MHPSS Facilitator | Pending on Donor Approval

Important Notice

This position is pending donor approval. Recruitment and appointment will be subject to confirmation of project funding.

1. Position Information

Organization: Aid Gate Organization (AGO)
Project: Strengthening Child Protection and Well-being, Adolescent Participation, and Leadership Skills Development
Position title: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Facilitator
Number of positions: Four (4)
Duty stations: Anbar and Salah Al-Din governorates
Contract duration: 12 months
Contract type: Full-time
Reports to: Child Protection and MHPSS Technical Specialist/Project Manager

2. Organizational Background

Aid Gate Organization (AGO) is an independent Iraqi non-governmental organization working with vulnerable and conflict-affected communities. AGO implements humanitarian and development programmes in child protection, MHPSS, rehabilitation and reintegration, youth empowerment, social cohesion, livelihoods, and community resilience.

AGO works closely with government institutions, civil society organizations, communities, and specialized service providers to strengthen sustainable, inclusive, and locally led services.

3. Project Background

AGO intends to implement an integrated child-protection and adolescent-development programme in Anbar and Salah Al-Din. The programme will improve access to specialized child-protection case management, structured MHPSS, legal and civil-documentation assistance, positive-parenting support, GBV prevention and risk mitigation, capacity development, and adolescent-participation activities.

The programme will prioritize returnee, displaced, and conflict-affected children and adolescents, including unaccompanied and separated children, children with disabilities, undocumented children, and children affected by violence, neglect, exploitation, stigma, psychosocial distress, or social exclusion.

4. Position Purpose

The MHPSS Facilitator will plan and deliver structured, safe, age-appropriate, gender-responsive, and inclusive psychosocial-support activities for children and adolescents.

The Facilitator will support participants to strengthen emotional wellbeing, coping skills, resilience, positive relationships, self-expression, problem-solving, and access to appropriate services. The position will also contribute to GBV-prevention and risk-mitigation sessions, including awareness of early marriage, harmful practices, safe disclosure, and available referral pathways.

The MHPSS Facilitator will provide non-specialized psychosocial support and must not provide clinical diagnosis, psychotherapy, or specialized mental-health treatment unless professionally qualified, formally authorized, and specifically assigned to do so.

5. Key Duties and Responsibilities

5.1 Activity planning and preparation

• Develop weekly and monthly MHPSS activity plans in coordination with the Technical Specialist and Project Manager.
• Prepare structured session plans based on approved MHPSS curricula, guidance, and programme objectives.
• Ensure that activities are appropriate for participants’ ages, gender, disability, literacy, language, culture, and psychosocial needs.
• Prepare the materials, recreational supplies, art materials, attendance tools, assessment forms, and venue arrangements required for each session.
• Conduct basic safety and accessibility checks before activities begin.
• Identify potential risks associated with venues, group composition, transportation, community sensitivities, or session content and report them to the supervisor.
• Coordinate session schedules with children, caregivers, community representatives, and relevant programme personnel.

5.2 Delivery of structured MHPSS activities

• Facilitate structured individual and group psychosocial-support activities for children and adolescents.
• Use approved participatory methods, including recreational activities, art, play, storytelling, peer support, life skills, emotional-regulation exercises, and resilience-building activities.
• Create a safe, welcoming, inclusive, confidential, and non-discriminatory environment for all participants.
• Establish clear group agreements on respectful behaviour, confidentiality, participation, and safety.
• Encourage voluntary participation and ensure that children are never forced to speak, disclose personal experiences, or participate in activities that cause distress.
• Promote positive coping strategies, self-confidence, communication, problem-solving, peer support, and social connection.
• Adapt activities to include children with disabilities and participants facing communication, mobility, learning, or sensory barriers.
• Ensure activities do not reinforce harmful gender norms, stigma, discrimination, political messages, or community tensions.
• Monitor participants’ engagement, comfort, behaviour, and wellbeing throughout each session.

