Hardship LevelD
Family TypeNon Family with Residential Location
Family TypeNon Family with Residential LocationDanger Pay
Residential location (if applicable)
Budapest, Hungary
GradeNOA
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Remote work acceptedNo
Target Start Date2024-12-01
Deadline for ApplicationsNovember 3, 2024
Standard Job Description
Assistant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) describes any type of local or outside support that aims to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental disorder. It is therefore, by definition, a multi-sectoral issue. 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, community-based protection, child protection, and SGBV.
The main task of the MHPSS team is to build and maintain capacity for MHPSS interventions within UNHCR and partners in order to foster delivery of quality MHPSS interventions for refugees and other persons of concern including the surrounding host communities.
The Assistant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer will enhance UNHCR's efforts to ensure that MHPSS is well integrated in the humanitarian response, with a focus on multisector capacity building.
The incumbent typically is a member of an MHPSS team and normally reports to the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer. If such function does not exist, the incumbent will report to the Public Health Officer, Programme Officer or Community-based Protection Officer, based on the set-up of the office. The supervisor defines the general work objectives and provides necessary advice and guidance.
The Assistant MHPSS Officer works directly with stakeholders, including other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners, as well as the communities of concern. The incumbent supports the identification of MHPSS gaps and contributes to the design of a MHPSS strategy by ensuring that it reflects the needs of persons of concern and builds on the capacities of partners.
To fulfil this role, the Assistant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer is required to spend a substantial percentage of her/his time working outside the office, assessing MHPSS needs in the field, coordinating with the staff of partners, and monitoring the delivery of MHPSS programmes.
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
- Assist partners and UNHCR staff in the protection and health units to develop, coordinate, and monitor appropriate MHPSS interventions.
- Contribute to capacity building and supportive supervision of UNHCR staff and partner staff around:
o community-based psychosocial support,
o evidence-based scalable psychological interventions,
o clinical mental health care (support to primary health care workers around mental health care).
- Perform monitoring around psychosocial support of partners including, in consultation with the relevant units, Community-based Protection, Child protection, SGBV and Education.
- Perform monitoring around mental health services within in primary health centres, in consultation with the health and nutrition unit.
- Provide support to UNHCR health partners to ensure the correct use of the mental health elements of Health Information System (HIS), collect data for the annual UNHCR reporting, review and analyse monthly health data, and compile annual reports on the mental health situation in camps.
- Undertake regular site visits in order to assess MHPSS needs of persons of concern, with attention to people with specific needs.
- Support the development of functional referral and follow-up mechanisms between community, MHPSS services and protection partners.
- Support establishing referral pathways for people with clinically relevant mental health conditions from the community to the primary health care system and when required to secondary care.
- Keep regular contacts with local authorities and partners as requested by supervisor.
- Represent UNHCR team in MHPSS coordination meetings and or in coordination meetings round protection and health, as requested by supervisor.
- Ensure compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of MHPSS services.
- Upon indication, assist in assessing the MHPSS needs of persons of concern (people with high priority needs and or persons with complex or severe problems), initiate treatment and define appropriate follow up interventions.
- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Clinical Psychology;
Psychiatry;
Clinical Social Work;
Public Health;
Mental Health;
or other relevant field
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Knowledge of and experience in various psychological interventions. Experience with provision MHPSS services in refugee settings or other disadvantaged communities.
Desirable
Experience with capacity building (organising and giving trainings and workshop, performing and supportive supervision).
Functional Skills
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
CO-Cross-cultural communication
MD-Health Information Systems (HIS)
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
WB - Organizational Psychology and/or Psychiatry
WB - Psychosocial risk assessment and recommendation of mitigating measures
(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.
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
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.
Desired Candidate Profile Desired Candidate Profile:
• Fluency in both English and Ukrainian, orally and in writing. Good drafting skills in Ukrainian and English.
• Excellent communication and strong inter-personal skills.
• Demonstrated experience in the humanitarian response to the needs of internally displaced and other war-affected people.
• Experience in community-based protection.
• Demonstrated professional experience in planning for and implementing mental health and psycho-social support services. A background in social work is desirable.
• Demonstrated familiarity with and use of evidence-based scalable psychological interventions (group-based and individual level)
• Experience in supporting national social systems and services related to MHPSS
• Experience in capacity building
Operational Context:
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) describes any type of local or outside support that aims to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental health conditions. It is therefore, by definition, a multi-sectoral issue. 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, community-based protection, child protection, and SGBV. The main task of the MHPSS team is to build and maintain capacity for MHPSS interventions within UNHCR and partner programs in order to foster delivery of quality MHPSS interventions for refugees and other persons we work with and for, including the surrounding host communities.
The Assistant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer will enhance UNHCR’s efforts to ensure that MHPSS is well integrated in the humanitarian response, with a focus on multisector scalable capacity building on individual and community-based psycho-social support, evidence-based scalable psychological interventions such as Group Problem Management +, Early Adolescents Skills for Emotion (EASE) and Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), as well as clinical mental health care (support to primary health care workers around mental health care).
The incumbent will be a part of the Community-based Protection Team of the Protection Unit in the Ukraine Country Office and work under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Officer as part of the CBP Team led by the Senior Protection Officer. The incumbent is also expected to liaise and closely work with the Protection Cluster to strengthen the psycho-social services component in the humanitarian coordination systems. In addition, the incumbent is expected to take an active role in the MHPSS TWG.
The Assistant MHPSS Officer works directly with stakeholders, including other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners, as well as the communities of concern. The incumbent supports the identification of MHPSS gaps and contributes to the design and implementation of a MHPSS strategy as part of the wider CBP approach by ensuring that it reflects the needs of persons of concern and builds on the capacities of partners. The Assistant MHPSS Officer will further contribute to support offices and partners to deliver an effective response, including with capacity building support and assistance in setting up effective programming and referral pathways.
To fulfil this role the Assistant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer will be required to frequently travel to all of UNHCR’s Field Offices across Ukraine, to provide technical guidance and training to UNHCR and its partners to improve the quality of MHPSS interventions. S/he will also play a key role in monitoring and evaluating MHPSS interventions and providing partners with constructive feedback. S/he will participate in MHPSS coordination and planning meetings within UNHCR, coordinates and engages with relevant Government counterparts and devises ways to support national systems, and will represent UNHCR in interagency MHPSS technical meetings including the national level MHPSS Technical Working Group and regional hubs.
Nationality of the country of the position is required.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): English
,Ukrainian
,
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:
Nature of Position:
Living and Working Conditions:
Additional Qualifications
SkillsCL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, CO-Cross-cultural communication, MD-Health Information Systems (HIS), PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework, WB - Organizational Psychology and/or Psychiatry, WB - Psychosocial risk assessment and recommendation of mitigating measures
EducationBachelor of Arts (BA): Clinical Psychology, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Clinical Social Work, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Mental Health, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Psychiatry, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Public Health
Certifications
Work Experience
CompetenciesAccountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Compendium
Additional Information
Functional clearanceThis position requires Functional Clearance