Technical Advisor- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) At Terre des hommes IN BENUE
Organization: Terre des hommes – Nigeria
Position: Technical Advisor- Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
Location: Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria (With visits to other field locations)
Advert Closing date: 4th November 2025.
About Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh)
Terre des hommes (Tdh) is a Swiss-based humanitarian organization committed to improving the lives of children and youth. Operating in over 30 countries, Tdh focuses on child protection, access to justice, health, and humanitarian response, working closely with governments, communities, and local partners.
In Nigeria, Tdh works to strengthen systems in health, access to justice, and mobility through a systemic and community-centered approach. This includes strong engagement with cross-cutting themes such as gender, child protection, WASH, and digital innovation (ICT4D).
In 2025, Tdh will launch a new project in Benue State, focusing on improving access to justice and health services for women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The project will be implemented in collaboration with local NGOs, community-based organizations, and government institutions such as the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Women Affairs, and security and health authorities. The initial duration of the project is 18 months, with long-term engagement planned.
General Job Description:
Under the supervision of the A2J Project Manager, the MHPSS Technical Advisor is responsible for defining and implementing MHPSS interventions for the Tdh delegation in Nigeria, particularly in the Benue state, with a focus on refugee and IDP populations. S/he will provide technical and clinical guidance to Tdh staff and local partner organization, with a particular focus on case review, diagnostic assess-ments, and referral of complex cases. While the specialist may conduct psychological evaluations and guide intervention strategies, ongoing therapy is not expected. Severe mental health cases should be safely referred to appropriate psychiatric care facilities, in line with national systems and humanitarian protocols.
As part the key responsibilities, he/she:
- Provides case consultation and clinical supervision for complex cases referred by local partner MHPSS staff, including diagnostic support, risk assessment, and intervention planning, while ensuring compliance with ethical and humanitarian principles.
- Refers severe or psychiatric cases to appropriate mental health services, ensuring consent, confidentiality, and follow-up support when possible.
- Assesses capacity-building needs and providing initial and ongoing training for front line staff and volunteers (trainings, mentoring, individualized support).
In this capacity, he/she contributes to the design, implementation, monitoring, and communication of all MHPSS activities carried out by Tdh, primarily within projects in Benue state and in Nigeria. He/she is also responsible for strengthening the technical and operational capacities of the team and partners.
Tdh operates in regions with security concerns, taking necessary precautions to ensure team safety. The candidate must be willing and able to travel in these areas while respecting the organization’s safety protocols.
Specific Responsibilities / Context « tasks »
- Strategy, Design and Planning
- Lead the development of the MHPSS strategy for the project, ensuring it is aligned with Tdh’s global standards, sector best practices, and the specific needs of IDPs and other vulnerable groups.
- Establish a framework for quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation, and capacity strengthening in relation to MHPSS interventions.
- Define quality standards and key criteria for identifying and prioritizing vulnerable groups, in line with international guidelines and Tdh standards.
- Support the establishment of both direct service provision and system-strengthening approaches to sustainably improve mental health and psychosocial well-being for children, survivors of SGBV, and other vulnerable individuals in IDP settings.
- Contribute to the development of community awareness and sensitization initiatives to address stigma, encourage positive coping mechanisms, and improve identification and referral of people in need of support.
- Provide technical input to the Tdh Delegation’s overall MHPSS strategy in Nigeria and contribute to the design of projects requiring MHPSS expertise.
- Support fundraising efforts through technical inputs to concept notes, proposals, and other donor communications related to MHPSS.
- Technical and Methodological Support on MHPSS
- Lead a mapping and assessment of MHPSS gaps in Benue, with specific attention to forced displacement, IDP camp dynamics, and patterns of influx and return.
- Produce regular thematic analyses of MHPSS issues, including gender- and age-specific vulnerabilities, and conduct research on existing community and cultural support mechanisms (e.g., traditional healers, faith-based approaches).
