Social Work Officer 218 views0 applications

Position Title : Social Work Officer

Duty Station : Wau, South Sudan

Classification : Professional Staff, Grade P2

Type of Appointment : Special short-term graded, Six months with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date : As soon as possible

Closing Date : 16 July 2020

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. Read more about diversity and inclusion at IOM at www.iom.int/diversity.

Applications are welcome from first- and second-tier candidates, particularly qualified female candidates as well as applications from the non-represented member countries of IOM. For all IOM vacancies, applications from qualified and eligible first-tier candidates are considered before those of qualified and eligible second-tier candidates in the selection process.

For the purpose of this vacancy, the following are considered first-tier candidates:

1. Internal candidates
2. Candidates from the following non-represented member states:

Antigua and Barbuda; Cabo Verde; Comoros; Cook Islands; Cuba; Djibouti; Fiji; Gabon; Grenada; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Holy See; Iceland; Kingdom of Eswatini; Kiribati; Lao People’s Democratic Republic (the); Latvia; Marshall Islands; Micronesia (Federated States of); Montenegro; Namibia; Nauru; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Seychelles; Solomon Islands; Suriname; The Bahamas; Timor-Leste; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu

Second tier candidates include:

All external candidates, except candidates from non-represented member states.

Context:

Surge of inter-communal violence and insecurity in Wau and its surrounding areas forced thousands of people to flee their homes to seek shelter on the protected sites since June 2016. Insecurity and conflict coupled with continuing economic depression negatively impacted the living conditions and access to basic social services.

IOM through its Mental health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programme is an active protection actor in Wau and works collaboratively with a number of partners. IOM MHPSS provides a capacity building package to the State Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, not only as a response mechanism to balance the accessibility issues to basic services but also pre-positioning IOM and the government’s capacity to respond to either possible surges of emergencies or the transition to a recovery phase. The project attempts to ensure that both the host community and internally displaced persons (IDP) communities have access to basic social services.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Sub-Office in Wau and the direct supervision of the MHPSS Programme Manager (Psychologist) (based in Juba), the successful candidate will directly work with social workers to train, mentor, and develop basic and practical skills needed in social work while integrating MHPSS frontline services. S/he will work collaboratively with the ministry staff in shaping clear objectives in service delivery. S/he will work actively alongside social workers in applying evidence-based techniques to assessment and interventions of casework. Additionally, s/he will lead the community-based mental health and psychosocial support programme in Wau by providing guidance to the psychosocial mobile teams on the ground.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Work collaboratively with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare to effectively support the MHPSS host community capacity building project in Wau and potential other areas.
2. Supervise the overall MHPSS team (including social workers and psychosocial mobile team members) in Wau.
3. Conduct psychosocial needs assessments in target areas in Western Bahr el Ghazal and research new programme opportunities.
4. Provide training and mentoring sessions to practitioners to help create increased awareness and support the development of their basic social work and psychosocial support practice skills.
5. Observe practice, provide feedback and actively support the professional development of social workers working with children, youth, adults and families to facilitate high quality and consistency of the help provided.
6. Assist practitioners to design and deliver goal-based interventions to improve outcomes for children, youth, adults and families, particularly in relation to exposure to violence, displacement, and daily life stressors.
7. Address psychosocial needs of specific target groups at community level such as persons with disabilities, children or gender-based violence (GBV) survivors by applying appropriate social work and MHPSS interventions.
8. Check that the MHPSS programme is driven by a sound Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) framework and qualitative and quantitative indicators are relevant and updated.
9. Check that work-plans for staff and psychosocial mobile teams are adhered to and provide timely updates to the supervisor.
10. Contribute to the development and implementation of a context-appropriate training module based on the currently used community-based psychosocial support approach combining social work case management and MHPSS interventions.
11. In coordination with the MHPSS Technical Working Group (TWG) at national level, act as a focal point for the MHPSS actors’ forum in Wau and facilitate the inclusion of relevant cluster representatives (education, health, protection, child protection and GBV). Check that MHPSS mainstreaming is offered to a wide range of partners.
12. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Social work or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of relevant professional experience; or

• University degree in the above fields with four years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Previous experiences in Social Work, Protection-related interventions (GBV, Child Protection, General Protection) in emergencies;

• Previous experiences in providing services to displaced populations, migrants, refugees or conflict affected populations;

• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of UN and international agencies structures;• Previous humanitarian experience in South Sudan is an advantage.

Skills

• Significant experience in implementing Protection (with MHPSS component is an asset) related projects, providing trainings, supervision, coaching, and mentoring to national staff; • Experience in capacity building activities and curriculum development is an advantage.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Arabic, French, Spanish and/or local language is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

1

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.

• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.

• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.

• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.

• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.

• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.

• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Leadership: provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the organization’s vision; assists others to realize and develop their potential.

• Empowering others & building trust: creates an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.

• Strategic thinking and vision: works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency…

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile.

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.

The list of NMS countries above includes all IOM Member States which are non-represented in the Professional Category of staff members. For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country cannot be considered eligible.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.