Snr Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Officer

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The main task of Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer is to build and maintain capacity for MHPSS interventions within UNHCR and partners.  Within the work of UNHCR and partners, MHPSS activities do not constitute a separate sector, but are mainly realized within existing sectors and work fields such as health, nutrition, education, community-based protection, child protection, and SGBV.
The Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer supports UNHCR¿s efforts to ensure that MHPSS is well integrated into the operational responses. The incumbent supports UNHCR¿s efforts to comply with internal guidance such as the Operational Guidance for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programming in Refugee Operations (2013) and international minimum standards, including interagency guidance for mental health and psychosocial support such as the IASC Guidelines for MHPSS in Emergency Settings (2007) and Mental Health Standard in the Sphere Handbook (2018).
The incumbent is typically part of the Public Health Unit and receives direct supervision and guidance from a senior Public Health colleague or the Senior Operations Coordinator.
The incumbent typically leads a multidisciplinary MHPSS team which may consist of international and national staff. S/he will set up and co-chair coordination and planning meetings around MHPSS within UNHCR and will establish appropriate consultative mechanisms for MHPSS integration within health, protection and education. The incumbent will represent UNHCR in interagency MHPSS technical meetings, work planning, and will demonstrate solid technical leadership around MHPSS.
The incumbent will oversee MHPSS activities, provide strong technical guidance and training to partners and UNHCR staff, monitor and evaluate programmes and provide partners with supportive feedback to improve the MHPSS activities.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Develop quality mental health and psychosocial support interventions, embedded in public health programming, based on UNHCR¿s operational guidance for Mental Health and Psychosocial support.
- Establish and/or adapt UNHCR internal guidelines and procedures to streamline inputs and improve efficiency of MHPSS programmes within the overall public health response.
- Promote strong programmatic ties with units for Protection and Education and establish close working relationships to promote the integration of MHPSS in these sectors.
- Ensure the development, adaption and implementation of interagency guidance around MHPSS and technical guidance around MHPSS from the World Health Organization and other UN partners.
- Promote inter-sectoral coordination outside and within UNHCR in all matters related to mental health and psychosocial support.
- Ensure the inclusion of mental health and psychosocial support considerations into relevant meetings, documents and policies for health, education and protection.
- Support the Regional Bureaux and Country Operations in the inclusion of mental health and psychosocial support considerations and comprehensive holistic programming.
- Conduct assessment, monitoring of country-level mental health programmes against standard UNHCR and international indicators to ensure that programmes are evidence-based and implemented in a comprehensive and cost-effective manner.
- Adapt and conduct training, and act as resource persons in workshops and training both in-service (formal) and on the job (coaching).
- Provide supervision of case management and of treatment of individual cases.
- Undertake support missions on request of Bureaux and Country Offices to emergencies as well as longer term refugee situations.
- Facilitate relevant operational research to improve the MHPSS response.
- Synthesise and disseminate best practices and lessons learnt.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P4/NOD - 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Clinical Psychology; *Psychiatry; or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Work experience in the relevant field, of which at least 7 years of professional experience in the humanitarian or refugee field. Extensive knowledge of public mental health and MHPSS models of promotion/prevention and treatment. Experiences and knowledge in the psychological and psychosocial response to victims of sexual violence and torture. Experience in integrated health responses, providing mental health services integrated with primary or secondary health services. Strong understanding of and working experience with refugee protection (such as community based protection, child protection and SGBV prevention and response). Knowledgeable of the latest developments and techniques in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support. Experience with planning, executing and evaluating capacity building around MHPSS (training, workshops). Work experience with technical tools in around: 1) mental health integration in primary health care (such as the mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide for Clinical Management of Mental, Neurological and Substance use Conditions in Humanitarian Emergencies, WHO/UNHCR, 2015), 2) Scalable psychological interventions (brief evidence based psychotherapies, such as Problem Management Plus, Interpersonal Therapy for Depression and Self Help Plus), 3) community-based psychosocial work. Ability to promote good working relationships among colleagues, supervisors, and the persons s/he supervises. Experience with MHPSS coordination in humanitarian settings and relation building with UN agencies, NGOs and Governments

Desirable
Not specified

Functional Skills
*WB- Organizational Psychology and/or Psychiatry
WB-Psychosocial risk assessment and recommendation of mitigating measures
CL-Needs Assessment and Response Analysis
PR-Community Services-Social Work/Counselling
CO-Cross-cultural communication
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness
PR-Community-based Protection
MD-Health Information Systems (HIS)
MS-Networking
*EX-Field experience with UNHCR and/or with other humanitarian organizations
MG-Managerial experience
MS-Standard Operating Procedures (preparation of)

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates. C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X008L3 - Stakeholder Management Level 3

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).

Please note that the closing date for vacancies in this September 2020 Compendium is Tuesday 20 October 2020  (midnight Geneva time).