Job Advert – Somalia Country Office

Title: Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Advisor

ROLE PURPOSE: 

ROLE PURPOSE:  The MHPSS Advisor will use their technical expertise, in-depth contextual understanding, and relationship-building skills to define and deliver our strategic vision for high quality, integrated MHPSS programming in Somalia, in line with global standards and latest research. This builds on a growing and increasingly well-documented recognition of the critical MHPSS needs and of the gaps in available national and local services, NGO responses, referral mechanisms and documentation for this constantly growing challenge. 

The main purpose of this role is to provide strong technical leadership in Somalia on Mental health & Psychosocial Support. The aim is to enhance the quality of MHPSS work delivered by SCI and its Partners across sectors and themes, bringing measurable and lasting changes in the lives of children. 

The role will lead CO-level MHPSS integration in strategy development and will oversee integrated MHPSS technical design and implementation of high-quality programmes that deliver change for children in both emergency and development programming. The role supports national advocacy and influencing, while driving strategic partnerships for new business development. It supports the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across our programmes, teams and partners. The role will work closely with operations colleagues and with partners in building their capacity and building ownership and agency of local organizations. This role includes a focus on external representation on priority issues around mental health promotion, prevention and access to the care, and the strengthening of an effective and sustainable MHPSS continuum. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

SCOPE OF ROLE: 

Reports to:  Head of Protection, Gender and Inclusion 

Staff reporting to this post:  No direct reports but technical support and coordination of in-country relevant staff 

Dimension of Role: 

Save the Children has been working in Somalia for more than 70 years. The Country Office has over 450 staff across 10 field offices. In 2024 we reached more than 3.2 million people through our humanitarian and longer-term development work in Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Education, Child Poverty Reduction, Child Protection and Child Rights Governance. The Country Office has a large and diverse funding portfolio - managing over 80 active awards. In 2024 our portfolio was $109.2M from a range of governmental/institutional donors, including GPE, FCDO, MFA, DANIDA, Danish Embassy, SIDA, SDC, NORAD, EU, ECHO, GAC, GFFO AFDB & WB. However, MHPSS portfolio in Somalia is currently integrated across various sectors, including CP, Education, and FSL. However, this integration is ad-hoc and relies on project-specific resources rather than a cohesive country-level framework. There is no standardized approach, resulting in variable technical quality and weak systems for measuring child-level MHPSS outcomes. This position aims to establish a strong, coordinated, and quality-assured MHPSS system across the country office.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES:

Essential

• Advanced degree in Psychology, Mental Health or a related field 

• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in a similar capacity

• Excellent knowledge and experience in using key tools and approaches, including the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies

• Significant experience working in emergency response, protracted crises or fragile state contexts (experience from the ESA region is a strong advantage)

• Proven capacity to train, supervise, and coach staff in MHPSS technical skills and coordination, based on evidence-based approaches and intervention packages

• Ability to write clear and effective assessment and project reports

• Excellent communication and influencing skills with experience in advocacy

• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy

• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances

• Experience of representation and ability to represent Save the Children effectively in external forums

• Commitment to the aims and principles of Save the Children. In particular, a good understanding of the Save the Children mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support

• A high level of written and spoken English

How to apply

Application Information:

Please apply in English saving your cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document.

https://hcri.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/14946

For more information about Save the Children in Somalia and to see a full a job description, visit our website at SCI Career Site Careers (oraclecloud.com)  

Save the Children is an equal opportunity employer, and our working environment is inclusive and accessible. We need to keep children safe, so our selection process includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. Employment is subject to our Child protection standards including background checks and adherence to our Child Safeguarding Policy

Application will be closed on 28th December 2025

We need to keep children safe, so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. Employment is subject to our Child Protection standards including background checks and adherence to our Child Safeguarding Policy 

Save the Children is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ and assign the best qualified talent.

Disclaimer:

Save the Children International does not charge any kind of fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process and does not act through recruitment agents