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Job Title:  Mental Health Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer  

Organisation: Kulika Uganda

Duty Station: Yumbe, Uganda

Reports to:  Project Manager

About Organisation:

Kulika Uganda is a non-profit making organisation registered with the NGO- Board is a brainchild of Kulika UK which started in 1981. It was founded by Patricia Brenninkmeyer who had been a social worker in Uganda.

Job Summary:   The Mental Health Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer will play a vital role in promoting mental health and emotional well-being among children, adolescents, youth, and families by providing high-quality counseling and psychosocial support. In addition to direct service delivery, the officer will oversee project management activities, including planning, monitoring, budgeting, stakeholder engagement, and team supervision, ensuring effective and impactful program implementation. This position requires a motivated and compassionate professional with strong project management and technical expertise to support community-based psychosocial initiatives while fostering collaboration with internal teams and external partners.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Counseling and Psychosocial Support:

• Provide individual and group counseling sessions to children, adolescents, youth, families, and communities affected by trauma, mental health challenges, or psychosocial concerns.
• Foster a safe, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment to enable individuals to share their experiences and feelings.
• Offer psychological first aid (PFA) and psychoeducational sessions to children, caregivers, and community members.
• Assist clients in setting recovery goals, planning actions, and making informed decisions to enhance their emotional and psychosocial well-being.

Case Management:

• Identify and register beneficiaries, ensuring alignment with established vulnerability criteria.
• Record and document all cases, including case details, actions taken, and follow-up progress, adhering to data protection protocols.
• Conduct family tracing and mediation to address complex cases and support family reintegration.
• Facilitate referrals to specialized institutions, including health, legal, and community support services, while monitoring outcomes.

Project Management and Monitoring:

• Lead the planning and implementation of psychosocial support projects, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and donor requirements.
• Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks to assess project progress, outcomes, and impact.
• Regularly review project performance, identify gaps, and propose actionable solutions for enhanced effectiveness.
• Ensure all project activities adhere to child protection and MHPSS standards and guidelines.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication:

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with local government agencies, NGOs, UN bodies, and community-based organizations to promote mental health and psychosocial well-being.
• Represent the organization in coordination meetings, such as MHPSS working groups, GBV sub-clusters, and community forums.
• Advocate for mental health and psychosocial support services, raising awareness about available resources and support networks.

Supervision, Teamwork, and Capacity Building:

• Supervise and mentor MHPSS counselors, community facilitators, and volunteers to ensure quality service delivery.
• Organize and facilitate training sessions for staff, volunteers, and community stakeholders on MHPSS principles and practices.
• Promote a collaborative work environment, fostering teamwork, motivation, and open communication among staff.

Reporting and Documentation:

• Prepare and submit comprehensive weekly, monthly, and project-specific reports, including case updates, MHPSS activities, and financial summaries.
• Ensure proper documentation of lessons learned, best practices, and success stories for organizational learning and evaluation purposes.
• Adhere to strict confidentiality and ethical standards when handling client information and reports.

Flexibility and Additional Responsibilities:

• Adapt to evolving project needs by taking on additional duties as assigned by the supervisor.
• Actively participate in organizational campaigns, advocacy efforts, and emergency response activities to address emerging community needs.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Minimum Degree in social sciences, social work or community development and Post graduate diploma in Project planning and Management

Experience And Skills

Essential

• Minimum Degree in counseling, social sciences, social work, community development or any other MHPSS-related training and Post graduate diploma in Project planning and Management
• 2-3 years of sectorial experience or relevant experience in social work, community development and working with children in Child Protection Programme preferable with humanitarian Organization.
• Very good written and spoken English, Local community (Arigati and Lugbara ) languages is a plus
• Excellent technical understanding of child protection and community-based approached
• Computer knowledge
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Be able to prioritize tasks
• Able to operate in extremely harsh living and working environment

Desirable

• Knowledge of the area, socio-culture and local language where the post is located as an added advantage
• Knowledge of mental health principles, trauma-informed care, and community-based psychosocial support practices.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, with experience supervising and mentoring teams.
• Work experience with children and families, especially knowledge of child rights and participation
• Experience in community facilitation and mobilization

Additional job responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

How to Apply:

Applicants should submit application letter and detailed Curriculum Vitae to recruitment@kulika.org quoting the job title of the position applied for as the subject of the Email.

Deadline: 24th January 2025

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