CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 3: The post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.
ROLE PURPOSE:
Save the Children Afghanistan is currently consolidating its MHPSS programme portfolio, to deliver a comprehensive MHPSS services integrated with health and nutrition, child protection, education, Food Security and Livelihood, and WASH.
Under the general direction and guidance of the Director of Program Development, Quality & Advocacy and Head of Technical Unit, the MHPSS Technical Adviser will ensure all SCI Afghanistan MHPSS programming is of excellent technical quality, attracts significant donor funding and contributes to national and global learning, advocacy and programme development. The post holder is expected to provide technical guidance and support to project staff to ensure Afghanistan programme objectives are successfully achieved. The post holder will also contribute to the development and review of the MHPSS strategic direction and actively lead in the development of MHPSS programme design, integrated into other sectors, ensuring a technically sound comprehensive package of services are available to children and their caregivers.
To ensure cross-sectoral integration and programme coherence, the MHPSS Technical Adviser will work closely with other technical advisers, the Research, Evaluation, Accountability, Leaning and Monitoring (REALM) and with the Operations team.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Head of Technical Unit
Staff reporting to this post: None but strong working relationship with MHPSS Programme Implementation team
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
SPECIFIC DUTIES
Thematic Area Leadership & Strategic Planning
• Leads on defining and reviewing the country office’s strategic plan on MHPSS, based on the evidence and ensuring integration of Save the Children’s Theory of Change, Breakthroughs, Common Approaches and best practises to guide current and future SC programming and Humanitarian Strategies.
• Supports ownership and commitment to the Country Office strategy by all staff and departments through clear communication, regular feedback on progress and engagement of all functions in updates.
• Leads the development and review of country annual plans and the technical adviser’s workplan for technical support including field visits and training for the implementation team.
• Regularly and pro-actively analyses the mental health situation in the country and feeds this into the country office’s assessment and planning process that will inform design and improve programmes.
• Actively participates in global discussions on MHPSS programming, and working groups, ensuring that country office strategies are aligned with the global initiatives and best practices.
• Articulates a vision for addressing mental health concerns through integration with health, nutrition, WASH, child protection, education, food security and livelihood, etc.
• Supports research being conducted to inform programming, strategic direction, policy and advocacy with a technical lens and technical consistency.
• Keeps abreast of national and global debates in policy and advocacy around MHPSS to apply to programming or advocacy.
Programme Development and Donor Engagement
• Works with New Business Development Team and Head of Technical Unit to secure funding to maintain or expand the country office’s MHPSS programmes as per the country strategic plan and the needs with a level of foresight and consideration of sustainability
• Leads the design of innovative and high impact MHPSS projects and proposals and technical budgets, coordinating with other technical and implementation staff in coordination with New Business Development colleagues to ensure high quality, evidence-based designs that draw on needs assessments, learning from past programs and child safeguarding principles.
• Ensures all proposals meet SCI and sector standards and are in line with strategic goals and SCI approaches.
• Incorporates Common Approaches in new proposals and budgets to align with set priorities in the Country Strategic Plan and the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
• Actively communicates and coordinates with other advisers and programme implementation teams to ensure integrated approaches across themes.
• Develops and maintains contact with current and potential donors, partners and key technical agencies, in coordination with the Head of Technical Unit including supporting donor meetings and visits.
Programme Support and Quality Assurance
• Serves as the lead technical resource in quality, innovative, creative and sustainable programming on MHPSS specific to Afghanistan.
• Works with the Head of Technical Unit (HTU) to develop/review Country Strategy and Thematic Plans and with programme implementation teams and supports the development of an MHPSS master budget.
• Leads the continuous assessment of MHPSS needs of children, adolescents and youths and ensure that these are appropriately reflected in Afghanistan Response programme strategy and proposals.
• Supervise and support to the field staff in the project sites in the planning, implementation and monitoring of MHPSS activities.
• Supports the development of effective supervision structures and processes for MHPSS staff in and across the Afghanistan Country programming.
• Ensures that the PSS activities (such as Child and Youth Resilience Programme) are implemented according to SC and international standards.
• Works closely with the Research Evidence, Accountability, Learning, and Monitoring and Evaluation (REALM) team to ensure quality MEAL systems and frameworks for MHPSS programme that monitors the impact of projects and progress towards strategic programme and advocacy objectives.
• Ensures accountability is considered throughout the design and implementation of the programmes especially in terms of child safeguarding as well as ensuring child participation in the design, implementation and monitoring of the programmes where possible.
• Supports the preparation of timely programme and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SC requirements and any relevant external donor requirements.
• Works closely with the HR team, identify MHPSS staffing needs for the country office and provincial office programmes, and ensure quality recruitment, induction and training of new staff.
• Ensures that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Sphere Charter, Core Humanitarian Standard and Red Cross Code of Conduct.
• Leads the country MHPPSS Community of Practice to ensure the field MHPSS teams are regularly engaged in a ‘culture of learning’ with opportunities to connect, share experiences and lessons, while also coming together to bring improvements to the overall standard of MHPSS programming.
• Ensures that gender equality and inclusion, safe programming, conflict sensitivity, climate is embedded into the needs and response analysis, and programming.
Technical Capacity Building of Staff and Partners
• Builds the capacity, knowledge, understanding and confidence of programme teams and partners to achieve the required quality standards of the MHPSS work by developing, adapting, and sharing relevant tools, designing training modules and supporting the implementation and understanding of quality benchmarks including on the job technical mentoring.
• Ensures all MHPSS and other sectors’ staff whose job is connected to MHPSS, key stakeholders, volunteers receive the necessary and appropriate technical support including, but not limited to competencies in child rights programming, child safeguarding and Common Approaches. In consultation with staff and project managers to agree on the range of guidance, support, training and/or other assistance required from the role to facilitate high quality programming.
Cluster Representation and Networking
• Represents SCI in MHPSS Cluster, Task Forces as well as other Technical Working Groups where appropriate, sharing ideas, updates, advocating for action and influence policies and decisions where necessary.
• Participates in seminars and related fora in the thematic area and among donors, UN agencies, International NGOs, and national and sub-national government counterparts in coordination
• Represents Save the Children in a technical capacity for advocacy, communications or media purposes.
Other Responsibilities:
• Travels to field offices (including insecure environments) regularly to conduct capacity building and quality monitoring, ensuring that all visits are supported by clear and constructive recommendations.
• Delivers high quality results which maintains the reputation of SC in Afghanistan.
• Supports colleagues in Programme Operations to develop and secure Memorandums of Understanding with line ministries.
• Complies with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Performs such other responsibilities as agreed with your line management.
BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:
• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
Ambition:
• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future oriented, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
Collaboration:
• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity and sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
• Honest, encourages openness and transparency and demonstrates highest levels of integrity.
