An International NGO is looking for a Deputy Head of Programs – Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS).

Position Objective: The Deputy Head of Program MHPSS supports the Head of Program in providing strategic, technical, and managerial leadership to the organization’s MHPSS portfolio in Pakistan. The role has a strong focus on partner‑led implementation, ensuring high‑quality, ethical, and culturally appropriate MHPSS services delivered through local implementing partners, fully aligned with the organization’s standards, national policies, and donor requirements.

Relevant Experience:

• Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Psychiatry, or a related mental health field.
• Valid professional registration with a recognized body is an asset.
• At least 7 overall years with 5 years of progressive experience in MHPSS programming in humanitarian or development contexts.

Job Description:

Mission 1: Strategic Leadership & Program Development

The Deputy Head of Program (DHOP) – Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) is responsible for:

• Support HOP in development and implementation of the MHPSS country strategy in line with the organization’s global MHPSS frameworks, SPHERE, WHO PM+, SH+, IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergencies, and national mental health policies.
• Contribute to context analysis, including conflict, displacement, protection risks, and socio‑cultural factors affecting mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.
• Identify opportunities to expand community‑based MHPSS, integration of MHPSS into primary health care, nutrition, and protection programming, and nexus‑oriented approaches.
• Support emergency preparedness and scale‑up of MHPSS responses during sudden‑onset crises.
• Map other actors and potential partners with the aim of improving coordination and avoiding duplication of efforts.
• Promote transversal integration of the MHPSS department with other departments in collaboration with the Head of Program.
• Integrate cross‑cutting issues in MHPSS responses (Protection, Gender, Inclusion).

Mission 2: Provide Technical, Operational, and Managerial Oversight of MHPSS Activities

The DHOP – MHPSS is responsible for:

• Technical supervision of MHPSS projects consistent with the organization’s policies and positioning documents, national strategies, and legal texts of relevant ministries, as well as key international documents (SPHERE, IASC, WHO Standards, mhGAP, PM+, Thinking Healthy, etc.).
• Ensure technical quality and coherence of partner‑implemented MHPSS interventions, including community‑based psychosocial support (PSS), psychological first aid (PFA), Problem Management Plus, Thinking Healthy, individual counselling, etc.
• Support integration of MHPSS into health and nutrition services (e.g., mhGAP, MAMI, OTP).
• Ensure partners apply organizational technical standards, ethical principles (do no harm, confidentiality, informed consent), and safeguarding requirements.
• Provide continuous technical accompaniment, mentoring, and coaching to partner and organizational MHPSS teams.
• Support development, adaptation, and dissemination of SOPs, manuals, and tools for partner use.
• Conduct regular field visits, technical reviews, and partner performance assessments.

Mission 3: Quality, Accountability, and Capitalization

The DHOP – MHPSS is responsible for:

• Supervise project quality in line with technical and management standards of the organization’s project cycle management.
• Promote and contribute to evaluation of project impact (internal needs assessments and external evaluations).
• Promote and contribute to learning and quality improvement (external evaluations and joint visits).
• Capitalize on project experience, lessons learned, Program data, and documentation of innovations (learning reports, formalized methodologies, handover reports).
• Transmit and develop technical and operational knowledge acquired in the Program.
• Contribute to organizational communication actions (photos, testimonies, etc.).

Mission 4: Integration & Multi‑Sectoral Approaches

The DHOP – MHPSS is responsible for:

• Strengthen integration of MHPSS across Nutrition, Health, FSL, and WASH programs implemented by the organization and local partners.
• Promote holistic approaches addressing mental health, caregiving, nutrition, and protection outcomes, particularly for women, children, and adolescents.
• Support design and implementation of MHPSS components within multi‑sectoral proposals.

Mission 5: Advocacy, Research, Fundraising, and Donor Compliance

The DHOP – MHPSS is responsible for:

• Support design of proposals for partner‑implemented MHPSS projects, including needs assessments, logframes, indicators, budgets, and risk analysis.
• Ensure partner agreements, workplans, and budgets are aligned with donor contracts and organizational policies.
• Review and consolidate partner inputs for high‑quality donor reports.
• Support monitoring of project performance, expenditures, and compliance in coordination with Grants, Finance, and Compliance teams.
• Support partners to collect and use ethical, high‑quality MHPSS data in line with global guidance (MHPSS M&E and IASC).
• Promote Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), including safe and confidential feedback and complaint mechanisms.
• Support evaluations, learning exercises, and operational research related to MHPSS.

Mission 6: Coordination, Representation & Partnerships

The DHOP – MHPSS is responsible for:

• Represent the organization in national and sub‑national MHPSS Working Groups, Health Cluster TWGs, and inter‑agency coordination forums, as delegated.
• Strengthen collaboration with government departments, particularly Departments of Health, Social Welfare, and Disaster Management Authorities.
• Lead or support partner identification, due diligence, capacity assessment, and onboarding processes.
• Promote localization by strengthening capacities and leadership of national and community‑based organizations.

Mission 7: Compliance with Gender Equality, Child Protection, Safeguarding, and Data Confidentiality Policies

The DHOP – MHPSS is responsible for:

• Read and ensure full understanding of the organization’s Gender, Child Protection, and other safeguarding policies.
• Implement all work‑related activities with a gender, inclusion, and child protection lens.
• Help build an inclusive office environment where people do not feel disadvantaged or judged according to their gender or limited due to manageable disability.
• Guarantee confidentiality, protection, and ethical use of all data collected throughout the project.
• Ensure data confidentiality and respect data ownership of both project beneficiaries and the organization, in line with internal policies and ethical standards.

 Skills are Required:

• Familiarity with WHO mhGAP, PM+, SH+, Thinking Healthy, IASC MHPSS Guidelines, and common MHPSS M&E tools.
• Demonstrated experience managing partner-led programs and capacity strengthening of local organizations.
• Strong understanding of ethical standards and safeguarding in MHPSS.
• Excellent leadership, mentoring, analytical, and communication skills.
• Excellent coordination, representation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Fluent in English, reading writing and speaking and/or local language of the program implementation area
• Excellent computer skills
• Excellent Team management, coordination and interpersonal skills
• Ability to handle stress and pressure

The employer is committed to preventing abuse, sexual exploitation, and promoting gender equality and diversity. It does not tolerate sexual exploitation or abuse, and all candidates undergo rigorous background checks. Applications are encouraged from women, men, transgender, and disabled workers.