to support the timely execution of the PSS component of the project.
• Participate in the technical design of the assessment for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for the social cohesion project, focusing on supporting IDPs and their communities’ reintegration and implementing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions tailored to the specific needs of the target population
• In collaboration with the project staffs, actively participate in periodic joint monitoring of the MHPSS intervention
• Support field staff in assisting IDPs and their communities with MHPSS needs.
• Provide training on MHPSS for ERCS (Ethiopian Red Cross Society) staff, volunteers, and local government staff, including healthcare and social service authorities, as well as staff in One Stop Centers, on psychological first aid (PFA), community-based psychosocial support (CBPSS), community awareness, outreach, lay counselling and psycho educations.
• Establish community-based psychosocial support intervention strategies in the affected communities.
• Promote positive mental health and psychosocial well-being through peer support and group support among at-risk groups, such as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and marginalized host community members.
• Adapt training materials from RC movement, develop and conduct MHPSS technical training for staff and volunteers with the minimum standards.
• Conduct supportive supervision of staff and volunteers delivering MHPSS activities.
• Conduct assessments on the well-being of staff and volunteers, and identify the main risks to the psychosocial well-being of volunteers and staff who are exposed to traumatic events and stories.
• Establish/improve the referral pathways requiring specialized mental health services and other services.
• Document best case practice studies and other relevant data of the MHPSS services and share information on field-level successes and challenges with coordination of project team
• Establish and maintain a weekly and monthly work plan and write monthly and quarterly reports.
• Work closely with other actors in the community to identify needs, make appropriate referrals, and strengthen existing referral mechanisms.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of MHPSS interventions Collect and analyze data on the implementation and outcomes of MHPSS interventions.
• Prepare timely and quality reports on the progress of MHPSS activities.
• Build the capacity of local stakeholders Provide training and technical assistance to local healthcare professionals and community volunteers on MHPSS
• Develop and distribute MHPSS resources and materials
• Advocate for the integration of MHPSS into existing health and social services
• Coordinate with technical working groups

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to work in a challenging and rewarding environment.
• Make a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable people.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Master’s or First degree in Psychology, Counselling Psychology, or related fields.
• Minimum of 6/8years of experience working in the field of MHPSS.
• Experience working with diverse populations, including returnees, refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected communities.
• Training on CBMHPSS, PFA, and Project Cycle management
• Strong community-based psychosocial support intervention.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Fluency in Amharic and English.
• Commitment to the humanitarian principles of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.