Project Officer-Mental Health at HealthRight International

REPORTS TO: Mental Health Project Manager

DIRECT REPORTS: N/A

BASED IN: Nairobi (field position)

PRIMARY ROLE:

The Project Officer is responsible for the overall implementation and coordination of the Mental Health project and all activities related to it, including working closely with the link health facilities and communities in the project site. The Project Officer is responsible for supporting the mental health Project manager and the team in improving mental health services in Nairobi urban slums. The Project Officer directly report to Mental health Project Manager.

RESPONSIBILITIES and DUTIES

• Work closely with the Project Manager and the entire project team to develop mental health project plans and budget aligned to the Government health policies and plans for scaling up mental health services.
• Lead project’s community health components aimed at providing equitable and culturally effective access to health information, commodities and services to scale up mental health services goals.
• Work with communities to identify and reach perinatal women for inclusion in mental health services.
• Mentor Community Health Volunteers and healthcare workers on mental health to support perinatal women service uptake.
• Oversee the routine collection of quality project’s data, providing timely reviews and analysis, and using data to guide/inform shifts in program activities.
• Prepare periodic progress timely and quality project reports and annual reports showing achievements against planned targets as well as providing justification for performance variances and areas of improvement
• Facilitate Quarterly Data Quality Audits for the Project
• Ensure high levels of integrity and accountability for all allocated financial and other resources in accordance with donor and HealthRight policies and procedures.
• Represent HealthRight at meetings, conferences and workshops and other fora to promote and articulate issues related to mental health programming.
• Document lessons learnt and success stories from the field and share with Project Manager.
• Ensure improved individual and community knowledge, attitudes and practices around mental health.
• Support community mental case finding and facilitate referral
• Implement a stepped care model for the integration of mental health services at the primary level of care and strengthen facility health management information systems (HMIS) with emphasis on mental health.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships and alliances with implementing partners and other key stakeholders in the Sub-county.
• Perform any other duties as may be allocated by supervisor and/or management.

Qualifications:

Degree in Nursing, Clinical Medicine, Mental health, Public Health, Psychology or Health related Degree.

Other Requirements:

• Knowledge and experience in implementing integrated mental health programs.
• Minimum 3 years of working experience in implementing and coordinating health related projects.
• Experience in implementing the Community Health Strategy
• Experience of working with MoH at the County levels.
• Knowledge of World Health Organization’s mental health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP IG) and interpersonal therapy groups (IPT-G).
• Experienced in administration of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
• Excellent ability to work in a team and to mediate.
• Experience working in urban informal settlements.
• Possesses initiative and is able to work with minimum supervision.
• Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in all aspects of responsibility.
• Good report writing skills
• Ability to multi-task and teamwork.
• Ability to pay attention to details.