Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Officer

Save the Children International is recruiting a Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Officer to support its humanitarian and development programmes in Borno State, Nigeria. The successful candidate will support the implementation, monitoring and quality assurance of mental health and psychosocial support interventions for children, adolescents, caregivers and communities.

The position focuses on delivering structured psychosocial support activities, including HEART (Healing and Education through the Arts), psychosocial support groups, life skills sessions and caregiver support. The officer will also contribute to referrals, community engagement, staff capacity building, programme monitoring and the integration of mental health and psychosocial support into Child Protection, Education, Health, Nutrition and Emergency programmes.

The successful candidate will work with programme staff, case workers, Child Friendly Space facilitators, community mobilisers, partners and other stakeholders to improve the well-being and resilience of vulnerable individuals and communities.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Officer is responsible for the day-to-day implementation, monitoring and quality assurance of mental health and psychosocial support interventions for children, adolescents, caregivers and communities.

The officer will ensure effective delivery of HEART and other psychosocial support activities, strengthen community-based support services, facilitate safe referrals for individuals requiring specialised support, and contribute to capacity building for staff and partners.

The role also involves programme data collection, documentation, reporting, stakeholder coordination and compliance with safeguarding standards to ensure that activities are safe, inclusive and responsive to the needs of vulnerable populations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1\. Implement and monitor quality mental health and psychosocial support activities, including HEART, psychosocial support groups, life skills sessions and caregiver support sessions.

2\. Supervise structured psychosocial support activities for children, adolescents, caregivers and communities to promote emotional well-being, positive coping strategies and resilience.

3\. Train, mentor and provide supportive supervision to facilitators, volunteers, teachers and community workers on HEART, Psychological First Aid (PFA) and basic mental health and psychosocial support approaches.

4\. Identify vulnerable children and caregivers who require additional assistance and facilitate safe, timely referrals to specialised mental health, protection and social services.

5\. Support MHPSS assessments, programme planning and implementation, including the integration of psychosocial support into Child Protection, Education, Health and Nutrition programmes.

6\. Conduct regular field monitoring visits to assess activity implementation, identify challenges and ensure programme quality and adherence to relevant standards.

7\. Collect, manage and report programme data while maintaining confidentiality and complying with data protection requirements.

8\. Document programme achievements, lessons learned, success stories and good practices to support programme learning, improvement and reporting.

9\. Coordinate with government authorities, community structures, implementing partners, schools and health facilities to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support service delivery.

10\. Promote community participation, resilience and awareness of mental health and psychosocial well-being among children, caregivers and other community members.

11\. Support staff well-being initiatives and encourage appropriate self-care practices among frontline workers and volunteers.

12\. Ensure that all MHPSS activities comply with Child Safeguarding, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), the Code of Conduct and relevant humanitarian principles.

REQUIREMENTS:

1\. A bachelor's degree in Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Social Work, Mental Health, Psychiatric Nursing, Public Health or a related field.

2\. Two to three years of relevant experience implementing mental health and psychosocial support programmes in humanitarian, development or community settings.

3\. Experience providing psychosocial support, case management, Psychological First Aid (PFA) and referrals for vulnerable populations.

4\. Experience working with children, adolescents, caregivers, women and communities affected by conflict or other humanitarian challenges.

5\. Previous experience working with non-governmental organisations or international NGOs, particularly in emergency or displacement settings, is desirable.

6\. Knowledge of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings.

7\. A strong understanding of psychosocial support interventions, Psychological First Aid, community-based MHPSS approaches and safe referral pathways.

8\. Strong facilitation, training and mentoring skills.

9\. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

10\. Ability to work effectively with diverse communities, programme teams, partners and other stakeholders.

11\. Commitment to child safeguarding, confidentiality, professional conduct and the protection of vulnerable individuals.

CONTRACT AND WORK ARRANGEMENT:

1\. Duty station: Borno State, Nigeria.

2\. Department: Programme Operations.

3\. Grade: 4.

4\. Employment type: Full-time.

5\. Contract duration: Six months.

6\. Reporting line: MHPSS Coordinator.

7\. Direct reports: None.

8\. Indirect working relationships: Case workers, Child Friendly Space facilitators and community mobilisers involved in MHPSS activities.

9\. Child safeguarding level: Level 3, involving regular or intensive contact with children and young people.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through the official Save the Children International careers portal.

1\. Visit the official careers website.

2\. Search for “Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Officer”.

3\. Confirm that the vacancy location is Borno State, Nigeria, and review the available job description.

4\. Ensure that the application demonstrates relevant qualifications and experience in mental health and psychosocial support, community-based interventions, Psychological First Aid and work with vulnerable populations.

5\. Prepare the required application documents and complete the online application according to the instructions provided in the recruitment portal.

6\. Submit the application before the closing date.

7\. Be prepared to comply with the organisation's safeguarding, equal opportunities, staff safeguarding and health and safety policies.

Save the Children is committed to keeping children safe. Its recruitment process includes background checks to support the protection of children from abuse. Only candidates who meet the organisation's selection requirements should proceed with their applications.

DEADLINE:

16 October 2026, 14:59 UTC (15:59 WAT)