MHPSS Specialist – Digital Community Practices

International Rescue Committee

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global leader in providing emergency relief, rehabilitation, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for refugees and others uprooted or affected by violent conflict.

Background on Signpost:

Signpost is a digitally enabled responsive information service that supports and empowers populations in crisis, including asylum seekers, migrants, and people who have experienced violence. Our program equips people with information to understand their options so that they can make informed decisions about how to stay safe, get urgent care for acute problems, exercise their rights, and access services. It was developed by the IRC and Mercy Corps in 2015 to address asylum seekers’ and migrants’ pressing need for reliable information upon arrival to Greece, and is now active in 15 countries on 5 continents.

It meets communities on the digital platforms they already use and aims to deliver information that is contextualized to their specific needs and speaks to their lived realities. This approach draws on evidence that people are more likely to trust and act on information that is responsive to their needs, speaks to their lived realities, and that comes from “peers” rather than authority figures.

Signpost- Ukraine Crisis

Signpost is supporting a number of civil society partners responding to the information needs of people affected by the war in Ukraine, primarily through digital engagement, including Telegram text lines and social media platforms. Partners provide information services to people displaced from Ukraine, including information about rights and benefits, how to access services, and cultural orientation.

Position summary

The MHPSS Specialist- Digital Community Practices will support civil society partner organizations responding to the displacement crisis caused by the war in Ukraine in developing best practices, adapting established guidance to their context, and providing training and capacity building activities. This position directly supports frontline staff who respond to questions sent through social media and who provide non-judgmental support and accompaniment to displaced populations.

Essential Responsibilities

- Adapt global-level guidance on best practices in moderating digital communities to context and needs of different partners and target clients. - Provide training and capacity building on practices for moderating digital communities and key concepts essential for partners frontline staff - Supports partners to set up workflows that ensure the messages are routed to specialists (e.g., legal, protection and social services, health, mental health and psychosocial support, etc.), as needed. - Support partners to establish escalation protocols, based on analysis of protection risks and mapping of resources available to respond to risks - Manage Community of Practice (CoP) among partners frontline staff, with an aim to:

○ (1) create a space for ongoing exchange of learning across partner organizations.

○ (2) provide ongoing capacity building sessions on key concepts and techniques including psychological first aid (PFA), basic psychosocial support skills, using a trauma informed and client-centered approach, self-care and staff wellbeing, etc.

○ (3) discuss ‘challenging’ cases and workshop case study scenarios (e.g., discuss potential responses and actions for staff to take when working with distressed clients)

○ (4) support digital community engagement staff across Europe to feel empowered, supported, and part of a community.

Requirements

- A background in Protection and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) (e.g., social work, counselor, therapist, etc.) and prior experience in humanitarian contexts. - Knowledge of key protection principles and MHPSS in humanitarian contexts - Experience in adapting seminal guidance documents and training resources to meet the unique needs of organizations, specific populations, and delivery platforms. - Professional experience overseeing professional teams/volunteers and conducting trainings and supervision sessions for staff/volunteers. - Excellent oral and written Ukrainian skills required. Proficiency in Russian and English is desired. - Prior experience working with or refugees, migrants, or other vulnerable populations. - High emotional intelligence and top-notch communication skills. - An understanding of the subtlety of language and an ability to apply communication guidelines in written responses.

Strong computer proficiency and well acquainted with basic software tools - can navigate autonomously in Windows, Android, Skype, Microsoft Suite and Google docs.

“Qualified candidates residing in any location where the IRC operates are encouraged to apply.”

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