MHPSS Manager

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. IRC Ukraine’s health program provides an integrated Primary Health Care package of services, including a Mental Health component. Health activities aim to scale up to meet the health needs of vulnerable populations in a system building approach, with increased Health-focused interventions in Kharkiv oblast which the IRC will provide primary health care services, Mental Health Psychosocial Support services through a Mobile Medical Unit and support to national Primary Health Care Centers.

JOB SUMMARY The MHPSS Manager will provide technical oversight of the clinical and medical management of mental health conditions, to support programs offered inside Ukraine; additionally the MHPSS Manager She/he will review existing systems and structures within the IRC’s MHPSS services. The Mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) Program Manager will be responsible for supporting the integration of mental health into primary health care service delivery in the PHCC’s, Mobile Medical Units and urban settlements and align procedures and efforts across technical areas, using the WHO/ UNHCR mental health gap action program (mhGAP) training and operational guidelines.

Furthermore, the MHPSS manager will be responsible for managing budgets and will be responsible for close monitoring of the budget expenditure, monthly review of the budget, and ensure compliance with IRC and donor reporting requirements. The position requires strong emphasis in training and developing the capacity of national staff; the successful candidate should therefore have experience in training, on the job supervision and mentoring, coordination and in building referral links to the other formal service providers

The MHPSS Manager will also provide technical support when needed to the Child Protection (CP), Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) and Protection Rule of Law Programming (PRoL) in terms of close coordination and collaboration with health program to ensure appropriate referral and follow up system is in place. She/he will develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the provision of psychosocial support and psychiatric care. The manager will be informed by an understanding of cultural norms around mental health, gender roles, violence against women and girls, and the neglect, exploitation and abuse of children and other vulnerable refugee groups. The MHPSS manager will report to the Health Coordinator and MHPSS Technical Advisor. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Lead the setting up of the mental health PHC integration program in line with the National strategies that are aligned with the WHO mhGAP HIG and IASC MHPSS guidelines and IRC Outcome and Evidence Framework (OEF) in the supported health facilities, Mobile Medical Units and through the community health component. Provide clinical mental health and psychosocial program supervision to project staff (re: Psychiatrist, Psychologist, General Practitioners, MHPSS mentors, Protection and GBV case workers) inclusive of ongoing capacity building, professional development, technical support and performance reviews. Conduct field visits to monitor and support MHPSS activities and interventions provided, and support technical quality of programming by providing feedback and mentorship Lead and facilitate monthly team meetings with program staff and share minutes of the meetings with the health coordinator Facilitate trainings and workshops, including organizing logistics, collaborating with co-trainer/s, and documenting program indicators. Assist in developing budgets, proposals and contribute to donor reporting. Track budgets, procurement plans, and work plans to ensure proper personnel, facilities, and supplies are available to meet grant deliverables. Conduct mhGAP Operations training for health managers, team leaders and health leadership, develop an mhGAP implementation plan to coordinate the mhGAP activities at all levels. Participate in rapid needs assessments with other IRC sectors and external agencies as required Program Management of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support: Actively participate in coordination mechanisms, represent the IRC in the MHPSS Technical-working group and ensure the implementation of IASC MHPSS guidelines where relevant Work closely with the donors to ensure proper coordination and timely reporting. Lead the development and implementation of data collection, M&E and quality control measures (e.g. on the job supervision checklists, impact measurement tools, client satisfaction measures and mhGAP training reports) for mental health services, and community-based psycho-social activities. Support the development of referral pathways to strengthen links to available services for MHPSS in an integrated approach. Lead the development of appropriate IEC materials on MHPSS, to build awareness of services and promote key messages Support the recruitment of MHPSS team when relevant Support with team building, performance review and professional development of future staff. Participate in the development/review of mentorship plans and other activity plans on quarterly basis Work closely with the health officers and pharmacy officer to ensure availability of WHO essential psychotropic medications at the clinics at all time Coordinate with other MHPSS stakeholders to ensure complementation.

Partner Management Work closely with project coordinators to identify implementing partners, designing interventions, monitor their implementation and provide supportive supervision. Ensure the development of regular performance monitoring plan of partners to achieve the set project’s objectives; provide technical support and guidance. Conduct partner’s assessment to understand and plan for the technical capacity building support. Development of capacity building plan for partner organizations along with close monitoring of performance improvement and training uptake. Arrange regular meetings with implementing partners to discuss the future program implementation cycle and understand the challenges and barriers that might delay the progress. Documentation and Reporting: Ensure disaggregated and cumulative tracking of clients and documentation of all activities and outcomes Participate in preparation of internal and external reports, including submission of weekly reports to coordinators. Take responsibility for collection and reporting of mental health project data including HMIS reporting and patient outcomes (e.g. functioning scale, client satisfaction surveys). Support project staff to maintain program records and documentation as per project management minimum standards, including maintaining the confidentiality and security of MHPSS client data Promote the culture of learning and documentation so that lessons learned and good practices are documented and shared for institutional memory and learning as well as to advocate on behalf of the targeted communities Support the development of MHPSS monitoring and evaluation tools and related activities for improving performance Working on donors’ reporting and contribute to proposal development Ensure proper documentation of all trainings, completion and analysis of pre and post knowledge tests and on the job supervision checklists as well as mental health PHC integration checklists. Sharing copies with MHPSS team data management, M&E, and reporting. Perform other duties as assigned by the Health Coordinator

QUALIFICATIONS: Degree in psychology (preferably with a Masters degree in clinical psychology or counselling psychology) with minimum four years of experience working on MHPSS programs. Sound knowledge and experience on implementing IASC MHPSS guidelines in emergency settings Training experience on Psychological First Aid, Capacity building/ curriculum development experience in community based MHPSS approach Fluency in English and Ukrainian EXPERIENCE: Previous NGO experience in a conflict-affected setting in MHPSS management capacity Strong experience in MHPSS coordination and project management. Management, training and supervision experience required Strong organizational and supervisory skills and interpersonal skills with the ability to work within different cultural environment Ability to work within a team structure or in isolation, flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources Experience in mental health and protection work with displaced persons, refugees, returnees and migrants Excellent command of the use of Microsoft Office especially Outlook, Work, Excel and Power Point Good communication, teamwork skills and ability to work independently

Professional Standards The International Rescue Committee is determined to protect the people it serves and staff from all kinds of harm, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. It is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe. IRC builds diverse and inclusive teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

IRC workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces its safeguarding policies to protect adult and child clients from any form of exploitation and abuse, including sexual exploitation and abuse, and its staff from sexual harassment and violence.

Where misconduct is alleged, IRC follows a Zero tolerance approach and takes all necessary actions and corrective measures. IRC investigation unit comprises of experts and trained investigators that ensures professional survivor-centered investigations are conducted if allegations of safeguarding violations are reported through the safe and accessible reporting channels that IRC makes available to its staff, partners, and clients.

These commitments are set out in IRC’s Safeguarding Policies, accessible in English and in Ukrainian language via this link: https://rescue.box.com/v/irc-safeguarding-policies.

IRC is an active member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) set-up in Ukraine.

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Qualifications