Staff Psychosocial Support Officer (801065)

What we do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and, at the same time, promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations.

Purpose

In coherence with the Staff MHPSS component of the Staff health strategy, as part of the Delegation’s Staff health team and under supervision and guidance from Regional Staff Psychosocial Support Coordinator (blue line) and Regional staff health coordinator, develops and implements a structured action plan in the Delegation to promote mental health, prevent mental ill-health and respond to staff psychological distress and mental disorders.

Being a humanitarian worker is an extremely rewarding activity, and ICRC staff have chosen to work for this Institution because they feel highly motivated by the purpose of what they do. Humanitarian workers live and work in physically and psychologically difficult conditions. They are in close contact with victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and may themselves face life-threatening situations. They can be confronted to several psychosocial risks, including concerns about their security, confinement, lack of privacy, cultural adaptation, long working hours, intense workload, job insecurity, internal conflicts, and sexual and other forms of harassment. ICRC acknowledges the internal workplace psychosocial risk factors and is committed to protecting and promoting the mental health of its staff.

The Staff health strategy integrates Staff Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) with interventions at five levels, based on the IGLOO model: Individual, Group, Leaders, Organization and Outside context (external referrals).

Accountabilities & functional responsibilities

The Staff Psychosocial Support Officer shall implement the Staff MHPSS component of the Staff health strategy in close collaboration with the Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract, the Staff Health Manager and the Staff Health Officers in all sites.

1. Staff MHPSS promotion and prevention

Support strategies and interventions to increase staff mental health awareness, self-care strategies, and to decrease stigma associated with psychological suffering by:

- Setting up and maintaining a system of BoM briefing for all employees on a mobile contract going to Gaza SD/ILOT, ensuring they are aware of the psychosocial risks and the available support.

- Setting up and maintaining a system of EoM debriefings for all employees on a mobile contract in ILOT, as well as short missions, special operations, regular visitors and other identified positions within the delegation.

- Building on the capacity of the Staff health personnel on a resident contract of ILOT to deliver their interventions in autonomy. Serves as technical line for the Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract based in Gaza, supporting with the planning and implementation of the Staff MHPSS promotion activities.

- Traveling when needed to all delegation sites and contributes, in collaboration with HR and management, to design sustainable interventions to reduce organizational psychosocial risk factors and enhance protective factors.

2. Access to mental health and psychosocial care

- Provides support and guidance to Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract in identifying relevant and trusted external mental health service providers in all ICRC sites and in developing referral mechanism so that staff may receive mental health services.

- Provides direct psychological support (evaluation and referral if needed) to staff requesting internal support.

- Supports communication campaigns and strategies to decrease stigma and improve help-seeking behaviors.

- Provides support in case of clinical escalation needed to external specialists and during medical evacuation of employees on a mobile contract, in close collaboration with local Staff Health Manager in ILOT and Staff health unit in Geneva.

- Identifies and liaises with external stakeholders where possible to deliver interventions aligned with ICRC standards and Staff Health Strategy.

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3. Critical incident and support to Crisis Management initiatives

- Reinforces the Delegation’s psychosocial and mental health response to security incidents, delivering group interventions face to face or remote.

- Ensures systematic organizational psychosocial support following security or critical incidents in the field.

- Reinforces the competences of key internal stakeholders to improve post-incident support.

- Supports contingency and preparedness measures of the Delegation by participating in the regional meetings of the Staff health team, Crisis Cells, and other relevant working group.

- In collaboration with Staff health (local, regional and global) ensures that staff affected by critical incidents are reached out proactively after the incident.

4. Capacity building and coordination

- Provides capacity building, monitoring and supervision to the Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract through coaching, on-the-job training and joint field visits.

- Supervises and supports Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract in providing or promoting psychosocial and psychological support to the staff immediately after critical incident.

- Provides capacity building to Staff Health Officers to deliver first line basic psychosocial support to staff facing psychological distress.

- Coordinates and collaborates with the management and middle management in all sites to promote mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of staff working under them, and to advise and support managers and their teams in critical situations.

- Attends regularly meetings within Staff health team to ensure optimal coordination of the work and proper flow of information within the team.

- Evaluates, monitors, and reports to blue line and red line on the interventions adopted for ongoing learning and for internal accountability.

- Contributes to Staff MHPSS part of PfR of ILOT and is accountable to follow up staff MHPSS budget in coordination with regional Staff health team.

Relationships

Red line = HR Country Manager (ILOT)
Blue Line = Regional Staff Psychosocial Support Coordinator for NAME
Internally, interacts with the staff and the management team of the assigned AoR. Also, interacts with Staff Health Managers/Officers of the Delegation, the Regional Staff Psychosocial Support Coordinator for NAME (blue line), the Regional Staff Health Coordinator for NAME and the Staff health team in Geneva.
Externally, interacts within the local (and potentially global) providers of mental health and psychosocial services (private practices, clinics, hospitals).

People management responsibilities

Technical Supervision Only

Understands and supervises the Performance Management & Development (PMD) activities for employees under their supervision (Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract)
Makes sure that deadlines for the PMD cycle are met
Engages in ongoing and continuous feedback and support for employees under their supervision (Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract), and for other employees supported as appropriate
Organizes regular meetings within their team to ensure optimal coordination of the work and proper flow of information
Ensures that technical content of job descriptions for employees under supervision (Staff Psychosocial Support Officer(s) on a resident contract) are up to date; seeks feedback and support from métier (Staff health) and HR as needed
Advises the employees under supervision on internal and external training and development possibilities

Scope & impact

- Remit: delegation.

- Has technical supervision over Staff Health Officers and the Staff Health Manager on all aspects linked to mental health and psychosocial support

Certifications / Education required

- Graduate degree (equivalent to a Master’s) in clinical psychology;

- Valid licence to practise in country of residence;

- Fluent command of English (C1 minimum)

- Fluent command of French and/or Arabic is a strong asset

- Computer proficiency

Professional experience required

- Typically six to nine years’ overall professional experience;

- At least two years’ post-graduate professional experience in clinical psychology;

- Experience in post-incident support;

- Proven experience as a member of a multidisciplinary team;

- Field experience in the humanitarian sector an asset;

- Experience in designing and implementing MHPSS systems within organizations an asset.

Additional information

- Type of role: Staff Psychosocial Support Officer

- Working rate: 100%

- Starting date: 15 February 2027

- Location: JERUSALEM (JER)

- Hardship : H1 : family posting but limited amenities

- Job level: B3 (B3)

- Length of assignment: 12 months maximum term contract

- Type of position: Mobile

- Application deadline: 19 November 2026

Our values

At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this page.