Senior Psychosocial Support Officer-(Sour Or Saida)

 PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Mercy Corps is a UNICEF partner in the No Lost Generation campaign, directly working to contribute to the Regional Response Plan 6 target of providing 300,000 children with a protective environment and 382,000 children and adolescents with initiatives to broaden their opportunities, which includes alternative learning for 50,000. As part of Mercy Corps’ next phase of programming, two strands of work will be undertaken in the Beqaa, Nabatiyeh and South Lebanon governorates: i) Emotional and social well-being of children, adolescents and their caregivers are improved through structured and semi-structured community-based psychosocial support activities; and ii) Communities and local and national authorities are mobilised to form community-based networks and have increased access to information and strengthened capacities for psychosocial and child protection interventions.  Mercy Corps will work with children, adolescents, caregivers, and their communities at Levels 1 and 2 of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and using the list of 225 Most Vulnerable Localities, Mercy Corps will target areas with the highest concentration of refugee in underserved municipalities. The geographical area will be seven districts within Beqaa, South and Nabatiyeh governorates, specifically in Hermel,Baalbek, Zahle,West Beqaa, Nabatiyeh, Saida and Sour. To address the individual and group psychosocial needs, a range of activities must be implemented that engage the general community at Levels 1, while also identifying and referring more vulnerable children and adolescents and providing focused services to address their specific issues at Levels 2. Mercy Corps will be working with Lebanese partners to undertake a range of activities to achieve the objectives of the program. GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The Senior Psychosocial Support Officer will provide day-to-day support and coaching to Mercy Corps’ Child Protection teams and those of our partners to provide psychosocial support to vulnerable Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese children and families to promote their emotional and social wellbeing. S/He will provide technical support through training, coaching and mentoring to Mercy Corps staff and those of our partners to ensure that activities are implemented according to Minimum Child Protection and PSS standards. Working closely with the Psychosocial Advisers and Psychosocial Assistants, the Senior Psychosocial Support Officer will implement iterative trainings and follow-up with individual coaching and mentoring to staff. The Senior PSS Officer will help ensure that Mercy Corps’ CP & PSS interventions are delivered at the required quality, and for reporting gaps in capacity to program management. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Work closely with field Child Protection and Psychosocial Support teams to assess technical gaps and capacities; Assist the Psychosocial Advisers in identifying and developing training curriculums on topics such as: communication with children; forms and manifestations of various psychosocial, GBV and child protection issues; how to identify signs of stress and trauma; how to engage caregivers in child protection; Psychosocial First Aid; mainstreaming CP in other sectors; how to document PSS activities and CP cases; referral pathways training utilising the Frontliners Training Implement trainings for Mercy Corps staff and those of our partners Provide ongoing guidance, coaching and mentoring to Psychological Assistants and partner staff  in the field to work with beneficiary children, caregivers and community leaders on psychoeducation, parenting skills, effective communication, relaxation techniques, etc. Provide ongoing follow up to field teams to ensure quality of services provided to beneficiaries (children, adolescents. parents, community) aiming to maintain a proper and proper implementation of activities. Assist the Psychosocial Advisers in developing  training, guidance and documentation tools to help facilitate psychologists to provide PSS support through the stages of: Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings to review PSS activities, review cases, offer recommendations and brainstorm durable solutions for challenging cases. Submit training and progress reports in English. Work with staff on the development of reporting format. Implement Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity policy and applies Do No Harm approaches; Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; Other assigned tasks, as necessary.  Initial Interview Holistic assessment Planning Referral Intervention Monitoring Termination Follow-up Assist in filing and record keeping of program activities;  KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: Familiarity with international Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Child Protection and Gender based violence standards and guidelines. At least three years of experience providing psychological support and therapeutic interventions with vulnerable children, families and communities. Understanding of emergency response, familiarity of the Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues. Positive, respectful attitude and collaborative approach to diversity. Demonstrated attention to detail; ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently as well as cooperatively with team members. Significant knowledge and understanding of the current political, social, economic, cultural and historical context ofLebanonand Syrian crisis. SUCCESS FACTORS: The successful Senior Psychosocial Support Officer will combine theoretical and practical skills and experience in psychological support and follow up of cases. S/he will have an outstanding ability to prepare, implement and evaluate support sessions with Syrian refugee, Palestinian refugee and Lebanese children, adolescents and their families. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural team, communication, and strong analytical skills. Able to learn about: emergency response, child protection and Gender Based Violence in addition to other topics. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.