Mental Health Officer at World Health Organization (WHO)

Objectives of the Programme 

• The objective of the programme is to support the Government in scaling up coverage of mental health service in the Country through community based mental health services including integration of mental health service at primary health care(PHC) level.
• Mental health has historically been neglected on Africa's health and development policy agenda. Faced with many challenges, including intractable poverty, infectious diseases,maternal and child mortality, as well as conflict, African political leaders and international development agencies frequently overlook the importance of mental health.
• This trend is often compounded by three factors: ignorance about the extent of mental health problems, stigma against those living with mental illness and mistaken beliefs that mental illnesses cannot be treated.Absence of treatment isthe norm rather than the exception across the continent.
• The “treatment gap” -the proportion of mental illness patients who don't get treatment - rangesfrom75% in South Africa to more than90% in Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Description of Duties

• Oversee the overall timeliness and quality of all programme deliverables, the finalization of operational transactions in accordance with the MPSS operational work plan, assure compliance with WHO rules and regulations, and efficiently deliver related services/products within the country.
• Engage and coordinate with the international and national stakeholders (including UN/NGO and civil society organizations)to: Facilitate and provide technical assistance in the assessment of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs, resources and capacities.
• Support the development of a mental health service organization plan, with initial focus on: Promote a system based approach to integrate MHPSS in health and related social sectors, in coordination with relevant agencies and entities.
• Establish and lead Mental Health Working Group under the health cluster based on the inter agency cluster approach for ensuring a coordinated response.
• Provide technical support to the Ministry of Health and other national entities/ institutions in building capacity in the MHPSS response at national level.
• Provide technical advice to partner civil society organizations and other entities, as appropriate, on the issues related to instituting a robust MHPSS programme.
• Contribute to the mobilization of adequate and sustained resources for the development and implementation of MHPSS activities.
• Facilitate the development of community-based mental health services. Contribute to the development of secondary and strengthening of specialist level psychiatric services.
• Provide technical guidance to develop, implement and monitor the integration of mental health in the primary health care.
• Co-develop, in coordination with national stakeholders, surveillance and monitoring systems for mental, neurological and substance use disorders (MNS).
• Draft and revise technical documents,briefing notes, meeting reports, information products and content, as appropriate.Perform any other related incident-specific duties, as required by the functional supervisor

Required Qualifications
Education:

• Essential: University Degree in in Psychiatry, Clinical, Psychology, Social Work or Allied Sciences from an accredited/recognized institute
• Desirable: Post-graduate qualification or specialized training in(a) public health (b) clinical psychology or psychiatry and/or (c) MHPSS in emergency and humanitarian crises; Training in delivering bio-psychosocial interventions for MNS disorders.

Experience:

• Essential: At least five (5) years of experience in in the assessment, development and implementation of policies,strategies and action plans for MHPSS in the context of emergencies
• Desirable: Experience of managing national mental health programme(s) including experience with implementing WHO's mental health GapAction Programme (MHGAP); Experience incapacity building, developing and promoting collaborative partnerships.Relevant work experience in WHO, other UN agencies,relevant nongovernmental, health cluster partners or recognized humanitarian organizations. A minimum of 3 years of working experience in large public health projects would be an asset.

Skills:

• Knowledge of: International policy frameworks (WHO, Sphere, IASC) for reduction of public health challenges related to mental health in emergency settings. Implementation tools (e.g., WHO/United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) MHPSS assessment toolkit, psychological first aid field guide, MH GAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide, mental health component of Interagency Emergency Health Kit (IEHK), “Building Back Better” casebook) for reduction of public health problems related to mental health in (post-) emergency settings.
• Demonstrated ability to: Plan and conduct capacity-building activities in MHPSS.
• Work effectively in an emergency and humanitarian response context, under constraints and meet deadlines.Collaborate on MHPSS across different sectors

WHO Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
• Producing results

Use of Language Skills:

• Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Remuneration

• Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at NGN25,344,462 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.