5.3 Identification and safe referral

• Observe participants for signs of distress, protection concerns, functional difficulties, or the need for additional support.
• Conduct basic psychosocial screening only through approved non-clinical tools and within the Facilitator’s training and responsibilities.
• Explain available support and referral options in clear, child-friendly language.
• Obtain required consent and assent before initiating referrals or sharing personal information.
• Refer children and adolescents requiring case management, specialized MHPSS, health care, legal services, education support, disability services, or other protection assistance through approved pathways.
• Immediately escalate cases involving self-harm, suicide risk, severe distress, abuse, exploitation, neglect, or imminent danger.
• Follow up referrals with authorized Case Workers or service providers without exceeding confidentiality and need-to-know requirements.
• Avoid promising services or outcomes that AGO cannot guarantee.

5.4 GBV prevention and risk mitigation

• Support age- and gender-responsive sessions on GBV prevention and risk mitigation using approved materials and methodologies.
• Address topics such as early marriage, domestic violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, harmful practices, safe disclosure, protective behaviour, available services, and confidential reporting channels.
• Ensure that GBV-related sessions are culturally sensitive, conflict-sensitive, survivor-centred, and conducted in safe settings.
• Avoid requesting participants to share personal experiences of violence or abuse during group sessions.
• Receive disclosures calmly and respectfully without probing, questioning, or investigating.
• Immediately refer disclosures or safety concerns through authorized confidential pathways.
• Never record unnecessary details about sensitive disclosures in general session records.
• Maintain the privacy, safety, dignity, wishes, and best interests of participants.

5.5 Participant engagement and accountability

• Explain the purpose, content, expected conduct, and voluntary nature of MHPSS activities to participants and caregivers.
• Clearly communicate participant-selection criteria, activity schedules, available services, and any limitations.
• Explain that all programme services are free of charge and not conditional upon payment, gifts, favours, political affiliation, or personal relationships.
• Inform children, adolescents, and caregivers about AGO’s confidential feedback and complaints mechanisms.
• Create opportunities for participants to provide age-appropriate feedback on session content, facilitation, accessibility, safety, and relevance.
• Treat all feedback and complaints respectfully and protect complainants from retaliation.
• Use participant feedback, monitoring findings, and supervision recommendations to improve future sessions.
• Communicate relevant programme changes to participants and help close the feedback loop.

5.6 Documentation and reporting

• Maintain accurate participant registration, attendance, session, referral, and activity records using approved tools.
• Complete facilitator reports after each session, documenting the content delivered, participation, challenges, adaptations, general observations, and agreed follow-up actions.
• Administer approved pre- and post-session assessments and participant-feedback tools.
• Ensure that all data are disaggregated by sex, age, disability, and location where required.
• Protect participants’ personal and sensitive information and apply data-minimization principles.
• Never store sensitive information on personal devices, personal email accounts, or unauthorized applications.
• Submit weekly and monthly progress reports within agreed deadlines.
• Provide anonymized information on achievements, challenges, emerging needs, referrals, and lessons learned.
• Participate in data-quality checks, monitoring visits, technical reviews, and corrective-action follow-up.
• Obtain proper authorization and informed consent before collecting photographs or other media involving children.

5.7 Materials and activity-space management

• Prepare, organize, and maintain MHPSS materials, recreational supplies, art materials, and session equipment.
• Maintain accurate records of materials received, used, damaged, or remaining.
• Ensure that materials are safe, age-appropriate, culturally suitable, and accessible.
• Keep activity spaces clean, organized, private, and free from avoidable hazards.
• Immediately report damaged, unsafe, inappropriate, lost, or missing materials.
• Ensure that materials displaying harmful, discriminatory, political, or inappropriate content are not used.
• Prevent the misuse, unauthorized distribution, or personal use of programme materials.

