Psychosocial Support Officer at Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is the world’s hunger specialist and leader in a global movement that aims to end life-threatening hunger for good within our lifetimes. For 40 years, the humanitarian and development organization has been on the front lines, treating and preventing hunger across nearly 50 countries. It served more than 21 million people in 2018 alone.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Psychosocial Support Officer

Location: Damasak, Borno
Start Date: As Soon As Possible
Direct Line Manager: Sector Manager: Health and Nutrition

Objective 1

Conduct / participate in Mental Health and Psychosocial needs assessment among the affected populations

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Conduct/participate in Mental Health and Psychosocial needs assessment among the affected populations. This will include assessments consistent with IASC guidelines and Mental Health Psychosocial WHO assessment toolkit, at different stages of program planning and implementation.
Join or initiate interagency coordination mechanisms for the provision of mental health and psychosocial support for SAM children and their caregivers and share relevant information.
Develop adequate PSS tools.
Facilitate community conversations and awareness-raising activities using IEC and public events in collaboration with project staff.
Develop and implement ideas for psychosocial programs with, women, children in the stabilization Centre, nutrition OTP sites, and vulnerable groups in target sites,
Hold focus group discussions and key informant interviews with the IDP/returnee population in each of these groups in each site in order to assess need, develop projects and identify project leaders to be national psychosocial officers.
Support these psychosocial activities by the provision of technical support, training, materials, and supplies to the national psychosocial officers.
Train primary health care providers and first responders on key principles of psychological first aid (PFA) and provide orientation on relevant sheets within the IASC MHPSS guidelines (1/2 day) in target sites.
Identify and train national PFA trainers through a PFA training of trainers program.
Set up, monitor and develop Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), Child-Friendly Space (CFS) and community-based Psychosocial (PSS) activities in target sites, providing capacity building and field supervision for national staff on an ongoing basis.
Supervisory role for all members of the Mental Health Psychosocial (MHPSS) team providing services in these sites, including:
- Locating and interviewing potential candidates for all aspects of the MHPSS program.
- Ensuring activities and training, including YEP, CFS, community-based activities, and PFA training run according to protocol and program development.
- Developing and identifying necessary measuring tools to assess success in accordance with indicators of program.
- Develop M&E tools and analysis of program M&E activities in the field.
- Work closely with AAH national psychosocial staff and logistics officer to ensure that psychosocial and mental health programming and activities in target sites supported technically, logistically and administratively.
- Program development and recommendations, as required.
- Ensure programming is on track in absence of direct supervisor; reporting daily on important issues that require supervisor feedback and decision making.

Objective 2

Monitoring and Evaluation

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Gathers from the field and classifies mental health and psychosocial from a variety of prepared and original source documents, forms, and records; identifies and corrects errors; performs clerical and related office tasks as assigned, such as maintaining records of work received and work performed; verifies data input;
Completes intake assessments, evaluations, treatment recommendations, reviews, and other documentation as necessary.
Developing and identifying necessary measuring tools to assess success in accordance with indicators of program.
Implementing and coordinating measurement tools in the field.

Objective 3

Reporting

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Keeps track of clients/beneficiaries through AAH attendance records, to be submitted at the end of every month.
Reports to include the number of women, youth and/or other vulnerable groups partaking in AAH supported PSS activities, including YEP, CFS, PFA, and group interventions, disaggregated by age and gender.
Data collection, collation, and analysis.
Program documentation, data collection, analysis, and final outcomes report for donor reports.
Documentation of all activities and outcomes. Submit regular reports.
Office documentation and other duties as required by supervisor

Objective 4

Performance Management.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Communicate Action Against Hunger performance standards and expectations to team members which includes; 10 minutes monthly conversation, 3 months/end of probation performance appraisal and annual/ end of contract appraisal.
Establish performance objectives, provide feedback, identify strengths and areas for professional improvement.
Contribute to the professional development and improvement of team members by providing support.
Liaise with line Manager and HR in case of issues raised by team members.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Counseling or other related fields with extensive psychosocial programming experience; or equivalent Degree with 3+ years in setting up or implementing psychosocial programs in an emergency.

Skills & Experience

Essential:

In-depth knowledge of Psychosocial programming in the humanitarian context
Experience implementing Youth Empowerment Programming, Child-Friendly Spaces, Case Management, Psychosocial programming for people affected by disaster
Familiarity with IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support In Emergency Settings
Training experience required
Experience working in the Northeast (Borno State) is a plus
Strong organizational and supervisory skills with excellent reporting & writing skills
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments
Honest, hard-working and a self-motivated person able to work in a dynamic environment
Ability to work within a team structure or in isolation, flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources
Excellent command of verbal and written English
Kanuri & Hausa Language are great advantages.
Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions.
Prepared to live and work in an uncertain security environment.
Commitment to and understanding of Action Against Hunger’s aims, values, and principles.