Overview
The Programme Officer (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)) will support the coordination and implementation of MHPSS activities within transit centres and Migrant Resource Centres in CAR, ensuring compliance with IOM standards and protection principles.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the coordination and implementation of MHPSS activities within transit centres and Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs) in CAR, ensuring compliance with IOM standards, operational guidelines, donor requirements, and protection principles;
- Provide day-to-day technical guidance and supervision to MHPSS staff, including the Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor, and Social Worker/Educator, to ensure quality and consistency of service delivery.
- Guide the development, contextualization, and implementation of MHPSS tools, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), referral pathways, assessment tools, and operational protocols adapted to the CAR context.
- Conduct service mapping and maintain coordination with governmental, health, protection, and community actors to strengthen referral pathways for specialized mental health, psychiatric, psychosocial, and protection services.
- Facilitate the integration and mainstreaming of MHPSS approaches across migrant assistance and Migrant Resource Centre activities, including structured psychosocial and wellbeing interventions.
- Guide the design and implementation of community-based psychosocial activities aimed at strengthening resilience, reducing distress, and promoting social inclusion among migrants and returnees.
- Create mechanisms for the identification of MHPSS needs and vulnerabilities among migrants and returnees through structured assessments, intake processes, and observation, ensuring timely referral and follow-up of complex or high-risk cases.
- Provide direct psychosocial support interventions and case consultations for complex cases, including crisis intervention, and guidance to frontline staff, as required.
- Coordinate with national mental health actors, psychiatric facilities, hospitals, protection partners, and specialized service providers to facilitate access to higher-level care when needed.
- Organize and facilitate capacity building activities for frontline workers, community focal points, government counterparts, and partner organizations on topics related to MHPSS, Psychological First Aid (PFA), stress management, community-based support, and safe referrals.
- Contribute to monitoring, data collection, reporting, and analysis of MHPSS activities, ensuring confidentiality, data protection, and accurate use of IOM systems and tools.
- Participate in interagency coordination mechanisms, technical working groups, and relevant meetings related to MHPSS, protection, and health, as requested.
- Identify operational challenges, service gaps, and emerging psychosocial trends and provide technical recommendations to strengthen programme quality and response capacity.
- Performs such other duties as may be assigned.
Required Experience
- Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Social Work, Psychiatry, Psychological Counselling, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of relevant professional experience; or, University degree in the above fields with four years of relevant professional experience.
- Experience in designing, implementing, coordinating, or supporting MHPSS programming in humanitarian, migration, or low-resource settings;
- Experience supervising or providing technical guidance to MHPSS or community-based staff;
- Proven experience providing direct MHPSS services, including psychological first aid, supportive counselling, group interventions, psychoeducation, or psychosocial case management;
- Experience working with migrants, displaced populations, returnees, or vulnerable populations exposed to distress, trauma, violence, or social exclusion;
- Experience supporting MHPSS capacity building initiatives for frontline workers, community actors, or government counterparts;
- Experience coordinating referrals and working with multidisciplinary service providers, including health, psychiatric, protection, and social services;
- Experience with IOM, UN agencies, INGOs, or humanitarian coordination mechanisms is desirable; and,
- Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, or complex operational settings is highly desirable.
Qualifications
Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Social Work, Psychiatry, Psychological Counselling, or a related field from an accredited academic institution; or, University degree in the above fields.
