World Concern is a Christian global relief and development agency that extends opportunity and hope to people facing the most profound human challenges of extreme poverty. We serve over 7 million people in 15 countries, focusing on food security, child protection, education, maternal and child health, microfinance, vocational training, clean water and sanitation and disaster response. We are looking for a visionary leader who combines strong business disciplines with inspirational leadership skills in line with our Christian values and ethos.

Position: Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Program Manager

Location: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Reports To: Emergency Relief Coordinator

Supervises: MHPSS Program staff, volunteers

Length of Contract: 6 months

Purpose: In response to the rapid, uncontrolled growth of refugee sites around Cox’s Bazar, World Concern (WC) is implementing a multi-sectoral response to address needs of the displaced. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services are woefully inadequate, with women and children being of greatest concern. WC is implementing a PSS program, primarily focused on children and youth, in partnership with local Bangladesh organizations. The primary work will be mobile MHPSS clinics, taking advantage of the plethora of child-friendly spaces (CFS) with inadequate services in the camp. Organized activities for youth will connect them with the host community, build self-confidence, and provide a safe space for mental health recovery.

Responsibilities:

Program Management: (75%)

• Oversee the technical aspects of the implementation of the MHPSS program.
• Guide WCB staff and partners to develop work plans, capacity building plans, as well as Monitoring and Evaluation plans to guide implementation of approved grants.
• Ensure a coherent approach to quality PSS programming in line with the IASC MHPSS pyramid.
• With regards to Level 2 (basic) PSS, this position will help social workers to develop weekly activity plans that are age and gender appropriate; these activities will be run by the social workers and community volunteers.
• Promote a clear understanding of the responsibilities staff and community workers to protect boys and girls from harm and subsequent psychosocial distress, which inhibits their ability to develop and thrive.
• Identify and promote participatory approaches to strengthen community resilience and preparedness and train partners through practical simulation exercises.
• Form youth sports teams and other cultural and gender sensitive recreational activities; organize opportunities for competition and collaboration with host community youth.
• Develop an advocacy strategy for issues related to child protection that require sensitization of local authorities or donors and contribute to the development of key messages for broader humanitarian advocacy/messaging.
• Develop and improve monitoring and evaluation systems for child protection programs, ensuring that the program teams in the field actively monitor established indicators and evolving concerns in the target communities (internal and with partners).
• Responsible for coordination with local partner project staff and for supervision of WC MHPSS program staff in Cox’s Bazar, as well as volunteers, community workers in the field.

Program Development: (5%)

• Proactively participate in child protection, MHPSS, and other relevant coordination meetings, task forces, and build productive relationships with those actors to better understand the context, needs and priorities around child protection and MHPSS
• As relevant, develop, maintain and/or initiate partnerships with community based organizations, international and local NGOs, UN Agencies, potential and current donors and relevant Government Ministries to support WC programming
• Develop appropriate, evidence-based tools, modalities and approaches to MHPSS which can be adapted for mobile clinics
• Identify opportunities for Rohingya youth to build positive relationships with host youth

Capacity-Building: (15%)

• Identify PSS capacity building needs of project staff through self-evaluation questionnaires, direct observation, and monitoring visits.
• Hold regular supervision meetings with technical project staff and set up systems for peer review groups that support mutual learning
• Support local partners with user friendly guidelines, including a set of practical ready to use tools and checklists for developing and implementing PSS programming in different settings and phases of an emergency.
• Conduct capacity building trainings in PSS programming focused on the concept of child resilience and psychosocial programming, based on evidence-based protection and MHPSS best practices.
• Document and address quality gaps in collaboration with the WC CPH Technical Specialist

Other related duties as assigned: (5%)

Supervisory Responsibilities: Responsible for coordination with local partner project staff and for supervision of WC MHPSS program staff in Cox’s Bazar, as well as volunteers, community workers in the field

Required Education, Skills & Experience:

1. Christian Commitment: A deep and abiding faith that is fully surrendered to the will of Jesus Christ, evidenced by a lifestyle that is consistent with biblical principles and ongoing spiritual growth and development.
2. Education: Master’s degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the United States Department of Education or equivalent.
3. Experience:
4. Minimum of 5 years of field experience with Child Protection and psychosocial intervention programs in displacement contexts with an (I)NGO;
5. Minimum of 3 years experience with youth empowerment, participation, child development, child rights with an (I)NGO;
6. Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative monitoring & evaluation tools;
7. Strong capacity building, training, coaching and mentoring skills;
8. Strong analytical skills and able to understand local context and design culturally appropriate and evidence-based psychosocial support interventions;
9. Strong problem solving skills and able to quickly identify needs/gaps and work towards solutions;
10. Excellent interpersonal skills and able to work with a diverse group of people;
11. Strong stress management skills as evidenced by resiliency and ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines;
12. Strong communication skills, oral and written, as evidenced by quality of meetings, interactions and reports;
13. English writing/speaking skills;
14. High security awareness and able to work in a dynamic, sometimes high risk, environments;
15. Understanding of humanitarian code of conduct, cluster coordination and MHPSS standards a must, with an ability to apply principles of best practice into practical programs in the field in diverse setting
16. Licensure/Certification: Current licensure preferred in country of origin,
    or certificate courses in MHPSS, UNICEF PSS or similar humanitarian
    psychology courses.
17. Software and Equipment Used: Microsoft Office Suite, web-based file
    sharing, Skype, WhatsApp.
18. Other Considerations: Experience with organized youth sports and
    recreational activities a strong asset.

Preferred Education, Skills & Experience:

1. Education: Post-graduate education in a relevant topic. preferably psychology (with clinical focus on children) or social work in conflict, post-conflict or major displacement contexts.
2. Experience: cash modalities for nutrition, WASH, primary health care would be an asset.
3. Software and Equipment Used: Kobocollect, ODK, SSPS, InfoPath, Sharepoint
4. Other Considerations: Experience living in Bangladesh, or in a Muslim context, preferred. Prior experience working with Rohingya an asset. Experience managing a sport league an asset.

Essential Competencies:

1. CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT
2. LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
3. PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT
4. BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS

Working Conditions:

• Requires periodic travel to remote field locations where basic services may be limited.
• May involve traveling in small boats, planes or driving on rough roads that are not maintained over long distances.
• May encounter armed military or militia groups.
• Periodic interruptions of power or communications.
• May require working on weekends or holidays to meet critical deadlines