Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer

Volunteering Medical & Health

Overview

Support mental health initiatives for IDPs and migrant populations.

You have:

• Experience working on MHPSS programming in an emergency environment.
• Strong planning and coordination skills required.
• Solid knowledge of Protection coordination mechanisms needed.
• Demonstrated ability to liaise with governmental authorities and NGOs.
• Experience in project development and evaluation is a must.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills essential.
• Proficient in MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint required.
• Ability to analyze and write reports effectively.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

Ever since the assassination of its president in 2019, Haiti has been sliding into an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis, causing significant internal displacement and irregular migration ,flows due to security threats predominantly from gang warfare. In March 2020, IOM recorded around 578,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Haiti, in addition to more than 100,000 forced returns since the beginning of 2024, largely from the neighboring country of Dominican Republic. The Protection needs among these IDPs and forced returnees, including many vulnerable groups with specific needs (unaccompanied or separated children, GBV survivors, people with trauma, etc.), are severe, but services are limited to non-existent, and first responders are overworked and confronted with the same risks.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission and the direct supervision of the Protection Coordinator, the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer will be responsible for supporting MHPSS-related activities for IOM’s emergency programming in Haiti; more specifically, the incumbent will:

• Support the Protection Coordinator in reviewing and assessing current MHPSS interventions with a view to strengthen and expand them with a strategic vision and objective; • Provide suggestions and technical input for the development of new strategies, projects, and activities, to expand and improve MHPSS among Internal Displaced Person's (IDPs) and migrants in Haiti; • Guide a consultant to conduct a study on the prevalence of suicide among IDPs in Haiti, and implement activities to improve MHPSS for these groups; • Monitor relevant national policy, strategy and programmatic developments in relation to mental health, psychosocial response, and intercultural communication needs of migrants and displaced populations, and inform senior management and the Global MHPSS Unit through briefs; • Contribute to the development and organize the implementation of capacity-building for IOM staff and partners on MHPSS, based on a capacity needs assessment; • Liaise with UN agencies, other intergovernmental agencies, NGOs and NGO networks, academic institutions and networks of national significance; • Act as MHPSS focal point for IOM Haiti and represent IOM in relevant coordination forums at country level, including the MHPSS working group and the Health Cluster; • Promote and facilitate the inclusion of MHPSS into IOM and humanitarian appeal processes and documents, and support reporting and writing funding proposals; • Prepare reports covering MHPSS-related activities, briefings, statistical/narrative reports, and background notes as requested by IOM, Governments, donors, and other entities. • Provide technical inputs to position papers, strategy documents, advocacy pieces prepared by IOM Haiti, IOM Headquarters, or other actors; • Perform other tasks as assigned.

Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion. Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct. Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges. Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance. Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated

Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results. Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes. Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate. Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work. Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the Organization’s vision. Assists others to realize and develop their leadership and professional potential. Empowering others: Creates an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential. Building Trust: Promotes shared values and creates an atmosphere of trust and honesty. Strategic thinking and vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction. Humility: Leads with humility and shows openness to acknowledging own shortcomings.

humanitarian affairs, and/or development relating to migration, refugee, IDP issues, showing increasing levels of responsibility; field experience preferred.

• Experience in liaising with governmental authorities, other national/international institutions, and NGOs; • Experience in project management and development and/or monitoring, evaluation, and reporting; • Demonstrated experience working on MHPSS programming and/or vulnerable people with MHPSS needs in an emergency or post-conflict environment; • Solid knowledge of Protection coordination mechanisms; • Strong planning and coordination skills; • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to work in a multi-cultural environment; • Sound ability to communicate practical knowledge on actions to address Protection and MHPSS issues at the operational level; • Demonstrated analytical, writing and reporting skills; • Solid computer skills (MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint).

Haiti, especially the capital Port-au-Prince, is a bustling and crowded country with high levels of poverty and unemployment throughout. While much of the infrastructure is somewhat lacking, and much of it is in the process of development, Haiti nonetheless has many areas of stunning natural beauty; it has a rich and diverse cultural heritage that is an enticing draw for foreign staff and expats alike.

Haiti is affected by problems in terms of safety and security, and many governments advise avoiding certain areas of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Due to the instability of the political system in Haiti, there are frequent protests, some of which run the risk of turning violent and are therefore best avoided.

While the end of 2019 was marked by nearly four months of “peyi lok” – widespread civil unrest, insecurity and political turmoil translating in recurrent teleworking arrangements – the beginning of 2020 started by a deadlocked political dialogue and then the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March. UNDP in Haiti has become adept with regard to risk management. This has taken the form of proactively planning in advance, aiming to anticipate and prevent a negative impact of the volatile country context on programme and staff. For example, UNDP Country Office took the initiative to facilitate voluntary evacuation for high-risk UNDP and UNV personnel at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening security capacity within UNDP Country Office and an adaptive and proactive approach to the security environment has enabled UNDP to remain operational while ensuring the maximum safety for personnel.

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org