- Support the Ministry of Health at LGA and State level in developing and implementing MHPSS strategies and plans adapted to IDPs and other affected populations.
- Coordinate the development and dissemination of service maps and referral pathways across partners in Benue, ensuring clear and survivor-centered mechanisms for SGBV and child protection case management.
- Contextualize and adapt evidence-based psychosocial support methodologies for children, adolescents, and caregivers in IDP camp settings (e.g., PM+, EASE, EQUIP), ensuring alignment with trauma-informed and survivor-centered approaches.
- Design and oversee a capacity-building plan for Tdh staff, local partners, and relevant authorities, based on identified needs and aligned with Tdh’s MHPSS framework and project objectives.
- Provide ongoing technical guidance to Tdh teams to strengthen integration of MHPSS into project interventions, with particular attention to protection, SGBV response, and work with highly vulnerable groups.
- Promote a multisectoral and integrated approach by fostering linkages between MHPSS, protection, health, education, and other relevant sectors in both direct implementation and system-strengthening activities.
- Quality Assurance and Learning
- Ensure that all MHPSS activities are designed and implemented in line with interagency standards, Tdh’s MHPSS framework, Nigerian regulations, and survivor-centered principles for SGBV response.
- Support the integration of well-being assessments into project activities, ensuring that monitoring captures not only outputs but also changes in mental health and psychosocial well-being of children, survivors of SGBV, and other vulnerable groups.
- Promote participatory monitoring approaches, engaging staff, partners, community members, and service users in assessing the quality and relevance of MHPSS interventions.
- Collaborate closely with MEAL colleagues to embed MHPSS-specific indicators and tools into the broader monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning system.
- Actively participate in field missions, supervision visits, and coordination meetings to identify challenges and propose corrective actions, with particular attention to staff well-being and safe delivery of services.
- Verify, analyze, and interpret MHPSS-related data (quantitative and qualitative), and produce regular reports to inform decision-making at project and delegation levels.
- Identify, document, and disseminate MHPSS best practices, lessons learned, and successful approaches (manuals, guidelines, tools) for use by Tdh teams, partners, and external stakeholders.
- Contribute to a learning culture within the delegation by encouraging reflection, peer exchange, and adaptation of approaches based on evidence and community feedback.
- Advocacy and Representation
- Support the Ministry of Health in leading and strengthening coordination mechanisms for MHPSS in Benue State, contributing to the establishment or reinforcement of an MHPSS working group.
- Facilitate regular coordination meetings with MHPSS stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, UN actors, and local partners, to ensure effective collaboration, referral pathways, and complementary services.
- Maintain proactive and trust-based relationships with government counterparts (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, judiciary, law enforcement), community leadership, humanitarian partners, and the local implementing partner.
- Represent Tdh on MHPSS issues in state and national coordination forums, inter-agency discussions, and technical working groups, ensuring alignment with SGBV and protection priorities.
- Contribute to Tdh’s advocacy efforts in Benue by identifying key issues affecting IDPs and survivors of SGBV, formulating advocacy points, and supporting the development and implementation of advocacy strategies.
- Collaborate with the Communications team to develop survivor-sensitive advocacy materials, case studies, and visibility content that highlight the impact of MHPSS interventions and promote positive narratives around mental health.
- Disseminate Tdh’s knowledge, lessons learned, and good practices within relevant professional networks, both nationally and internationally, to advance evidence-based and rights-based approaches to MHPSS in humanitarian settings.
- Guidance, Safeguarding & Staff Support
- Support the recruitment and onboarding of MHPSS staff in partner organizations when required, contributing to technical assessments and initial training.
- Promote staff well-being and resilience by encouraging staff care practices, facilitating technical debriefings, and fostering safe spaces for reflection within partner teams.
- Ensure all staff and partners are familiar with and consistently apply Tdh’s safeguarding policies, code of conduct, and security procedures.
