MHPSS Specialist

The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Specialist provides technical expertise to strengthen the quality, coherence, and effectiveness of ICRC MHPSS programmes globally. The role supports field teams in developing and implementing context-appropriate MHPSS responses for people affected by armed conflict and violence, providing technical guidance, capacity strengthening, and promoting integrated approaches across ICRC responses.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic and technical advice to delegations and field teams to support design, implementation, monitoring, and review of MHPSS programmes including needs assessments, strategy development, planning, budgeting, and reporting.
• Supports implementation of global and regional MHPSS priorities ensuring alignment with ICRC frameworks, standards, guidelines, and quality-of-care principles.
• Contributes to development, adaptation, and dissemination of MHPSS technical guidance, tools, and monitoring approaches including data collection and digital solutions.
• Promotes integration and mainstreaming of MHPSS across ICRC responses including Health and Protection activities and supports integration within Primary Health Care, Hospital Services, Physical Rehabilitation, First Aid and Prehospital Emergency Care, Health Care in Detention, Family of Missing, Forensic, survivors of sexual violence, and other relevant areas.
• Provides technical expertise including capacity building on specialized mental health care, referral pathways, and collaboration with relevant health services.
• Provides coaching, mentoring, and technical support to MHPSS field teams and relevant colleagues through training, technical briefings, and learning initiatives.
• Works closely with MHPSS Program Coordinator, Regional Specialists, Health and Protection colleagues, and other relevant units to ensure coordinated and coherent programming.
• Represents the MHPSS métier in global discussions, technical forums, and coordination platforms, and maintains professional networks with relevant stakeholders.
• Might be required to perform tasks not covered in this job description and to provide support to other departments when necessary.

Requirements

• Degree in Psychiatry or Clinical Psychology is required
• Training or experience in MHPSS in humanitarian context is required
• Training in public health is an asset
• Familiar with results-based management / logical framework tools is an asset
• Typically, 12-15 years of professional experience.
• Minimum 2 to 5 years of clinical experience is required
• Minimum 5 to 10 years of international humanitarian experience working directly is required
• Valid license to practice in the country of origin or country of residence
• Fluency in verbal and written English is required
• Proficiency in French and/or another language of ICRC interest: Arabic, Spanish and/or Russian is an asset
• Exposure to psychiatry in places of detention/prison is an asset
• ICRC field experience is an asset
• Understanding of community public health psychiatry with multidisciplinary teams is an asset

Skills

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• MHPSS in humanitarian context
• Public Health
• Result-Based Management
• Logical Framework Tools
• Clinical Experience
• International Humanitarian Experience
• License to Practice Law
• Mental Health Program Development
• Psychosocial Support
• Technical Guidance
• Capacity Strengthening
• Integrated MHPSS Approaches
• Community Public Health Psychiatry

Languages

English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Russian