Level: P3
Position Number: New_ 00150128
Location: Yangon, Myanmar
Full/Part time: Full Time
Fixed term/Temporary: Fixed Term
Rotational/Non Rotational: Non Rotational
Duration: One Year Initial
The Position:
Under the overall guidance of the Representative/Deputy Representative, and with direct supervision of Gender Equality/GBV Programme Specialist, the MHPSS Specialist will support the Myanmar Country office in implementing and strengthening MHPSS part of Women and Girls First Programme Phase II (multi-year and multi-donor programme, including EU). More specifically, this includes undertaking a range of activities to roll-out UNFPA’s MHPSS Strategy which focuses on enhancing the capacity of organizations implementing GBV and SRHR programmes in compliance with IASC Guidelines for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings as well as ensuring sustainable MHPSS interventions through building capacity of institutions including Government. The MHPSS specialist will lead International and National MHPSS Volunteers based at the Field Offices in target states.
The MHPSS Specialist is located in the UNFPA Country Office in Yangon.
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s new strategic plan (2018-2021), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
UNFPA expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. We support countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Advancing gender equality and promoting the empowerment of women is a key programme priority of UNFPA’s fourth UNFPA Myanmar’s fourth Country Programme Document (2018-2022). This includes addressing gaps in gender equality, improving sexual and reproductive health services, responding to and preventing Gender Based Violence (GBV) and integrating gender equality and human rights perspectives into national policies, development frameworks and laws.
Under its global mandate to address GBV in humanitarian settings, and as the lead agency for multi sectoral coordination of GBV, UNFPA is committed to ensuring that women and girls affected by the different emergencies are protected and that the needs of GBV survivors are met through adequate health responses, psychosocial support and case management in line with international guidelines and best practices. It is vital that frontline local organizations and first responders have the capacity and competency to provide quality response services and care for women and girls to ensure their right to safety from violence and safety in emergencies.
As a result of recent unrest and protracted humanitarian contexts, on top of limited health and social welfare services, communities living in UNFPA target areas of humanitarian responses, including in Rakhine, Kachin, northern Shan and Kayin States, have been exposed for decades to numerous daily stressors, with repeated exposure to potentially traumatic events. This is particularly the case for women and girls who are also caregivers and survivors of GBV.
UNFPA manages programmes to support women and girls in target States as well as support policy and law development at the Union level. In all these programme areas, UNFPA is working with Government as well as international and national organisations. This requires building sustainable approaches to nationwide building of MHPSS capacity and support networks.
The second phase of the Women and Girls First Programme was launched in mid-2019 with EU funding and is expected to be implemented through the end of 2022. As a critical component of GBV multi-sectoral response, UNFPA will employ an ethnographic and culturally sensitive stepped model of intervention to deliver appropriate MHPSS services. That is, MHPSS interventions will commence with the provision of critical trauma support for an individual survivor followed by MHPSS interventions with the immediate family and community surrounding the survivor. This innovative approach in Myanmar provides both immediate, critical and lifesaving responses for the survivor as well as ensuring a supportive family and community environment enabling recovery and empowerment. This programme design supports a structured systems based approach which requires long-term thinking.
The International MHPSS Specialist will assist the Myanmar Country office in supporting the implementation of MHPSS interventions through sexual and reproductive health services and multi sectoral GBV response and prevention services supported by UNFPA. He/she will also support coordination among various actors to strengthen the availability of MHPSS services and systems, particularly to populations in conflict-affected states.
The MHPSS Specialist will undertake a range of activities to enhance the capacity of organisations implementing GBV and SRHR programmes to support compliance with IASC Guidelines for MHPSS in Emergency Settings as well as ensuring sustainable MHPSS interventions through building capacity of institutions including Ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Sports as well as the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. This role also entails significant collaboration with other actors engaged in supporting MHPSS in Myanmar including UN agencies, academic and non-governmental partners.
