Job Description

What we are looking for:

A highly qualified, experienced and dynamic Mental Health and Psycho-social Support (MHPSS) Adviser to lead the strategic integration of MHPSS services across NRC’s operations in Syria. The role aims to ensure sustainable and high-quality implementation of MHPSS interventions and strengthening/ enhancing the technical quality of NRC’s Psycho-social (PSS) approaches. This includes the integration of NRC’s psycho-social support and Better Learning Programme (BLP) into program delivery.

What you will do:

1. Develop and implement MHPSS strategy for the Whole of Syria (WoS), ensuring integration with NRC’s overall program objectives and local needs.
2. Ensure that the international MHPSS frameworks, including the Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines for MHPSS in Emergency Settings.
3. Ensure that the MHPSS strategy is aligned with NRC’s global education and PSS strategies, in close collaboration with the Global BLP Unit (GBU), and adheres to international MHPSS frameworks, including the IASC Guidelines for MHPSS in Emergency Settings.
4. Collaborate with partners working on Child Protection, MHPSS and Education in Syria      to design and execute school-based mental health promotion and prevention activities for children and educators.
5. Conduct and coordinate comprehensive MHPSS needs assessments, including multi-dimensional analysis of local context and priorities, to guide intervention planning.
6. Establish and maintain effective referral pathways and services for MHPSS, ensuring robust mechanisms are in place for accessing appropriate support and resources.
7. Design, review, and contextualize MHPSS intervention packages and tools, ensuring they are relevant and sensitive to the local context and needs.
8. Develop and execute evidence-based MHPSS interventions, including individual and group psychological support, for children, adolescents and youth caregivers, and educators experiencing significant distress.
9. Conduct regular MHPSS service mappings and quality vetting of referral options, ensuring up-to-date and effective referral pathways in collaboration with relevant teams.
10. Provide technical guidance, training, and supervision of Education[CL1] [SH2]  team and volunteers, ensuring adherence to best practices and effective service delivery.
11. Lead research initiatives, in collaboration with the GBU,to evaluate the effectiveness of MHPSS interventions, including designing and conducting studies to identify successful strategies and areas for improvement.
12. Develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks for MHPSS programs, analyzing data to measure impact and drive program improvement.
13. Participate in local MHPSS coordination platforms and other relevant forums, contributing to collaborative efforts and sharing insights on MHPSS priorities and interventions.
14. Facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building among stakeholders by organizing workshops and training sessions focused on integrating MHPSS. 1) self-care and 2) teacher wellbeing in coordination with both regional and global work on these aspects' dimensions into existing programs and practices. 

Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the position. 

What you will bring:

• Minimum of 4 years of experience in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) field in the humanitarian context, experience in working with migrants and refugees is an asset.
• Experience working in complex and volatile environments, with a demonstrated ability to navigate cultural differences and adapt approaches to diverse contexts. Knowledge of the context in Syria and neighboring countries is highly preferable.
• Expertise in MHPSS programming and strategic approaches to program development.
• Ability to work effectively in diverse and challenging environments, understanding cultural dynamics, and adapting approaches accordingly.
• Understanding of and commitment to integrated programming approaches.
• Experience with children and adolescents, knowledge on child development and adolescent mental health.
• Understanding and leveraging personal leadership style and strengths.
• Familiarity with international standards and guidelines for MHPSS, including IASC guidelines and INEE standards.
• Experience with remotely managed programming.
• Experience and skill set in the following areas are desirable: Integrating MHPSS into educational programs, developing community-based MHPSS interventions, addressing stressors on mental health in education, and ensuring inclusive, culturally sensitive programming.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal, Arabic is an asset.

What we offer:

• Duty station: Amman Jordan
• Contract: 12 months (Renewal is subject to performance and funds availability)
• Travel: Up to 40% international travel.
• Salary/benefits: grade 8 on NRC’s salary scale, with accompanying terms and conditions
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process

• Internal candidates only: To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email or click on Opportunity MarketPlace.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• We receive many applications for each vacant position and so only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• We invite applications from all qualified and interested candidates. Send in your application by latest November 12, 2024.
• If you have any questions about this role, please email [Click to show email] with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

NRC currently has over 3,000 staff across the Middle East dedicated to assisting people affected by conflict in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Palestine. Its humanitarian interventions are based upon its programming expertise in the Core Competencies of Shelter, Education, WASH, Livelihoods and Food Security, and Information Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) to vulnerable displaced people that were forced to flee.   

As the Syrian crisis has entered its 14th year, a record-level 16.7 million people, over 71% of the population, is in need of humanitarian assistance, almost half of them children.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been a leading humanitarian actor in the response to the Syria crisis, in Syria and across the region, since 2012. Against a backdrop of conflict, socioeconomic and environmental deterioration, climate change and natural disasters, we provide emergency, transitional, early recovery and resilience programmes to people in need. We lead advocacy to promote unimpeded and sustained access to assistance for people across Syria and we call for increased humanitarian funding, resilience and early recovery support to alleviate the hardships of the Syrian people. 

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.
• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.
• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.

Learn more about NRC's operations in Syria here.