Psychosocial Support Coordinator at International Alert

International Alert is one of the world's leading peacebuilding organisations, with 30 years of experience supporting communities, advising governments, organisations and companies on how to build peace. Alert works with people in conflict-affected and threatened areas to make a positive difference for peace; to improve the substance and implementation of international policies relevant to peacebuilding; and to strengthen the peacebuilding sector. Alert currently has field offices in over 20 countries and was active in over 40 countries and territories across the world in 2014 in Sub-Saharan Africa, South and South-East Asia, Central Asia and the South Caucasus, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.

International Alert began operations in Nigeria in 2011 as a partner on security governance within the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation programme (NSRP). Since then we have launched a social cohesion programme in the Northeast, while expanding our technical advisory in conflict and gender sensitivity to various governance and reform programmes.

For more on Alert’s work, please visit our website at www.international-alert.org.

Job Purpose

The Psychosocial Support Adviser (PSA) is responsible for technical design, monitoring and quality control of Alert’s programme to support reintegration of vulnerable groups, including children affected by conflict, survivors of SGBV, and people held in captivity by Boko Haram. The PSA ensures capacity-building for staff and partners, adherence of Alert activities to international protection standards, relevance of programming to the local culture, and that robust monitoring tools are developed to adapt and improve programming.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct needs assessments in programme implementation sites, identifying existing structures for psychosocial support (PSS) and gaps
• Design curriculum for PSS activities tailored to each project, ensuring conflict and gender-sensitivity
• Support development of referral pathways in projects for vulnerable project beneficiaries and maintain relationships with other protection actors in implementation sites
• Develop tools for monitoring and evaluating impact and relevance of PSS activities. Conduct monitoring visits and ensure learning, reflection and adaptation with staff and implementing partners
• Ensure lessons learned and impact from PSS activities captured in programme reports
• Design and deliver training modules on PSS to Alert staff, implementing partners and project beneficiaries
• Ensure that all PSS material and methodologies adhere to international protection standards
• Represent Alert in relevant forums (such as Protection Cluster meetings)

Travel requirements

This position is based in Maiduguri, with sporadic travel across the northeast States  

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential requirements

• University degree in psychology, social work, or other related field. Certificates or other training may be accepted in place of a relevant degree if compensated with exceptional work experience in the field.
• At least 5 years of work experience in field of community-based psychosocial support
• At least 2 years of experience working with an international organization (NGO, UN or other) in a development, humanitarian or conflict context
• Excellent communication skills and ability to understand and develop programmatic strategies on psychosocial support
• Fluency in Hausa
• Good computer literacy and knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
• Experience in building capacity of staff and implementing partners in psychosocial support, GBV, mental health, etc.
• Willingness to travel to insecure locations

Desirable requirements

• Technical knowledge of peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity approaches
• Knowledge of languages of northeast Nigeria (such as Kanuri, Shuwa, etc.)