Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer at Lake Chad Peace and Development Initiative

Lake Chad Peace and Development Initiative – LCPD (formerly Yobe Peace and Community Development Initiative – YOPCODI) is a registered National NGO and Civil Society Organization (CSO) committed to expanding equitable access to quality basic services for crisis-affected and rural communities. Our work is grounded in promoting social justice by protecting the rights and enhancing the well-being of women, children, adolescents, youth, and persons with disabilities across Nigeria and the broader Lake Chad Basin sub-region.

Headquartered in Damaturu, Yobe State, with operational field offices across Northeast and Northwest Nigeria, LCPD’s programmatic experience spans engaging government and community stakeholders to improve service delivery across the Humanitarian, Development, and Peacebuilding (HDP) nexus. Our core intervention areas include Climate Action, Education, Early Recovery and Livelihoods, Governance and Human Rights, Health and Nutrition, Humanitarian Response, Peacebuilding and Countering Violent Extremism, as well as the Protection and Empowerment of Women, Girls and Youth.

Our programs also integrate cross-cutting components such as Gender and Social Inclusion, Advocacy, Humanitarian Coordination, and building equitable and sustainable partnerships. In May 2025, LCPD launched its Five-Year Strategic Plan for Humanitarian, Development, and Peacebuilding Response in Northeast and Northwest Nigeria. LCPD is governed by a credible Board of Trustees with deep knowledge of humanitarian and development dynamics in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin. The Board is supported by an 11-member Senior Management Team (SMT), led by the Executive Director, providing strong technical direction and oversight. Additionally, LCPD maintains a network of over 350 volunteers across our operational locations, ensuring strong relationships with the people and communities we serve.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer

Location: Yobe

Role Overview

• The MHPSS Officer will lead psychosocial support activities tailored to project participants, emphasizing participatory and non-formal educational approaches to strengthen psychosocial cohesion and resilience.
• The aim is to restore routine, promote positive coping mechanisms, and instill dignity for the future among crisis-affected boys and girls, in accordance with humanitarian coordination standards and cultural sensitivities in Northeast Nigeria. 

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead one-on-one and group counselling support sessions for project participants and caregivers;
• Build resilience & coping skills in individuals and communities;
• Conduct sensitization sessions and prepare weekly/monthly activity schedule as the need arises, and ensure availability, safe storage, and maintenance of psychosocial support (PSS) materials;
• Keep records of new beneficiaries, daily attendance, and submit reports (accurate & on time) as the need may require;
• Coordinate psychosocial support (PSS) activities, including work-plans, deployment, and tracking;
• Provide technical guidance, supervision, and on-the-job training to PSS teams, and supervise project assistants and PSS volunteer team as the need arises; 
• Offer MHPSS technical support and in-service supervision, and develop and implement capacity-building plans and trainings;
• Conduct field monitoring, evaluations, impact assessments and psychometric assessments on MHPSS;
• Meet stakeholders (civil society, leaders, law enforcement) for outreach and community awareness on MHPSS;
• Oversee screening, referral, and assistance for vulnerable project participants, trafficking survivors, etc.
• Uphold safeguarding, "Do No Harm", compliance and LCPD’s Code of Conducts;
• And any other task assigned by the HRM Unit and your Line Manager/Supervisor in line with the core values of LCPD (Integrity, Discipline. Efficiency, Accountability and Sacrifice). 

Key Requirements

• M.Sc Clinical Psychology, M.Sc Developmental Psychology, M.Ed Special Education, Masters in Humanitarian Studies/Disaster Management, and M.Ed Guidance & Counselling; will be given more priority;
• At least three years of experience in psychosocial and mental health programs, with a substantial background in disaster and humanitarian crisis situations; 
• Track record of experience in MHPSS strategy development, program design, training, and technical support; 
• Experience in humanitarian coordination and clinical supervision with an MHPSS background;
• Knowledge of MHPSS Capacity Building, Community-based Psychosocial Support Programs, and IASC and UN Guidelines (ie. Psychological First Aid); 
• Sound understanding of the safeguarding SOPs, Child Protection Laws, Confidentiality and the applicability;
• Strong leadership and management skills; 
• Sound understanding of the core humanitarian/MHPSS principles, 5 Ws and its applicability;
• Experience working in Northeast Nigeria, most preferably on Education in Emergencies Response; 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Google Sheets/Docs, Report Writing (in humanitarian context), Outlook, and Excel; 
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and Hausa Languages;
• Ability to multitask, be organized, flexible, adapt, and work well under pressure; 
• Experience in developing and delivering coaching and training manuals and guidelines to a range of audiences across different agencies;
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships with partners, donors, and stakeholders;
• Demonstrated capacity for teaching & coaching, engaging approaches to training, and orientation session delivery. 

Application Closing Date
Monday, 20th April, 2026 (11:59 AM). 

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should please send their Application Letter and Curriculum Vitae – CV (both in a single PDF file), as one (single) PDF document to: recruitment@lcpd.org.ng using the position title as the subject of the e-mail.

Note

• All applicants will be considered based on established merits without regard to race, sex, color, creed, tribe, political affiliation, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable Labor Laws/Acts/Policies. 
• Applicants who don’t comply strictly with the application instructions in the above-mentioned format will be disqualified. 
• Applicants are advised that the requirement process does not require any form of payment or expenses during the entire process. Any request in this direction should be immediately reported, as it is contrary to established SOPs. 
• Due to the volume of applications usually received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted as at when due. 
• Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as applications will be reviewed as received immediately. More so, LCPD still reserves the right to change the closing date, if need be.