MHPSS Officer at Rise to Inspire Africa Initiative

Rise to Inspire Africa Initiative is a youth-led, impact-driven, result-oriented, non-profit and non-governmental organization that is committed to alleviating the sufferings of the vulnerable and most marginalized people in sub-Saharan Africa. The organization aims to bring about positive changes and to inspire the victims of armed conflicts and natural disasters, especially women and children, to attain self-reliance and sufficiency while providing access to equal opportunities through advocacy, collaborative networking, capacity building, and empowerment. We seek to enhance the ability of our clients to make integrated and right decisions through the many and varied programs that will help them physically, psychologically, and intellectually grow and thrive.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: MHPSS Officer

Location: Gwoza, Borno
Employment Type: Full Time
Reports to: Project Manager
Position directly supervises: PSS facilitators
Indirect Reporting: Response Manager
Internal: Other Project, Finance and Operations Staff
External: Donor Staff, Consortium Staff Members, Government ministry/Agencies

Job Overview / Summary

• The MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) Officer will be responsible for providing psychosocial support services to individuals and communities, ensuring the delivery of culturally and contextually appropriate mental health interventions. The officer will assess, plan, and implement support activities for beneficiaries experiencing psychological distress, focusing on resilience-building and well-being.
• This role involves designing and delivering structured psychosocial activities, conducting emotional support sessions, training staff on psychological first aid (PFA), and strengthening community-based psychosocial support systems.
• The officer will also ensure safe documentation, data protection, and adherence to protection principles while collaborating with stakeholders, facilitating referral pathways, and representing the organization at relevant working groups and coordination meetings.
• Additionally, the MHPSS Officer will contribute to program development, technical resource creation, and reporting, ensuring the effective implementation and monitoring of mental health and psychosocial support services in alignment with the organization’s objectives.

Responsibilities

• Provide case-by-case assessments, recommendations, and referrals for appropriate treatments for beneficiaries with psychological distress.
• Implement the treatment plan for psychological distress cases that are within the threshold for the RIA Initiative
• Ensure safe documentation and storage of individual cases by respecting data protection protocols.
• Conduct specific child-focused activities for psychosocial well-being and building resilience for the most vulnerable and at-risk children (Girls and Boys) women and men and adolescents by ensuring a variety of activities that include active games, sports, local PSS activities, life skills, and educational activities.
• Train the PSS Facilitators and other staff on PFA, identification, and assessment of people with psychological distress.
• Conduct emotional support group sessions for caregivers to better cope with difficulties, and distress and to enhance their resilience.
• Strengthen community-based psychosocial support and peer support group activities by mapping community-based structures that respond to MHPSS issues and build their capacity.
• Develop structured psychosocial support activities for children, women, girls, and adolescents with adherence to culture and context-specific.
• Provide basic counselling sessions to support children, adolescents, and their caregivers to better cope with difficulties, and distress, and enhance their resilience.
• Reviewing and developing the technical materials, tools, guidelines, and documents needed for MHPSS in collaboration with the MHPSS sector Working Group and other partners.
• Established and maintained positive relations with target beneficiaries, community members, humanitarian actors, and all the other stakeholders for the successful delivery of PSS activities.
• Provide coaching and support to the field staff in the implementation of structured MHPSS activities and ensure standardization across the field locations.
• Establish and ensure efficient running of the help desks within the field locations.
• Work with the protection officer, and logistics department in ensuring timely supplier and replenishing of PSS materials.
• Carry out all tasks respecting key protection principles, including but not limited to do no harm, non-discrimination, confidentiality, accountability, and need-to-know principles.
• Establish and strengthen referral pathways for MHPSS at the field and Maiduguri level.
• Represent RIA Initiative in MHPSS working group and other coordination meetings, when assigned.

Other Responsibilities:

• Coordinate with field staff in ensuring timely development and submission of weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports on PSS activities.
• In coordination with the protection officer, ensure safe spaces readiness activities are conducted, and actions are taken to meet the safety and warmlines of the spaces.
• Work with the PSS facilitators to ensure the weekly PSS assessments are conducted to ascertain the impact of the safe spaces PSS activities and align the findings to better inform program activities and proposal development.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisors and the technical team to enable and develop the RIA Initiative program

Qualifications

• HND/B.Sc. in psychology, Social Work, Mental Health, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in providing MHPSS services in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Experience in designing and implementing MHPSS programs and activities.
• Proven experience in supporting survivors of SGBV, including trauma-informed care and counseling.

Skills:

• Strong understanding of MHPSS principles and best practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in challenging environments and under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Proficiency in using MHPSS assessment and intervention tools.

Other Requirements:

• Ability to work in diverse cultural and political environments.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of local languages pertaining to Indigents of Gwoza is an asset.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.