Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Coordinator | Amhara, Ethiopia

About Samaritan’s Purse

Job Summary

The Shelter Program Officer will be responsible for implementing daily programmatic activities including receiving shelter material shipments, organizing in-kind and cash distributions, and overseeing community mobilizers to ensure community engagement throughout each process. The Shelter Program officer will also be responsible for tracking construction progress with support from the community mobilizers. The Shelter Program Officer will report directly to the Shelter Program Coordinator and be responsible for identifying problems and challenges in program implementation and communicating them to the Shelter Program Manager.

Open Position:  1

Duration of Contract: until December 31,2023.

Job Summary

The Mental Health Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Coordinator will oversee the MHPSS program for the Samaritan’s Purse in five selected Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC). Ensuring the PHCs are supporting the psychosocial, emotional and mental health needs for the patients/beneficiaries visiting  PHCs  through clinical supervision, coaching and organizing on the job capacity building training for Health workers. The workload is intensive and requires a team of dedicated health professionals to meet the ever-increasing demand for specialized. At times the MHPSS Coordinator may be called upon to fulfill duties not directly involved with this job description.

MHPSS Coordinator, oversees all the Mental Health and Psychosocial and needs of beneficiaries/patients upon entering for treatment at SP’s support local PHCs in the Amhara region.

Key Responsibilities

·       Direct supervision of MHPSS Officers assigned to each PHC.

·       Conduct weekly field trips to PHC locations to oversee daily activities and ensure all MHPSS activities are carried out as per Ethiopian guidelines and meeting SP’s standards.

·       Liaise with higher service level providers in the development of smooth referral processes in line with Ethiopian Mental Health guidelines

·       Provide information and knowledge sharing as well as community leadership engagement in developing multilayer system support for those living with mental illness in the community setting.

·       Develop protection mainstreaming plan, which incorporate elements of protection mainstreaming, staff trainings on PESA, SGBV and CP, establish complaint mechanisms (CMs) and response strategy.

·       Meet with beneficiaries/patients to hear their psychosocial and spiritual needs, when needed

·       Work with staff to ensure care and communication is culturally sensitive.

·       Provide guidance and community referral options as necessary.

·       Conduct regular community meetings with leaders of representative groups—women, youth, and PWDs—will be held to receive input and give feedback on the project to the community, when necessary

·       Collect, collate and disseminate SP MHPSS documentation for all PHCs, creating weekly and monthly reports to meet the reporting requirements and deadlines set by SP, Regional Health Bureau (RHB), Department of Health, WHO/UN agencies and Donors.

·       Ensure patient confidentiality is respected at all times.

·       Ensures opportunities are in place for safe, confidential reporting and community feedback with mechanisms to ensure accountability.

·       Provide regular clinical education, trainings and mentoring in mental health for the PHC health workers, including assigned psychiatric nurses.

·       Represent in Zonal and Woreda levels Gender and Protection meetings

·       Other duties as assigned.

Skills Required

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

·       Demonstrated sensitivity in diverse, cross-cultural settings.

·       Knowledge of Sphere and established international protection and GBV standards, methodology and    tools

·       Attention to detail, anticipation and follow up are core values of the job function.

·       Possesses strong organizational and problem-solving skills.

·       Must be a self-starter and internally driven to success and hard work.

·       Possesses strong cross-cultural communication skills, both written and verbal.

·       Must be a humble team player

·       Ability to be flexible and adaptable.

·       Willingness to travel in and out of the field.

·       Must have analytical and report writing skills.

·       High level of integrity and stewardship

·       Committed to the SP values and ethics

·       Proficient in making clinical decisions in the care of the patient population serving.

Education / Experience Needed

·       M.Sc.in Integrated Clinical and Community Mental Health.

·       Currently licensed as a Psychologist

·       Training in mhGAP

·       Strong knowledge of standards and guidelines for MhGAP, GBV and CP programming, coordination, and data management

·       2 years’ work experience in MHPSS with an NGO, preferred

Language

·       Proficient in reading and writing in English. Working knowledge of Amharic is required.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral diagram, or schedule form.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit.  The employee frequently is required to stand; walk and run; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

·       The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be exposed to loud noises around the maintenance and construction workshops.

·       May travel in country with exposure to communicable diseases, hot and humid weather conditions.

·       Work in a security context that is fluid

SAFEGUARDING COMMITMENT

The employee is required to carry out his/her duties in accordance with Samaritan’s Purse Safeguarding policy and Code of conduct.

Employee should remain alert and responsive to any child and adult safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills, which will enable him/her to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child and adult safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct his/herself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply for the position advertised by submitting their CV/Resume (maximum of 2 pages) and application letter (one Page only) no later than June 6, 2023 to hrspe@samaritan.org. Please write the position title you are applying for in the email subject line, ”Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Coordinator  ‘