Consultant Assignment: Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Specialist

Jordan

Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
Location: Jordan
Grade: Mid level - Mid level
Occupational Groups:
- Public Health and Health Service
- Social Affairs
Closing Date: Closed

Requisition ID: req6146

Job Title: Consultant Assignment: Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Specialist

Sector: Health

Employment Category: Consultant

Employment Type: Part-Time

Open to Expatriates: Yes

Location: Jordan

Job Description

As a global humanitarian organization, the IRC has unique capabilities – and is particularly known for rigorous research and evidence-based programs. A key initiative that supports this strategy is the IRC Research & Innovation (R&I) lab, aimed at investing in the design, development, and scaling of new humanitarian interventions and delivery models. The lab seeks to apply best practices from human-centered design, rapid iteration, multi-disciplinary problem-solving, and an innovation portfolio management function in the humanitarian context.

In 2017, in concert with the IRC’s Middle East Regional team, the R&D lab created a regional innovation “hub” with the objective of building a portfolio of breakthrough solutions for the problems facing Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon.

Scope of Work:

The IRC is seeking a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist to provide overall technical oversight for an early stage project focused on the service delivery of MHPSS interventions for displaced populations in the Middle East. In collaboration with an interdisciplinary research and innovation team and members of the affected community, you will support design research and prototyping in Jordan focused on further exploring and documenting the refugee perspective on each step of the journey in how refugees experience, cope, and/or receive care for psychological distress.

You will be primarily responsible for providing overall technical MHPSS input and ensuring the technical quality of research methods and outputs. This includes ensuring that all aspects of the work throughout design, research, synthesis, and prototyping are trauma-informed and that all outputs and recommendations are rooted in an up-to-date understanding of the state of the broader MHPSS sector and relevant evidence.

Key Responsibilities:

●Provide overall technical MHPSS input and quality assurance throughout all project phases

●Ensure that all research plans, protocols, and tools are trauma informed, by reviewing and developing content, including training protocols for community researchers to prepare them to conduct qualitative research around sensitive mental health topics with vulnerable populations

●Collaborate with design researcher to develop research plans, protocols, and tools (e.g. interview guides) ensuring technical rigor and adherence with all relevant standards for trauma-informed work with vulnerable populations

●Oversee and advise design research activities, ensuring that they are trauma-informed and providing any necessary crisis management support

●Collaborate with design researcher to oversee and execute research synthesis, providing technical input to contextualize findings and review all outputs for technical rigor

●Participate and advise in ideation process around new solutions, bringing to bear deep technical knowledge to influence the design of service prototypes and refine prototyping plans

●Lead development of technical content for presentations to MHPSS Working Group, including final report

Deliverables (dates provisional and subject to change)

Activity	Deliverables	Due date
Planning	Finalized research protocols and tools including interview protocols co-created with designer and community researchers	September 5
Planning	Conduct internal research ethical review and produce training for community researchers on best practices and ethical principles for dealing with sensitive mental health topics in collaboration with IRC Mental Health Fellow	September 12
Discovery	Ensure that all design research activities are carried out in trauma informed manner	September 26
Synthesis	Working closely with designer, develop technical content for interim report with synthesized findings from discovery process	October 17
	Working closely with designer, review all additional research outputs (e.g. user personas, user journey maps, etc.), ensuring technical rigor	October 24
	Support workshop to share findings with internal team and Jordan MHPSS working group and ideate on potential solutions	October 31
Prototyping	Support development of prototypes informed by ideation workshop and in collaboration with community researchers, and review prototyping plans	November 7
Refinement	Working closely with designer, develop technical content for final report and final presentation of findings and discussion of next steps with internal team and Jordan MHPSS working group	November 28

Key Working Relationships

Position reports to: Regional Innovation Director

Other Internal: MHPSS Design Consultant, Research & Innovation Team Designers, Innovation Strategy Advisor, Mental Health Fellow, Research & Innovation Team Management, internal MHPSS Technical Advisors

External: members of the affected community including community designers/researchers, Jordan MHPSS Working Group, external mental health experts and advisors

Qualifications

●Masters in mental health/behavioral health field (clinical or counseling psychologist, clinical social worker, clinical therapist); PhD or postdoc preferred.

●7-10 years of professional experience in mental health research or service provision, including at least 2 years' experience in setting up and/or providing oversight to mental health and psychosocial programs in humanitarian and low-resource settings.

●Experience working on sensitive issues with vulnerable populations and knowledge of relevant ethical guidelines and procedures, specific experience working with refugee populations a plus.

●Specific experience and knowledge of MHPSS landscape in Middle Eastern contexts preferred

●Openness to new methodologies and approaches while being razor focused on ensuring all research protocols represent best-in-field learning.

●Experience with prior innovation projects and/or human centered design methodologies a plus.

●Ability to work in a very self-directed way, and to collaborate with others at key moments of the design process. Ability to receive input and to take critique positively to improve program design.

●English fluency required, proficiency in Arabic is an asset

Ability to Travel

Ability and willingness to travel to Jordan at least once required

Standards of Professional Conduct

IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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