JOB VACANCY - PSYCHOSOCIAL OFFICER

Relevant background
Danish Refugee Council has implemented emergency and rehabilitation programmes in Kosovo in support of the protection of individuals’ rights to pursue their preferred durable solution since 1998. DRC Kosovo employs approximately 27 staff members working in the areas of multi-sectoral returns, economic development, NGO capacity building, logistics and social rehabilitation. The DRC Kosovo Head-office is based in Prishtinë/Pristina with field offices in Mitrovicë/a, Peja/Pec, Štrpce/Shtërpcë and Prizren.

DRC is seeking a qualified and highly motivated Psychosocial Officer for an EU-funded project. The overall objective of this project is to contribute to the realization of durable solutions for displaced families residing in collective centres (CC) in Kosovo.

The specific objective is to assist up to 119 displaced and vulnerable families to achieve durable solutions following their exit from collective centres in the Municipality of Štrpce/Shtërpcë, enabling them to improve their living conditions, settle and fully participate in local community life.

The Psychosocial Officer will ensure adequate psychosocial support and monitoring of beneficiaries in the collective centres. The Officer will assist in the design and implementation of vulnerability assessments and provide regular counselling to beneficiaries throughout the project.

Scope of work:
The Psychosocial Officer will be responsible for conducting individual specialized psychological and social counselling sessions and provide day-to-day ad-hoc support forup to 119 beneficiary families in the CCs located in Štrpce/Shtërpcë. The Psychosocial Officer will liaise with relevant institutions and organizations working in the field of mental health and psychosocial support, provide technical support and assist in the design of psychosocial activities and interventions.

It is expected that the successful applicant will be operating full-time out of the DRC office in Štrpce/Shtërpcë with periodic travels to DRC HQ in Prishtina.

Main duties and responsibilities:

- Design and carry out vulnerability assessments of collective centre residents;

- Provide group and individual counselling sessions for collective centre residents, according to identified needs;

- Update case files on individual developments, following DRC Standard Operating Principles (SOPs) and ensuring beneficiary data is protected;

- Prepare psychosocial assessments and reports to facilitate the production of analysis reports respecting client confidentiality and DRC SOPs;

- Contribute to developing and maintaining service mapping and referral pathways;

- Report on special needs cases and advise on type of assistance, following discussion with
beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders;

- Refer - in coordination with the management - vulnerable cases to relevant partners/institutions for adequate assistance, and update the database on cases referral and follow up;

- Contribute to capacity building of local authorities/organizations, community groups, and stakeholders on psychosocial needs and activities for beneficiaries;

- Provide technical guidance to local authorities/NGOs/CSOs to design project proposals benefitting vulnerable groups

- Ensure programming is on track in absence of direct supervisor; reporting daily on important issues that require supervisor feedback and decision-making;

- Any other duties assigned by DRC in order to meet the objectives of the project

All employees should master DRC's core competencies: Communicating, Taking the lead, Collaborating, Striving for excellence and Demonstrating integrity. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required qualifications and competencies:

· University degree in psychology, social sciences or other relevant field, or
undergraduate degree with demonstrated strong experience in social work or other related field;

· Relevant professional experience of not less than 2 (two) years, with emphasis on
psychological counselling work in relation to vulnerable populations;

· Demonstrated interpersonal skills and respect for people with special needs and other
vulnerability;

· Experience with NGO sector project implementation desirable;

Skills

· Fluency in both oral and written English and Serbian; working knowledge of Albanian is an asset

· Driving licence valid in Kosovo (obligatory)

· Computer skills: solid knowledge of MS Office (Power Point, Word and Excel)

Competencies

· Ability to work independently and to take individual decisions with minimum supervision

· Ability to be a constructive team-player, and to be flexible in regard to tasks and responsibilities

· Capability to prioritize work and to handle pressure from strict deadlines and periodically long hours

· Committed and supportive attitude towards all ethnic groups in Kosovo with the ability to function within a diverse multi-ethnic and multi-cultural working environment

We offer
·       Contract length: 26 months, subject to funding availability.
·       Duty Station: DRC Field office in Štrpce/Shtërpcë
·       Start date: As soon as possible

Interested candidates can send their CV including references and a motivation letter (max. 1 A4 page) in English to vacancies @drc-kosovo.org or directly to DRC in Pristina: Mark Isaku Street 30, no later than Monday 13 June 2016, 17:00 hrs.

For more information please email administration@drc-kosovo.org or call: 038/243-793

Persons with disability, women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply! Please be informed that only short listed candidates will be contacted.