Delegate, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The Ebola outbreak, declared mid‑May 2026, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, with hundreds of suspected cases and hundreds of deaths reported across Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu provinces. It began with clusters of unexplained deaths in early May and is spreading in a context of weak health systems, population movement, insecurity, and community mistrust, which together increase the risk of sustained transmission and cross‑border spread to neighbouring countries such as Uganda and South Sudan. The absence of an approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain makes the outbreak particularly complex and heightens the urgency of rapid containment.

The IFRC is scaling up a national society‑led response centred on community engagement, surveillance, and infection control, supported by an emergency appeal. Red Cross volunteers are mobilized in affected areas to conduct door‑to‑door awareness, counter misinformation, encourage early care‑seeking, and support safe and dignified burials, key to breaking transmission. At the same time, the IFRC is coordinating closely with governments and partners, strengthening cross-border preparedness, mobilising resources and surge capacity, and supporting logistics, infection prevention control, and community-based surveillance to contain the outbreak and reduce regional spread.

In alignment with the IFRC Competency Framework for MHPSS Personnel in Emergencies, the Delegate is responsible for supporting and strengthening MHPSS capacity of the Democratic Republic of Congo National Society (CRRDC) through strong working relationships and advocacy, including securing and supporting the MHPSS focal team. The position holder will assist with assessment, activity and programme development, technical support, and coordination of mental health and psychosocial support within the Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) emergency operations in liaison with all related stakeholders. In addition, the role holder will develop a work plan for the recovery phase.

The Delegate will also be expected to engage colleagues across sectors to advocate for, and enable, the integration of MHPSS services as relevant and needed, in alignment with the IFRC MHPSS Framework and Policy.

Assessment, planning, M&E and programme development

• Work closely with the two national IFRC MHPSS staff and the National Society MHPSS focal points to ensure coordinated assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring and follow-up of MHPSS activities.
• Apply relevant IFRC MHPSS in Emergencies assessment and M&E guidance, ensuring MHPSS is integrated from the outset and that priorities are adapted across the different phases of the response.
• Assess and regularly review MHPSS needs, existing capacities and service gaps among affected populations, considering protection and community engagement, local understandings of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, and changing needs throughout the emergency.
• Support appropriate and contextualized MHPSS assessment approaches, including rapid and multi-sectoral assessments, drawing on primary and secondary data to inform analysis and programme priorities.
• Provide input to the National Society, stakeholders and partners on programmes, strategies and approaches on MHPSS, based on assessment findings and global mental health data, that build on global minimum standards and identified best practices.
• Monitor the implementation and impact of MHPSS activities, ensuring data collection, analysis and reporting to inform adaptive programming and accountability.
• Identify and support contextualization of MHPSS tools, for training, programme delivery and information, education and communication materials.
• With the National Society, develop an Emergency Plan of Action with budget and recommendations to support the overall operational strategy.
• Map relevant services and ensure referral pathways are established and up to date, together with adequate templates and procedures for safe referrals and respective follow-up.
• Integrate recovery and sustainability considerations from the outset, supporting National Society capacity, ownership and resources to sustain priority MHPSS interventions beyond the emergency phase.

Capacity building and staff/volunteer management

• Provide direct technical supervision, guidance and mentorship to the two national IFRC MHPSS staff, including regular follow-up, support with work planning and prioritization, technical quality assurance, and ongoing capacity development.
• Provide technical support, supervision and mentorship to MHPSS staff and volunteers within the National Society, with particular emphasis on strengthening the capacity and leadership of the National Society MHPSS focal point.
• Support HR procedures when national MHPSS recruitment is needed, namely through the development of tailored job descriptions guided by alignment with the IFRC MHPSS Framework.
• Support training trainers in contextualized approaches and interventions for Psychological First Aid (PFA), community-based MHPSS activities and other relevant MHPSS interventions.
• Support the National Society to assess capacity needs and plan timely capacity-strengthening initiatives throughout the emergency response, while progressively building the capacities required for recovery and longer-term National Society ownership.

