MHPSS Indonesia Coordinator | Mental Health Innovation Network

Program Background

A series of powerful earthquakes struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday, September 28. The largest quake, a powerful magnitude 7.4, shook the region at 5:02 p.m. local time, triggering a tsunami, major liquefaction and landslides that hit nearby coastlines, including the coastal city of Palu. The quake was centred about 35 miles northeast of Donggala and 50 miles north of Palu, which have a combined population of more than 600,000 people. Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, stated that an estimated 2.4 million people were affected by the earthquake and tsunami. State authorities also report more than 82,775 people displaced and at least 10,679 injured.International Medical Corps’ Emergency Response Team arrived in Jakarta within 48 hours of the disaster and began coordinating with national and local actors to determine the scale of need and consider potential interventions.

The MHPSS Manager – Indonesia will be responsible for overseeing the program activities linked with mental health and psychosocial support. They will additionally be responsible for overseeing the technical quality and implementation of the MHPSS work with any local partner organizations. The approaches will be inclusive of Early Childhood Development with integrated IYCF-E messaging, and establishing referral mechanisms for Child Protection, Mental Health, Nutrition and other necessary services. This includes that all assessments, trainings, curriculums, and guidance that is provided is in line with global guidelines, culturally appropriate and linked with existing services, supports or systems that exist in the program sites. The MHPSS Manager will provide mental health training and oversight to local partner staff and volunteers in order to improve the access, quality, and provision of psychosocial support available to vulnerable populations. International Medical Corps’ approach to mental health is heavily based on training and developing the capacity of local partners; the successful candidate will therefore have experience in training, mentorship and in building referral links to other formal service providers and informal community supports. Vulnerable populations are at risk in emergency situations to displacement, health issues, stressors and limited access to appropriate care and support, including people with existing mental health conditions or for some who might develop mental health problems due to the emergency. Caregivers of children can benefit from learning and gaining skills in recognizing child development milestones, signs of stress in children and appropriate reactions and supports, including stress reduction techniques for caregivers and appropriate feeding and health messages.

The program approach will be consistent with evidence-based WHO materials and IASC Guidelines, with topics including Psychological First Aid; recognizing signs of distress and disorder; building knowledge and skills with caregivers of children; providing basic psychosocial support to vulnerable populations in distress; providing appropriate referral to other services as needed; and principles of MHPSS in emergency settings.

Additionally, the IMC Indonesia MHPSS Manager will be the main focal point to the headquarters based IMC MHPSS Technical Advisors in order to receive technical assistance and to ensure that the program is in line with IMC MHPSS Minimum Technical Quality Standards.

Conduct MHPSS needs assessment to identify and prioritize training needs relating to vulnerable populations mental health and wellbeing among health workers, using key informant interviews, focus groups, a review of relevant policies and literature.
Develop and adapt training curricula and materials for community health workers, school staff, and parents/guardians based on the results of the needs assessment.
Lead on the planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of MHPSS activities in different sites.
Implement MHPSS orientation sessions and training workshops through presentations, group discussions and small-group activities.
Participate and represent the MHPSS program in regular staff meetings, meetings with donors, regional meetings and national meetings as required.
Conduct routine project needs assessments and program reviews to ensure successful implementation and donor compliance
Oversee MHPSS activities with implementing partner, ensuring there is adequate cover during periods of absence, training needs are met and performance evaluated.
Provide guidance and support on MHPSS to partners, program officers and M&E staff when required by the program.
Ensure link and coordination between MHPSS department, and other sector areas of work.
Participate and represent MHPSS program in regular staff meetings, meetings with donors, regional meetings etc.
Liaise closely with any new or previous sub grantees.
Implement the project in line with IMC and global MHPSS standards and guidelines, and coordinate closely with the IMC Technical Unit Global Mental Health Advisor for development and review of training materials and reports.
Represent International Medical Corps at relevant coordination meetings as needed (Cluster, Ministry of Health, etc.).
Liaise and collaborate with existing government structures and local authorities organizing MHPSS activities.
If needed, co-chair existing interagency Mental Health and Psychosocial Support reference group together with representatives from other agencies and organizations.
Work to improve interagency coordination, sharing of information, and promote MHPSS guidelines, best practices and MHPSS reference group endorsed materials and resources. This includes planning joint assessments and response strategies.
Identify or work with suitable local partner organizations and institutions for joint MHPSS work.
Identify and where appropriate collaborate with existing formal and informal community leaders and service providers.
Take a lead in MHPSS program development and proposal writing.
Develop the strategy and mechanisms to integrate a mental health and psychosocial support into IMC programs in keeping with IASC guidelines of mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies.
The MHPSS Manager reports directly to the Program Coordinator and receives technical support from global MHPSS advisors.
Establish systematic data collection for reports.
Take a lead in writing MHPSS section of all donor reports.
Submit data required for donor reports, and monthly reports.
Develop and implement MHPSS Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) tools, including pre- and post-training assessments and training evaluation forms, in collaboration with partners and the IMC Global M&E and Mental Health Technical Advisors.
Regularly analyze and review program data to ensure successful implementation of the program and donor compliance.
Support the collection and reporting of MHPSS program data.
Maintain regular transparent communication with Team Lead and provide accurate updates on program implementation, challenges and development.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

Code of Conduct -All Consultants are required to adhered to and promote International Medical Corps shared responsibility and obligation to report matters involving Sexual Exploitation & Abuse, trafficking in Persons, Child Safeguarding and any suggested violation to our Code of Conduct which may involve Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption or Harassment. If you see, hear or are aware of any suggested activities then you have an obligation to report to International Medical Corps.
Equal Opportunity -International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal consultancy opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

Qualifications:
The qualified candidate will be a mental health professional with MA/S or equivalent in social science – psychology, clinical social work or sociology – with knowledge of human rights, international development, public health or other relevant field;
Knowledgeable in and has used the IASC MHPSS and GBV/CP guidelines and best practices as part of their previous work experience.
Minimum of 5 years (of which at least 2 in the field) of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian work, and substantial experience in MHPSS, including in emergencies.
Demonstrable technical expertise in the assessment of and design and delivery of responses to pre-existing and emergency induced MHPSS needs.
Training experience required; capacity and proven track record in national staff and partner training.
Knowledge of Early Childhood Development, Child Protection and integration IYCF-E.
Experience in working in the region is a plus.
Strong organizational and supervisory skills
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments
Ability to work within a team structure or in isolation, flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources
Ability to travel on short notice to project sites
English language proficiency is required
Must be Eligible to work in Indonesia. International Medical Corps will not be providing work visas
This job is located in Palu, Indonesia