Working as mental health activity manager in the field

Une consultation en santé mentale au Mexique par MSF.

Your application will be processed by a specific MSF office according to your country of residence. If you are already employed by MSF Switzerland, choose "OCG Field employee" or "OCG HQ employee".

Please notice that some offices do NOT recruit specific profiles. If that might be the case for your profile, please apply via MSF Switzerland.

From providing psychological first aid to survivors of natural disasters to counselling HIV patients, our Mental Health Managers play a vital role in our projects. As a Mental Health Activity Manager, your role will be to provide the most appropriate support for patients using strategies and tools adapted to the context and culture.

1
Job description

Find out more about the position.

2
Testimonials

Read about experiences from the field.

3
Questions

Have questions? Find answers to your questions.

4
Apply

Make sure you’ve read everything before applying.

1. Job description

This is an exciting and diverse role involving some or all of the following.

Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate and ensure that mental health activities with patients are performed with regular follow-ups, and ensure that the mental health team remains calm and neutral during sessions regardless of personal feelings/beliefs, and that the interpreters are trained in terminology and appropriate behaviour during sessions
  • In collaboration with other medical team members, identify the mental health support needs in the target population and participate in defining, planning, organising and updating the appropriate MSF strategy and the mental health activities and the budget
  • Map and update the details of existing mental health services, including other NGOs, local NGOs, community groups and government health services, and maintain good and regular communication and collaboration with other components of the project
  • Identify possible advocacy issues and inform the Medical Coordinator and Project Coordinator before taking any action
  • Ensure, in collaboration with the medical department, that the mental health department participates in counselling as well as Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) and voluntary counselling and testing activities when needed
  • Ensure that psychiatric patients coming to MSF facilities receive proper treatment, including psychotropic medication and psychosocial support either within an MSF programme or via an alternative resource
  • Ensure the implementation of all MSF standard mental health protocols and procedures
  • Manage, train and supervise the mental health team through activities such as recruitment, defining job descriptions, capacity-building, briefing/debriefing and evaluation of staff

Depending on our activities and needs, your responsibilities may be adapted and evolve according to the specific projects.

You will not face these challenges alone; other MSF team members (both international and locally hired staff) will provide technical support, including comprehensive guidelines and protocols.

Requirements:

  • Master Level Degree or equivalent in Psychology with relevant trainings for clinical practice, specialization in clinical psychology, counselling, psychotherapy, psychopathology, neuropsychology or related subject
  • A clinical training component with a set number of supervised clinical hours completed (to be documented in the CV). The training should include face-to-face clinical patient care (individual and group sessions) with appropriate supervision and developing key psychotherapeutic skills/ techniques.
  • Two years’ relevant professional experience with adults including behavioural techniques or counselling
  • Recent clinical experience (at least six months within the last 24 months)
  • Experience working with vulnerable populations in an intercultural context
  • IT skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
  • Fluency in English and/or French; any other languages are an asset (Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian)
  • Available for a minimum of 6 months
  • Commitment to MSF’s work and values
  • Strong team player
  • Willingness to work in all kinds of contexts worldwide, including unstable areas
  • Adaptable and able to work in a multicultural team
  • Flexible and able to manage stress
  • Self-driven with a solution-oriented approach
  • Ability and experience in training others, coaching and supervision

Assets:

  • Experience with post-traumatic stress disorder, or victims of trauma or violence
  • Additional psychotherapy training/diplomas such as cognitive therapy, clinical social work or counselling
  • Experience working in context similar to our fields of intervention
  • People management experience


We encourage applications from people of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, backgrounds, religions, beliefs, abilities and all other characteristics of diversity.

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference and criminal record checks.

3. Questions

What to expect

Malawi, 28.06.2017

We need you to be able to quickly adapt to different cultures...

Read more

What MSF offers

Malawi, 05.02.2015

MSF is an organisation driven by strong values...

Read more

How to apply

République démocratique du Congo, 21.08.2016

Find out more about our recruitment criteria and the next...

Read more

It is rare that MSF advertises job openings for specific countries or projects.

Instead, in order to be able to respond to medical emergencies, MSF recruits applicants into different professional reserve lists, (also referred to as “pools”) throughout the year. Candidates within the pool will be matched to a specific position in a specific country based on their skill set, competencies, technical experience and background.

When applying to join our pool, you can indicate any geographic preferences you may have. However, in accordance with the MSF Charter, providing assistance to populations in distress must take priority over geographical preferences. As a candidate, you must be flexible and willing to work wherever your skills are most needed. Therefore, it is not always possible to fulfil specific country requests. MSF expects candidates to be flexible about where they work so that we can meet the needs of the field. However, if you have special skills, speak additional languages or have restrictions, those will be taken into consideration for each placement.

The standard duration of a first posting is six months. Medical specialists such as anaesthetists, gynaecologists and surgeons are placed in projects from six weeks to three months. This is not the case for general practitioners, paramedical or non-medical profiles.

For subsequent postings, depending on the needs of the country, the duration may be shorter for emergencies (several weeks to three months) or longer (perhaps six to 12 months) in more stable contexts. Coordinator positions are opened for a longer period, from one to two years.

We are mainly looking for candidates who are prepared to make a long-term commitment and work with MSF over several years. We therefore ask you to engage with MSF for more than one mission, or at least 12 months. This will probably include one or more breaks, as it is important to rest between assignments. You are invited to discuss the timing of your break with your career manager when you return from the first posting.

For all non-medical profiles, a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). For doctors, a minimum of three years is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). Surgeons need 2 years post-specialisation experience and specialists do not need post-specialisation experience. For all medical profiles, a minimum of three years’ experience is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). Previous work experience is essential as we expect a high level of autonomy from our staff in the field. Detailed criteria for each profile can be found under What’s your profile?.

All questions

Next information sessions

Come discuss with our team and learn about our criteria to go on a mission. All information sessions

4. Apply online

Your application will be processed by a specific MSF office according to your country of residence. If you are already employed by MSF Switzerland, choose "OCG Field employee" or "OCG HQ employee".

Please notice that some offices do NOT recruit specific profiles. If that might be the case for your profile, please apply via MSF Switzerland.

This application form is only for field missions. If you wish to apply for HQ positions, please consult our current jobs postings.

As Candidates, MSF cares about protecting your data. By applying to a position, you accept that MSF will use your personal data. For more information, please read our Human Resources Privacy notice.