The Position:

Under the overall guidance of the Representative/D

eputy 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. 

Requirements:

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: 

• Proficiency in English is required; Fluency in oral and written English essential..