South Sudan: Psychosocial Support Officer

Handicap International is looking for :
Psychosocial Support Officer

COUNTRY : Republic of South Sudan CITY : Juba
Starting date : March 2016 Length of the assignment : 6 months
Closing date for application : 24th January 2016 Advertisement reference :
DIR-SAN-SLE-2315

Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights.
Handicap International is a not-for-profit organisation with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation made up of a network of associations that provide it with human and financial resources, manage its projects and implement its actions and social mission.
For more details on the association: www.handicap-international.fr and review our job offers: http://www.handicap-international.fr/emploi

JOB CONTEXT:
Handicap International (HI) has been present in South Sudan since 2006, implementing Emergency and Development programs aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disability and other vulnerable groups in the country. Following the violence that erupted in the young country on December 15th 2013, HI is currently focusing its emergency response on addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.

Through this flying and flexible response, HI is mainly targeting persons the most at risk of exclusion of humanitarian aid via a large system of identification, direct support and referral: persons limited in their autonomy due to a physical, sensorial or intellectual impairment (adults, children), Isolated persons like children or women head of household, with special attention to isolated women with children (disabled or not), elder people isolated or within the family, pregnant and lactating women, persons with chronic disease.

JOB DESCRIPTION:
As a Psychosocial Technical Support, you will closely work within the POC project team (Protection of Civilian Area(s)), under the line management of the project manager and will supervise 2 counsellors & 12 community workers. You will also have strong functional links with the Technical Advisor at HQ level for quality implementation of the projects and with the local rehabilitation support officer and community workers.
The general mission is to identify, assess and address the needs of persons with disabilities, wounded persons and other vulnerable individuals with impairments in the IDPs camp in Juba. You will be responsible for establishing training schemes and awareness raising actions targeting community members, volunteers and other Humanitarian actors on mental health and psychosocial support. Additionally, you will also promote the establishment of peer support groups and will lead individual counselling sessions. You will also work closely with other team members in improving community inclusion of persons with disabilities and persons with mental health conditions through close communication with community structures.

Your main responsibilities:
• Ensure the quality of the assessment, the analysis and the reporting of psychological and psychosocial issues in the displaced population, in support to the local and expatriate teams
• Answer to the identified needs, by providing direct psychosocial support and refer internally and externally as needed, respecting confidentiality and the rights of the beneficiaries providing direct psychosocial support if necessary, established appropriate referral and linkage internally and externally with different sectors to provide services identified psychosocial support needs by ensuring confidentiality, consent and right of the beneficiaries
• Respond to the beneficiaries identified needs by conduct specific psychosocial group and individual level interventions/ activities (adapted and appropriate to each one’s specific needs and capacities) and supervise/lead individual counselling sessions
• Contribute to the development and implementation of awareness raising and capacity building activities aimed at improving inclusion of persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups in Humanitarian responses across sectors within his/her area of expertise

CANDIDATE PROFILE:
You have/are:
• Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from a recognized University/School
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in psychosocial support services in Emergency situations
• Ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with a local partner, network of national disability organisations involved in rehabilitation.
• Strong computer skills
• Multi task and organized approach and know how to prioritize
• Flexibility, patience and perseverance
• Good interpersonal skills with people from different national and cultural backgrounds with sensitivity and diplomacy.

REQUIRED LANGUAGE SKILLS: Excellent communication skills in English (verbal and written) including the ability to write reports, to document good practices and lessons learnt.

JOB ENVIRONMENT:
Juba is the capital of South Sudan, and accessible by commercial flights and by road. Road movement is generally unadvisable, due to general security situation and poor road conditions. Internal flights operated by UNHAS connect Juba with major cities and key sites across the country for development and humanitarian activities. The rainy season severely limites movement from May/June to September/October, including internal flights, and severely hampers most road connections.

The office and the Guesthouses are separated in Juba. Both premises are in the centre of Town. The accommodation in Juba is simple but comfortable. Each staff has his/her own self-contained room with Air Conditioner. City Power is hectic but a generator is running in the morning and at the evening time. There is a TV in the dining room with DSTV (cable) and the Guesthouses have internet/wireless facility.
Juba offers some facilities as bars, restaurants, gym and swimming pools for International Staff but with a variable curfew up to 10 PM max.

Since the crisis of December 2013, a temporary security level 3 has been established for the H.I mission with restrictions of movments and a curfew in Juba. This level could be updated in these next weeks.

Due to the context, the position is unaccompanied

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS (depending of the experience of the candidate):
Salary: 1900-2150€ gross salary/month + 457 Euros net/month expatriation allowance + 50% of the medical cover taken in charge by HI + repatriation insurance
Or
Volunteer: 750 or 850 Euros monthly indemnity + living allowance paid on the field + accommodation + 100% of the medical cover taken in charge by HI + repatriation insurance

Please send resume and covering letter with the reference: DIR-SAN-SLE-2315
By this link: https://hi.profilsearch.com/recrute/fr/fo_annonce_voir.php?id=1296&idpartenaire=136
Or by our website: www.handicap-international.fr
Please do not telephone