Deployable MHPSS Specialist

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

The Opportunity

Our new global strategy prioritises humanitarian scale up.

To respond to the growing unmet needs in emergencies and to strengthen the speed, quality, relevance and appropriateness of our emergency response and readiness work, we are investing in our  humanitarian deployable capacity.

The Deployable Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Programme Specialist is a member of Plan International’s Global Education in Humanitarian action unit. While on deployment, the specialist provides technical support to Plan International’s Country Offices (COs). This normally involves responding to medium and large-scale emergencies to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate humanitarian MHPSS programmes. This includes providing technical leadership and support on programme strategy, strengthening the capacity of staff and partners on MHPSS, and ensuring the overall technical quality of Plan’s MHPSS programming in line with humanitarian standards. Plan International’s MHPSS programming focuses on group activities for child and adolescent well-being, focused psychosocial care and support, including for parents and caregivers, and strengthening access to specialised mental health services. Plan International implements MHPSS programmes directly as well as with implementing partners and service providers.

This role will have a specific focus on MHPSS programming, with key interventions firmly embedded within or linked to humanitarian response programmes for child protection in emergencies (CPiE), education in emergencies (EiE), food security and nutrition (FSN) and other life-saving assistance. When not on deployment, the specialist contributes to Plan’s global humanitarian workplans for CPiE and EiE as agreed with both global units. This may include continued support and follow up from a distance with COs after a deployment.

Please follow this link for a full role profile; Deployable MHPSS Specialist Oct 24.docx

Location: The location of this role can be flexible where Plan International has an office* that can employ on behalf of the Global Hub and you have the pre-existing right to work and live. Locations closest to Plan’s point of impact are preferred.

Type of Role: 12 month fixed term contract

Closing Date: 10th November 2024 at 23.59pm UK

Interviews will take place week commencing 25th November 

*Applicable locations include: Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.