Psychologist (Staff Health Care Team) Job in Kenya

Psychologist (Staff Health Care Team)

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian action-driven organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. 26 associations, 24 sections, and 16 branch offices make-up the international movement and work in partnership around 6 operational entities.

MSF EASTERN AFRICA

MSF Eastern Africa (MSF EA) came into being in 2021, growing out of the Nairobi Branch Office. The section is the regional institutional office for MSF in Eastern Africa and focusses on representation and networking, including with humanitarian organizations and authorities, recruiting and supporting staff from the region, communications and fundraising, as well as on other dossiers of importance to MSF such as Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI), mutualization, trainings, medical operational support and environmental health.

MSF EA has identified key transversal areas of focus in its two-year strategic plan 2022-2023. This will enable the Section to grow and provide strategic support to the operations while building its capacity for future operational ambitions.

The Section provides operational (and administrative) support, interacts with the movement at different levels and is currently hosting teams/desks/units from other offices. This interaction involves different elements including mutualization, coordination and organisation of the activities, structure and resources which need to work within the MSF EA set up. 


GENERAL OBJECTIVE AND JOB ENVIRONMENT

The general objective of the Psychologist is to contribute to the improvement of the psychosocial health of the International mobile staff (IMS) from the region and staff in the East Africa section, guaranteeing mental    health support by:

  • Coordinating and providing psycho-social support to all staff.
  • Providing psycho-social support at the beginning and end of a mission for IMS.
  • Developing and implementing strategies and interventions aimed at improving the mental health of the international mobile staff.  
  • Developing policies related to mental health of IMS.
  • Coordinating a network of external professionals who provides support to the international mobile staff.

Place in the Organization

  • Part of the MSF EA Staff Care Team under the HR department 
  • Reports to the Human resource director hierarchically with functional link to Heads of Staff Health and Psychosocial Care Units in MSF section. 

Duties & Responsibilities

Psychological Support 

  • Provide psychological support to international mobile staff, remotely and while at home.
  • Support punctually in the referrals of HQ personnel presenting mental health distress.
  • Support punctually with the medical evacuation in cases of acute mental distress, of IMS from the region.  
  • Support staff and their families during medical evacuations upon request. 
  • Advise on the management and support of team members in distress.
  • Maintain regular contact with counterparts in other PSU.
  • Create awareness on mental well-being by conducting training and psycho education. 

Coordination and implementation of psychosocial DBF procedures 

  • Carry out Pre-departure briefing.
  • Conduct return talk (personalized debriefing).
  • Refer international mobile staff to an external referral network of psychologists when needed.
  • Identify a pool of local providers in the Eastern African Region to offer further external support to the international mobile staff when needed. 
  • Follow up in between mission upon request. 

Critical Incident support 

  • Upon request by OCs support in major critical incidents as family liaison, calling and supporting other staff in the field etc. 
  • Provide support to team members affected by critical incidents upon return home if needed. 
  • Reinforce the critical incident external support team by identifying trained psychologist able to be part of this roster – with a special focus on Eastern Africa.
  • Upon request support teams evacuated to NAIROBI in close collaboration with the relevant team/departments.
  • Part of the Critical Incident management team based on role/need defined.

Building external networks

  • Identify and develop a network of psychologists in different countries in Eastern Africa to offer further psychosocial support to the IMS.
  • Organize updates and training meetings to the external network in order to ensure contextualized support is offered to the IMS upon referral.  

Training

  • Participate in awareness and preventive programs for the psychosocial support of the IMS
  • Carry out context-specific briefings for coordinators and other key field managers.
  • Support the preparation and facilitation of training modules in the Welcome to MSF.
  • Participate in the Field HR days and offer training to the IMS as part of creating awareness around MH and Prevention. 
  • Participate in the regional mental health training conducted in the region.

Other

  • Provide support to Missions in the region on needs basis, including training/awareness and Supervision for MH workers.
  • Participate in meetings of the Human Resources department, as well as in some other meetings of the Field HR.
  • Participate in interdisciplinary working groups of the department. 
  • Participate in the development of the annual planning of activities and resource allocation.
  • Participate in the follow up and reporting of activities and budget. 

Qualifications

Education and Experience

  • Essential Degree in clinical Psychology, Organization Psychology and other related field.
  • Psychologist with social and clinical experience with minimum 3yrs experience.
  • Knowledge and experience in emotional support/management of teams under crisis situations.
  • Knowledge and experience in group management.
  • Comprehension of/and work experience in the international context of MSF.
  • Experience in mental health interventions in conflict situation, violence and disaster.
  • Fluent in English – Knowledge of French & Swahili valued.
  • User-level IT skills (Microsoft Office applications).

Competencies:

  • Commitment to MSF’s Principles
  • Cross-cultural Awareness
  • Behavioral Flexibility
  • Stress Management
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Results and Quality Orientation
  • Service Orientation
  • Planning and Organizing
  • Teamwork and Cooperation

Others

  • Training skills.
  • Availability to travel and to work flexible working hours.

We Offer 

A full-time employment contract as soon as possible through MSF East Africa Section Office in Nairobi.  

An annual salary of KES 2,974,271.

Social benefit package; allowances ranging between KES 30,000-36,000/month based on individual & administrative status. 

Other benefits include: 25 days of annual leave, Employer Pension contribution and medical insurance cover (staff and family) based on MSF EA terms/conditions.

How to Apply

If you recognise yourself in this profile, we welcome you to apply directly via the link provided below

Applicants are required to upload a letter of motivation + Curriculum Vitae (in English) in PDF Format as one combined document.      

The closing date for applications is 10th February 2023

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Information

At MSF, we are committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our employees. Women and persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.   

We apologize that due to the volume of application we receive only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.