TITLE: Regional Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Technical Advisor, WCA

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Regional Office – Programme Development and Quality Department

LOCATION: National based in any country office in WCA (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali) and if international, will be based in Niger

GRADE: National/International

CONTRACT LENGTH: 1 year extendable based on performance review

CHILD SAFEGUARDING

Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE

The Regional MHPSS Technical Advisor (RO MHPSS TA) is to use in-depth contextual understanding of in West and Central African region, technical expertise, and relationship building skills to provide a critical link between the Save the Children’s global and country level technical work, strengthening our technical support at the regional level. The purpose of the RO MHPSS TA is to continue to build a cohesive, well-coordinated and high quality response across multiple Save the Children country offices in order to provide a holistic and integrated approach to addressing the MHPSS needs of children and families in the region, with a focus on contexts and children affected by adversity. The role supports regional advocacy and influencing, while driving strategic partnerships for new business development. It supports the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across country offices, and ensuring quality of our programmes. The Regional MHPSS TA supports the sourcing of technical assistance for country offices in both emergency and development programming.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

SCOPE OF ROLE

Reports to: Regional Programme Quality & Development Director.

Staff reporting to this post: Technical Support Lines to MHPSS Technical Experts in the Region

Budget Responsibilities: Regional MHPSS programme

Role Dimensions: The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including RO advisers, Advocacy and Business Development staff, regional and global MHPSS working groups, global advisors, Save the Children members, and the SCI central Programme Quality & Impact team. In particular, it is expected to maintain close contact with, and accountability to, the global thematic Child Protection team and MHPSS Technical Working Group.

The role also includes an oversight of regional MHPSS programme implementation, including maintaining partnership relations, oversee programme activities, quarterly updates to donors (narrative and financial) and final reporting.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Strategy & Leadership:

• Defines vision and strategic priorities for MHPSS in the region, and works to develop, update and operationalize Regional MHPSS Steer
• Support country offices in the design of their thematic strategies (program and advocacy), ensuring alignment to Save the Children’s global thematic priorities and breakthroughs
• Facilitate collaboration between Save the Children members, regional and country offices to strengthen the MHPSS portfolio in the region and MHPSS Specialists in the region.
• Coordinate the MHPSS work of Save the Children in the region, including facilitation of information sharing and learning, in liaison with the MHPSS TWG.

Programme Development

• Foster regional strategic partnerships for new business development, e.g. strategic positioning with donors at regional level, and positioning Save the Children as a leader in a technical area.
• Provide strategic and technical assistance to the development of MHPSS programming across the region, and ensure that COs have access to, and use internal and external best practice and evidence in the design of new programmes
• Lead the design of regional/multi-country programmes, facilitating collaboration between COs and ensuring high quality, coherent technical design.
• Be available to country offices to support review of MHPSS-specific components of proposals.

Programme Quality and Technical Support

• Facilitate access to high quality, appropriate technical assistance by COs from across the movement, drawing on expertise from members, global thematic leadership and country office expertise.
• Support CO with implementation and monitoring of regional/multi-country/and country specific MHPSS programmes, to ensure high quality delivery, monitoring and evaluation
• Oversee regional MHPSS programmes funded by members or other donors, complete and submit interim and final regional programme reports to donors and support regional office awards and finance teams in reporting back monthly, quarterly and end of year budget spending on regional programmes when relevant.
• Providing interim (‘gap filling’) technical assistance to specific COs or programmes when in-country capacity is not available
• Support the ongoing mapping of existing French MHPSS technical tools and programmes in use in the region, and provide guidance on best use in line with quality standards and benchmarks (e.g. IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies).
• Identify gaps of tools and programming and address these through consolidating material from other regions or create new material as appropriate and in French.
• Provide technical backstopping for major humanitarian responses and emergency preparedness planning

Technical Capacity Building & Mentoring

• Support the mapping of MHPSS capacity needs and gaps across countries in the region, and the development of capacity building plans
• Identify and support opportunities for regional capacity building, based on CO strategic priorities and needs, including facilitating face to face and online trainings, webinars, simulations etc.
• Support recruitment and talent management of CO MHPSS technical staff
• Provide technical mentoring to CO technical colleagues to support learning, professional development and engagement in country level inter agency MHPSS coordination mechanisms
• Facilitate cross-Country Office learning between Child Protection technical experts in the region; identify creative ways to build capacity, share learning, best practices and collectively address challenges
• Bridge the Global-County divide by supporting technical experts to understand and contextualise global guidance, learning and evidence whilst also supporting CO technical experts to join discussions and forums, to contribute to global guidance, learning and evidence to ensure that learning from the region informs our global evidence and strategic direction in Child Protection

Representation and Advocacy

• Maintain oversight of the MHPSS sector in the region, regularly sharing relevant information with Save the Children COs and members; also, representation on regional interagency MHPSS coordination working group,
• Trigger advocacy efforts related to MHPSS programming and drive learning and innovations in liaison with other key stakeholders and in close collaboration with RO Advocacy team.

MEAL, Innovation & organisational learning

• Provide technical support to country programmes in the formulation of MHPSS Theories of Change, and milestones, and in the selection, measurement and reporting against MHPSS indicators
• Provide support for quality benchmark development and monitoring
• Provide technical support to country programmes to conduct impact and process evaluations of the MHPSS activities.
• Develop operational research ideas and supports implementation at the regional and country office levels when relevant.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in the field of Psychology, Mental Health or related areas.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• At least 7 years’ experience of working internationally in MHPSS area in emergency or development settings.
• Excellent knowledge and experience in using key tools and approaches, including the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies.
• Significant experience working in emergency response, protracted crises or fragile state contexts (experience from the region is a strong advantage)
• Experience of context, capacity and policy analysis, and influencing and advocacy at regional/international level in order to hold duty bearers to account to realise children’s rights.
• Skilled at networking, representation and partnership development in order promote learning, strengthen civil society and mobilise resources.
• Able to generate and use data and evidence to innovate, deliver, learn and share what works and what doesn’t work for children
• Demonstrated program design, monitoring and evaluation skills, including designing pathways to sustainable impact at scale.
• Track record in successful business development/fundraising
• Significant experience in training, capacity building, and mentoring
• Experience of strategy development and planning
• Fluent in English and high level of English writing skills.

Desirable

• Language skills in French and English and any other languages spoken in the West and Central African region will be appreciated
• Experience of contributing to successful funding proposals for donors
• Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts

Additional job responsibilities

• Willingness to travel extensively (approx. 30-40%).

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.