Psychosocial Support Officer -Zahle

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Community Supervision:

• Lead, organise and supervise the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) activities of Community Volunteers, related to Psycho-Awareness Sessions, Peer Support Groups for adults, Psychosocial Supports groups for adolescents, Referrals; and Psychological First Aid and communication skills.
• Train community members and CBO/local NGO partners on MHPSS interventions.
• Identify, train, and support Community Volunteers to conduct awareness sessions, PSGs, PSSs, and related activities.
• Establish and maintain MHPSS peer support groups in line with programme targets, under the technical guidance of the MHPSS Manager.
• Assist CBO/Local NGOs partners to establish and maintain peer support groups in line with programme targets, and conduct regular training and supervision visits, under the technical oversight of the MHPSS Manager.
• Provide continuous support on PSS activities, including check-up visits, for Community Volunteers
• Facilitate peer support group and psychosocial support sessions, when needed, under the technical oversight of the MHPSS Manager.

• Assist in the formulation of Psychosocial Support (PSS) messages and approaches, in consultation with health project staff and the Community volunteers.
• Monitoring for data entry and submit timely weekly and monthly reports to the MHPSS Manager.
• Receive and follow-up on internal PSS referrals and provide feedback of actions taken.
• Ensure individual needs are assessed thoroughly for accurate completion of referral forms for external referrals.
• Act as link between Medair and communities, provide feedback on how to maintain and improve these links.
• Engage community leaders, community-based organizations, and other service providers in supporting beneficiaries to access PSS services.
• Assist in planning and implementation of assessments and surveys as required.
• Provide input to the integration of beneficiary participation into all aspects of the mental health project.
• Reflect vision and values of Medair when interacting with team members, volunteers, and beneficiaries.

• Staff Management

• Responsible for technical supervision and coaching of Community Volunteers.
• Responsible for management, organisation, and support of Community Volunteers.
• Assess the PSS training needs of Community Health Volunteers and ensure that appropriate capacity building plan is established.
• Develop and help maintain a positive team culture.

• Financial Management

• Under supervision of the MHPSS Manager prepare PDFs for payment and PRs as needed  
• Be aware of expenses for work plan over all and communicate needs clearly to plan the budget well.

• Communication and Coordination

• In close coordination with the MHPSS Manager, develop and maintain appropriate, regular, transparent, and supportive communication structures with the assigned team and other relevant stakeholders (e.g. beneficiaries, community leaders, local municipalities) with the objective of ensuring good cooperation and partnerships.
• Participate in Medair internal trainings, and delegated by the MHPSS Manager, meetings as required, representing Medair and feeding back on relevant issues.

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  Logistics

• Support the logistics activities for the PSS/community mental health part of the project as required.
• Understand and actively use logistics templates to facilitate clear and long-term support needed from logs.

• Quality Management

• Ensure quality implementation of the PSS activities.
• Ensure that all standardised formats are used, and guidelines are followed.
• Maintain confidentiality in all aspects of beneficiaries, staff and agency information.
• Actively participate in quality improvement of documents, implementation, and data system
• Ensure that all spaces where activities are implemented meet interagency standards for safe spaces whether mobile or static.

Person Specification:

• Relevant degree or diploma (social work, psychology, or a mix of related experience and degree)

• 1-2 years relevant post-qualification professional experience

• Excellent English (oral & written)

• Native Arabic speaker
• Familiar with Microsoft Office programs, in particular Word, Excel,

• Ability to facilitate support group sessions.

• Ability to effectively assess and support persons in crisis.
• Ability to effectively communicate with volunteers/stakeholders/CBOs/etc. Ability to effectively coordinate with various parties, internal and external.

• Ability to manage project implementation.

• Filing and Organization.

• Good numerical, report writing and administration skills.

• Problem solving ability.

• Skills in behaviour change communication programming
• eam-player with good inter-personal skills
• Willingness to support others and to share workload
• Aptitude for community mobilisation and capacity-building
• Experience in training / mentoring / coaching staff
• Capacity to work under pressure and manage personal stress levels
• Creative, open-minded, flexible, self-learner
• Able to prioritise clearly and oversee multiple tasks