Advocacy and liaison

• Map and coordinate with relevant stakeholders, Movement partners and other agencies for coordinated and complementary interventions, while ensuring that IFRC MHPSS initiatives are in support of National Society.
• Advocate the importance of integrating MHPSS in a multi-sectorial way, proposing concrete approaches while articulating the benefits for affected people and staff/volunteers.
• Engage the National Society in MHPSS coordination bodies (where they exist) and relevant humanitarian clusters mentoring them in contributing confidently on their MHPSS work and enhancing their networking in this field.
• Link with other Movement and non-Movement partners to develop adapted guidelines for MHPSS, where feasible and relevant.
• Alongside the National Society, liaise with other agencies to coordinate and collaborate wherever possible and explore partnerships that can bring increased resources for MHPSS programming.

Reporting and visibility

• Provide regular and timely reports using IFRC’s reporting templates.
• Be available for interviews, identify newsworthy stories and provide input to IFRC, National Societies and Host National Society’s communication departments.
• Assist the National Society in developing psycho-educational messages for various media.
• Capitalize on developed tools, activities, etc. and ensure dissemination.

Protection of staff and volunteer mental health and psychosocial wellbeing

• Advocate for and support the development/strengthening of structures and mechanisms for staff and volunteer mental health and psychosocial wellbeing with the Host National Society.
• Promote the safety and efficiency of the National Society MHPSS teams through suggested timely rotations and wellbeing support.
• Offer technical advice, upon request, on actions to take regarding international staff wellbeing, in close collaboration and coordination with IFRC Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Unit, and advocate for the prioritization of staff care.
• In case of need, provide psychological crisis intervention to team members in acute distress, while staff health support is being arranged accordingly.

• University degree/post-graduate diploma in mental health or psychosocial support discipline (including but not limited to social work, psychology, psychotherapy, psychiatry, mental health nursing, community mental health disability support etc.)
• Advanced/Postgraduate degree in a mental health discipline.
• Documented participation in relevant MHPSS trainings (e.g. MHPSS in emergencies, community-based MHPSS, Psychological First Aid, Caring for Staff and Volunteers, M&E for MHPSS).
• IMPACT or HEAT or equivalent training/knowledge

Required

• Minimum 3 – 5 years solid experience in assessing, planning, designing, and implementing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities.
• Demonstrated strong capacity in building and institutionalizing MHPSS capacity in a National Society or another humanitarian organization (strategy development, focal point mentoring, etc.)
• Experience in planning and conducting trainings in MHPSS, e.g., Psychological First Aid, basic PSS, MHPSS in Emergencies, Setting up Child Friendly Spaces as well as Caring for Staff and Volunteers trainings
• Professional work experience in a humanitarian emergency setting, preferably in an international context
• Experience of mainstreaming and integrating MHPSS activities across other humanitarian sectors
• Experience mentoring and managing volunteers and staff
• Experience working with communities and community groups

Preferred

• Demonstrated project management experience (reporting, budgeting, monitoring, etc.) including PMER for MHPSS (data collection, Monitoring & Evaluation plan development, impact measuring etc.)
• Red Cross/Red Crescent experience

• Broad understanding of MHPSS issues in emergencies contexts
• Strong skills in assessment and analysis
• Strong project management skills
• Flexible in responding to changing needs and fluctuating workloads and works well under pressure
• Outstanding personal resilience and experience from working in stressful situations
• Excellent communication and active listening skills
• Highly organised with excellent time management skills
• Good communication, cultural sensitivity and presentation skills
• Capacity building skills for training and developing staff and colleagues
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work in a cross-cultural and cross-functional environment as well as to communicate in such environment
• Demonstrated core proficiency in (a) digital communication & collaboration, (b) basic digital content creation, (c) digital safety & security, (d) data literacy, and (e) problem solving with technology (including responsible use of AI assistants.
• Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values.
• Fluent spoken and written English and French is required
• Good command of another IFRC official language (Spanish or Arabic) is preferred

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.