Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Research Officer (National position)

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces

The IRC’s programming in Thailand focuses on five core programming areas – primary health care, protection, women’s empowerment and the prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence, education, and livelihoods. These programs reflect IRC’s guiding principles of capacity-building, participation, partnership, protection and promotion of human rights as well as holistic programming.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Research Officer will support the MHPSS Research Manager in the project: Integrating an Evidence-Based Mental Health Intervention into Non-Communicable Disease Care, funded as part of ELRHA’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) to International Rescue Committee, and partners Johns Hopkins University, Khon Kaen University. The project aims to examine the integration of an evidenced-based mental health intervention into existing non-communicable disease (NCD) care models, implemented by IRC in Mae La Camp to compare health outcomes, factors influencing treatment compliance, and costs between intervention and control groups. The MHPSS Research Officer will have a key role in the RCT study, as well as to work with the MHPSS Research Manager, partner teams and key IRC staff and consultants (Senior Health Coordinator, Health Coordinator, MHPSS Manager, MHPSS Lead Research Consultant, etc.) to ensure key milestones of the project are designed and implemented. The position will be based in Mae Sot and the MHPSS Research Officer will support day-to-day operations of all study activities. The MHPSS Research Officer will report directly to MHPSS Research Manager for RCT-specific work and to activity/ research management of the overall project.

Major Responsibilities:

Technical and Research Management

• Participate in implementing key milestones across the project timeline and maintaining good flow of information with all partners such as community agencies and local/national government agencies. • Track the research plan effectively and efficiently aligned with research methodology and ethical behavior, including managing random allocation to study arms and managing enrollment tracking (completed, drop out, etc.) • Participate in weekly research meetings and development of research reports, learning papers and other documents and submission of regular reports on all study activities to IRC • Conduct field visits regularly for monitoring and evaluation, relationship building, capacity building and service quality assurance under supervision of the Research Manager. • Contribute to development of, high-quality and timely IRC/ donor reports, research reports, learning papers, and other documents, as requested by IRC. • Assist in data management and reporting system (CommCare mobile data collection system and Excel) and stay updated on the use of this for research to be able to oversee data collection and help with troubleshooting. • Assist to conduct the trainings of CETA counselors and data collectors. • Assist in carrying out the statistical plan, setting up the data management system, and ensuring data are organized and kept on file for data analysis. • Assist in developing procurement plan and purchase request

Staff Supervision & Development

• Directly supervises data collectors • Support for recruitment of MHPSS camp-based staff if needed. • Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions. • Support trainings to staff members of other departments to introduce the project to teams (Health and Clinical staff, MHPSS team, Psychosocial Workers, etc.) • Support for development of training curriculums related to MHPSS and NCD • Participate in internal meetings and coordinate with other programs.

Other

• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: MHPSS Research Manager Position directly supervises: Data Collectors Other Internal and/or external contacts: Internal: Country Director, Deputy Director of Programs, Mae Sot Field Coordinator, Health Coordinator, IRC Headquarters health technical advisor(s), IRC health staff in all Thailand sites, Bangkok-based program unit, IRC Women’s Protection and Empowerment program team in all Thailand sites; IRC protection team in all Thailand sites; sub-grants compliance unit; finance unit; Operations/Logistics/Supply Chain unit External: Local community-based partner organizations, CCSDPT Health Sub-Committee, Thai public health authorities, non-governmental organizations, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations agencies engaged with IRC programs.

Qualifications

Job Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Public Health or related discipline required

Work Experience: One or more years of experience in designing and implementing research studies, preference for MHPSS specific studies

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: • Experience of using quantitative data collection tools and quantitative data analysis is highly desirable • Strong administrative and organizational skills • Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills • Ability to work independently and make decisions quickly • Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, Outlook, Skype and Dropbox • Training experience preferred; capacity and proven track record in national staff and partner training and capacity-building.

Language Skills: An excellent command of verbal and written English, and Burmese and Karen (S’gaw Karen) and Thai are preferred

Certificates or Licenses: not required

Working Environment:

The position is a NATIONAL post. The position is based in the IRC office in Mae Sot Tak Province with frequent travel to the refugee camps.

Standards of Professional Conduct:

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. 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.

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.