United States of America: Mental Health Officer

Organizational Background:

Heartland Alliance International (HAI) is the global arm of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, a family of organizations that has been leading anti-poverty and social justice work in Chicago for more than 125 years. HAI’s offices in nearly a dozen countries implement programs on a range of global human rights issues, as well as the Chicago-based Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture, which serves individuals from more than 50 countries. HAI has significant expertise in the fields of trauma-informed mental health care and access to justice for survivors of rights abuses. It is also an industry leader in access to high-quality and stigma-free health care. Across all of its programs, HAI promotes progressive, innovative approaches to human rights protections and gender equality.

Heartland Alliance International (HAI) has more than three decades of experience providing trauma-informed mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to individuals, families, and communities that have been exposed to political oppression, torture, war, conflict, and gender-based violence. HAI has expertise developing tailored interventions for primary health care systems; addressing child, adolescent, and women’s mental health; and developing specialized torture treatment programs.

HAI’s MHPSS programming uses a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach to its services and seeks to build national capacity in order to ensure program sustainability.

Overview:

The mental health officer will support the continued growth of a culture and practice of high-quality Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programming for country programs globally.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establishes and maintains an internal library of MHPSS resources
• Establishes and maintains a MHPSS community of practice
• Contributes to training curricula development and implementation of capacity building trainings
• Supports the development of guidance documents, case studies, models and other materials related to mental health and psychosocial support for internal and external dissemination
• Supports quality program design and implementation through research and documentation of best practices and approaches
• Supports the development and implementation of staff wellbeing initiatives as the HQ and global levels
• Supports development, annual implementation, and analysis of MHPSS organizational assessment tool for use with field offices to evaluate the level of MHPSS capacity
• Supports the development and implementation of MHPSS workshops for external stakeholders and MHPSS retreat for HAI clinical staff
• As needed, provides MHPSS technical support to country programs

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or competency required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• Master’s degree or higher in mental health, social work, counseling or related field with a minimum of 5 years of post-licensure experience.

Technical Skills:

• Minimum of 3 years of direct service experience
• Knowledge of global MHPSS guidelines and best practices
• Knowledge of MHPSS approaches in low resource and humanitarian contexts
• Experience working in low resource and/or humanitarian contexts
• Experience with developing and implementing capacity building training
• Experience with completing high quality literature reviews
• Research and/or monitoring and evaluation experience preferred
• Knowledge of child and adolescent mental health and/or gendered approaches to mental health preferred

Language Skills:

• Excellent oral and written English language communication skills required
• Advanced proficiency in oral and written French or Spanish required

Other Competencies:

• Time Management – Ability to prioritize tasks, manage time and complete projects in a fast-paced, changing environment with minimal supervision
• Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness
• Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; Collects and researches data
• Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events
• Cultural Sensitivity – Has experience with and the requisite skills to work cross-culturally. Respects cultural environment in which person is working and does not act in a manner that is offensive to the local community

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems
• Proficiency in Excel, SPSS, or another statistical analysis software preferred
• Other software routinely used by Heartland Alliance

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The employee may be required to remain on Organization premises during breaks and/or meal periods and may be required to stay on Organization premises until their replacement arrives.
• The employee is required to travel regularly to often insecure and limited-resource environments

Heartland Alliance makes all hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the Organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September, 1987. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the Employee Services Office at +1 (312) 660-1431.

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