- Model ethical, inclusive, and supportive leadership in all interactions with staff, partners, and communities, in line with Tdh’s organizational values.
Skills
This function requires possession of fundamental personal, social and leadership skills (CPSLs), technical and methodological skills (CTMs) and Managerial and strategic skills (CMSs)
Particularly including the following:
- Welcomes and produces creative thinking and innovative initiatives
- Ensures the production of knowledge, technical expertise and implementational tools.
- Proven ability to reflect, strategically analyze and summarize
- Remains attentive to the best practices and develops professional practices within his/her sector or his/her field of responsibility
- Shares his/her knowledge
- Contributes to the development of his/her colleagues
- Contributes to the development of tools and methods useful to his/her sector’s activities
- Develops implementation strategies and policies
- Values and strengthens the capacities of targeted players (internal and external)
- Exercises the role of counsel in his/her specialty field with a spirit of partnership
As well as the following specific “trade” skills
- Confirmed experience in technical-adviser or coordinator positions in his/her field of expertise
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills and a lot of emotional intelligence (a sense of active listening and diplomacy)
- Flexibility, reactiveness, adaptability and pragmatism
- Rigor, organization and trainer qualities
- Excellent drafting capacities and representation in French and English
- Command of the usual office tools
Job Requirements/Required Conditions
Training /Qualifications
- A Master’s degree in Mental Health, Psychology, Child Development, or a related field (required).
- Certification in GBV, legal aid, or women’s rights is an asset.
Professional Experience
- At least 5 years of relevant experience in MHPSS sector
- At least 2 years in a similar role as a technical advisor or thematic focal point for an NGO or a civil society organization.
- At least 2 years of experience strengthening MHPSS, Health or Protection systems
- Proven experience working with IDPs, refugees, and vulnerable populations
- Proven knowledge of GBV intervention strategies, especially protocols and integrated survivor care systems in Nigeria.
- Good knowledge of gender integration standards and rights-based approaches.
- Experience in developing methodologies and in capacity-building approaches
- Experience in working with children and youth
Professional Competencies
- Excellent interpersonal communication and high emotional intelligence (active listening and diplomacy).
- Excellent facilitation, training, and mentoring skills.
- Ability to operate in complex, politically sensitive, and insecure environments.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively with government partners and CSOs.
- Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
Languages
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) is mandatory.
- Knowledge of local languages in Benue (e.g., Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Hausa) is a strong asset.
IT know-how
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Others
- Fully comply with Tdh Code of Conduct and ensure Child Safeguarding Policy, PSEA are always upheld.
- Ensure adherence to Tdh standards and quality requirements in all the project activities.
- Adhere to and ensure the team under her/his responsibility follows Tdh administrative and logistical regulations and procedures.
Security
• Comply with Tdh Security Regulations
General Code of of Conduct and Tdh’s Risk Management Policies
- Commits to complying with the General Code of Conduct and systematically reports any breach of the Code through the Tdh warning procedure raises the awareness within the Foundation on violence and abuse and the rights that derive from them regarding children, community members and our own employees.
- Commits to complying with the Risk Management Policies, including Safeguard policies (the policy of Safeguarding Children, the Policy of Protecting against Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, the Guideline on Abusive Behavior at Work), the Safety/Security Policy and Anti-Fraud/Corruption Policies and the Prevention of Funding Criminal Activities.
- Commits to reducing the risk of abuse by developing an open and informed culture of management within the organization and in our work with children and the communities where we work.
The tasks and responsibilities defined in this job description are not exhaustive and can evolve depending on the project’s needs.
Equal Opportunity Clause:
Terre Des Hommes- Nigeria is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the differences that make us unique. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including but not limited to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
Hiring Conditions
- Applications will be processed on a rolling basis.
Method of Application:
Interested and qualified candidates should go to: https://forms.gle/2tggexX2ovSUvm3H8 to apply.
