Mental Health & Psycho-Social Services (MHPSS) Technical Coordinator

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Description

Hello Hello!  Alight is recruiting Mental Health & Psycho-Social Services (MHPSS) Technical Coordinator   for our program in Uganda to be based at Kampala  Office. You’re interested in joining us? Welcome, we’re happy you’re here!

Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee) provides health care and clean water, shelter, protection, and economic opportunity to more than 3.5 million people in 20 countries each year. ALIGHT is and always has been about amazing global citizens taking action to change our world. Today, we’re facing challenging global humanitarian crises that require 21st Century solutions. But we’ve found that co-creating together with impassioned, dedicated people, limited only by their own imaginations, remains the key to designing new solutions that resonate. We still believe that Alight should exist, first and foremost, as a platform for realizing the goodwill of everyday people – people from Sweden to Somalia, Minnesota to Malaysia, and Uganda to the U.S.

When you join us, you’ll find…

A team with deep experience in co-designing solutions that create new value around the world. We know we need to always be better, and we believe in the power and abundance of everyday people, everywhere, to change the world with us.

A culture of radical accountability to our customers –as we help build a meaningful life for and with the displaced, we ask them what they want and then deliver on it.

An organization that refuses to settle for anything less than delivering human-worthy services.

If you believe in an abundant world full of amazing people who want to help; in the simple human justice to build a life; and in doing a better thing, then read on!

What we do in Uganda

Alight Uganda works with its partners and constituencies to provide opportunities and expertise to refugees, displaced people and host communities – to better survive conflicts and crisis, and to rebuild lives of dignity, health, security and self-sufficiency. Alight has consistently operated in Uganda since 1994, and today has a strong and committed team of over three hundred personnel who include full time staff and temporary workers, and hundreds of community volunteers – implementing programs in Protection, GBV, Child Protection, Community Based Protection, Legal assistance, MHPSS, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Shelter and general Infrastructure, Clean Energy, and Livelihoods/Economic Resilience. Our work in Uganda currently covers six refugee settlements and five transit centres including border points and their generous Ugandan-host communities. And we are always looking to deepen our work and, jointly with our partners, offer lasting impact with and for the communities we serve!

About the Position

As the  Focal Point for Alight MHPSS programming in Uganda, the MHPSS Technical Coordinator is responsible for overseeing Alight’s current MHPSS programming, developing new partnerships to expand Alight’s ability to provide MHPSS services to greater numbers of refugees and host communities, and participating actively in national and regional MHPSS Coordination events. The position is based in Kampala but has frequent travel to the field expected. Significant attention of the Technical Coordinator must be placed on managing the country-wide MHPSS work flow, ensuring high standards of MHPSS interventions, and ensuring that best practices and emerging innovative practices are channeled into Alight MHPSS programming. The Technical Coordinator also supports other sector works, providing technical guidance for elements of Protection, GBV, and Child Protection sector work.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as Alight’s Kampala-level Focal Point for all MHPSS (and related) coordination events/meetings, both within Uganda and regional (as requested), ensuring active Alight presence at coordination events and relay of information shared at coordination events to Alight Senior Management.
• Guide Alight’s MHPSS programming profile country-wide, with an emphasis on field-level planning with MHPSS teams, the development and verification / updating of MHPSS sector work plans, and provision of active support where needed at areas of Alight MHPSS intervention.
• Develop increased MHPSS programming opportunities by connecting with new potential donors and partners supporting of increasing MHPSS service offering to refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda.
• In coordination with site-level Clinical Psychologists, Team Leaders, and Counselors oversee the country-wide case management portfolio, ensure best practices and innovative approach to the provision of MHPSS services translate to effective case management.
• Lead Alight’s engagement with potential new donors and partners that can facilitate the expansion of ALIGHT’s MHPSS program, with emphasis not only place on traditional donors to humanitarian response and development programming but also on non-traditional and private sector donors.
• Ensure that Alight MHPSS programming at field sites is put in place with consideration of various national-level and District-level bodies, ensuring a harmonized approach that takes advantage of the strengths found in national and District-level partners with MHPSS goals/objectives reflecting those of Alight.
• Contribute to Alight Uganda Country Program strategy formation, particularly within the MHPSS sector but also linking up with country-wide GBV, Protection, and Child Protection strategies.
• Contribute to proposal development, providing high quality and well researched elements to proposals.
•  As requested, provide leadership in planning and executing MHPSS assessments meant to inform either ongoing programming or proposal development processes.

Human Resources / Training: 

• The Psychologist will provide technical support to the project teams and to the MHPSS teams.  He/she will provide support to the project managers for the recruitment of technical staff in MHPSS. Working alongside the Protection Technical Lead, S/he will identify key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and gaps within MHPSS department. S/he will supervise the content of MHPSS training and the quality of MHPSS activities (including clinical supervisions) based on identified needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Community Psychology, or related field.
• A Masters Degree or higher in Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry or related field is an added advantage.
• Technical program management skills, preferably in humanitarian / refugee-oriented settings.
• Minimum of 6 years experience in development or humanitarian sector MHPSS programming, preferably in leadership roles.
• Excellent report writing, communication and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Uganda and regional MHPSS funding mechanisms, priorities, and emerging opportunities, potential partners.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks at a time and work effectively.
• Strong computer IT / skills.
• Strong proposal writing skills.

Others/Extra Details

Benefits

Meet and interact with a borderless Team of 2,500 staff globally  that sees possibility, celebrates moments of abundance, shares new ideas, and strives to do a better thing every day.

Learning & Development – Access thousands of free online learning courses to take at your own pace and tailor to your professional goals.

Health, dental, and MedEvac Insurance – We strive to offer the best-in-class healthcare plans to our staff each year.  We cover 100% of the cost for your health premium and coverage for your spouse/dependents.

Retirement – We contribute 6% of your gross salary towards severence regardless of your contribution amount at the end of your service.

Generous Leave Time – Between vacation days, personal leave days, and holidays, you have ample opportunity to take time off when you need it of upto 24 days in a year.

Who We Are

We are on a journey to build Alight, a new platform of amazing people and organizations providing lifesaving services and creating breakthrough solutions for and with the displaced. WeAreAlight.org

Alight is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, physical  disability, or protected veteran status.  Alight complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. Women are encouraged to apply.