You would be responsible for:
- Strengthening mentoring/supervisory structures
- Support currently established MHPSS Peer Support Networks in Maungdaw, Sittwe and Myitkyina and ensure the networks are maintained and strengthened through ongoing supervision of facilitators, engagement in regular review processes and collaborative development of relevant tools and training materials.
- Support further expansion of Peer Support Network model through encouragement of wider participation (e.g. child case management actors in Myitkyina; SRH actors) and consultation with partners on its development in new areas (e.g. Lashio, HpaAn etc).
- Develop PSS mentoring training for GBV case management supervisors and support the roll-out to implementing partners including government departments across key regions. This will include the ongoing supervision of supervisors and set-up of a community of practice between supervisors.
- Developing minimum standards for focused PSS interventions and supporting use of evidence-based MHPSS interventions
- Conduct regular assessments on PSS practices among UNFPA implementing partners providing GBV case management services. This will include the write-up of findings and recommendations in an assessment report
- Develop a structured package of PSS interventions for case managers that is compatible with mentoring training for supervisors through active engagement in government-led PSS task force to influence and support curriculum and material generation. This will include consulting with partners on materials developed, supporting trainings through training of trainers and promoting the use of this package among other actors providing case management service in Myanmar.
- Coordinate the wider roll-out of evidence-based MHPSS interventions across health and protection sectors through engagement with research and implementing partners, and donors.
- Mainstreaming MHPSS/raising MHPSS awareness
- Maintain PFA and PSS training materials and manuals and where necessary adapt to increase MHPSS awareness and practice of basic PSS skills among a range of actors including government departments providing first line response to GBV survivors.
- Develop trainings materials and manuals for increasing MHPSS capacities in SRH service providers including government departments in line with MHPSS in SRH services assessment recommendations.
- Support PFA/PSS and other mainstreaming MHPSS trainings across sites among a range of partners including government departments, and UNFPA analysts and key staff among implementing partners supported to deliver trainings in line with TOT strategy.
- Advocacy and coordination
- Act as co-chair for the national MHPSS Sub-Working Group, currently a sub-working group of the Protection Sector, and maintain strong links with other clusters/sectors including the Health Cluster. This includes building effective relationship with a range of MHPSS actors in Myanmar and ensuring their activities are coordinated.
- Further opportunities for expansion of MHPSS programming within UNFPA’s mandate identified and supported through contributing to the writing of funding proposals and donor reports.
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Existing training evaluation materials refined and rolled-out across all capacity building activities.
- In collaboration with the M&E specialists, develop/strengthen tools and a clear framework for monitoring the impact of the different tiers of the MHPSS strategy developed and implemented across sites.
- Prepare the monthly progress report
- Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.
Qualifications and Experience
Education:
Advanced degree with specialization in areas such as clinical psychology, clinical social work or mental health. It is desirable to possess a Master’s in Public Health.
Knowledge and Experience:
• Five years of specialized experience in community based psychosocial support interventions particularly as it relates to GBV, and experience in this field at international level in a humanitarian context.
- Demonstrated experience engaging with and providing technical assistance to national/governmental actors and counterparts.
• Demonstrated knowledge of IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergency Settings
• Demonstrated experience on Counseling skills and clinical supervision of lay counsellors
• Knowledge of reproductive health issues and/or protection issues in humanitarian settings, and of humanitarian emergency operations and roles/responsibilities of humanitarian actors preferred.
• Strong Training and supervision experience required
Languages:
Fluency in English is required.
Required Competencies
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Functional Competencies:
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Core Competencies:
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Compensation and Benefits
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus cost of living adjustment, rental subsidy, education grant, home leave, health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
Disclaimer
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm
In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
HOW TO APPLY:
UNFPA has established an electronic application management system. This allows applicants to create a candidate profile, which can be updated regularly and submitted for more than one vacancy. Download the Step by Step Guide to Applying in the E-Recruit System of UNFPA at http://www.unfpa.org/employment. Please print out the Guide for your reference during the registration and application process. Notice: There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
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