5.8 Coordination and teamwork

• Work closely with Child Protection Case Workers, Parenting Facilitators, Lawyers, Youth Engagement Assistants, MEAL personnel, and other programme staff.
• Participate in technical meetings, supervision sessions, coaching, training, and programme reviews.
• Coordinate with authorized community actors, schools, health facilities, government institutions, and specialized service providers where required.
• Contribute to updated service mappings and referral pathways.
• Inform the supervisor about service gaps, emerging psychosocial concerns, accessibility barriers, community sensitivities, or risks affecting participants.
• Maintain professional boundaries and respectful working relationships with colleagues, participants, caregivers, and community members.
• Perform other relevant duties reasonably assigned within the position’s scope.

5.9 Safeguarding and PSEA

• Comply with AGO’s Child Safeguarding Policy, PSEA Policy, Code of Conduct, confidentiality requirements, and data-protection procedures.
• Immediately report safeguarding concerns, suspected sexual exploitation and abuse, staff misconduct, or imminent safety risks through designated channels.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with children, adolescents, caregivers, and community members.
• Never meet a child in an isolated or unauthorized location.
• Never communicate privately with children through personal social-media accounts or unauthorized communication channels.
• Never request or accept money, gifts, services, or favours in exchange for participation or assistance.
• Never use humiliating, discriminatory, threatening, violent, or harmful language or behaviour.
• Protect children, complainants, and witnesses from retaliation, discrimination, and further harm.
• Complete all mandatory safeguarding, PSEA, confidentiality, and code-of-conduct training.

6. Expected Deliverables

• Approved MHPSS sessions are delivered according to agreed plans, schedules, and quality standards.
• Children and adolescents participate in safe, inclusive, age-appropriate, and gender-responsive psychosocial activities.
• Participants requiring additional support are safely identified and referred through approved pathways.
• GBV-prevention and risk-mitigation sessions are delivered without creating disclosure or safeguarding risks.
• Attendance records, session reports, assessments, feedback forms, and referral documentation are accurate and submitted on time.
• MHPSS materials and activity spaces are properly managed and maintained.
• Participant feedback and technical recommendations are used to improve activities.
• Safeguarding, PSEA, confidentiality, data-protection, and professional-conduct requirements are consistently followed.

7. Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, counselling, social work, sociology, education, public health, or another relevant field.
• A relevant diploma combined with substantial MHPSS or psychosocial-support experience may be considered.
• Training in psychological first aid, child protection, structured MHPSS, safeguarding, PSEA, or safe identification and referral is highly desirable.

8. Required Experience

• At least two years of relevant experience delivering MHPSS, psychosocial support, child-protection, education, life-skills, or structured group activities.
• Experience working directly with children and adolescents is required.
• Experience working with displaced, returnee, conflict-affected, or highly vulnerable communities is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated understanding of child development, psychosocial wellbeing, psychological first aid, safe identification and referral, and do-no-harm principles.
• Experience facilitating recreational, art-based, life-skills, resilience, or peer-support activities is desirable.
• Experience supporting children with disabilities or adapting activities for different accessibility needs is an advantage.
• Experience maintaining participant records and preparing activity reports is required.

9. Language and Computer Skills

• Fluency in Arabic is required.
• Working knowledge of English is an advantage.
• Knowledge of relevant local languages is desirable.
• Basic computer skills, including email, word processing, spreadsheets, and digital data entry.
• Ability to use tablets or mobile data-collection applications is an advantage.

10. Core Competencies

• Empathy and active listening
• Child- and adolescent-centred facilitation
• Strong group-management skills
• Integrity, discretion, and confidentiality
• Creativity and adaptability
• Emotional awareness and professional boundaries
• Gender and disability inclusion
• Cultural and conflict sensitivity
• Effective communication and teamwork
• Accurate documentation and reporting
• Ability to remain calm during sensitive situations
• Commitment to safeguarding, PSEA, accountability, and do-no-harm principles

11. Working Conditions

• The position is based in Anbar or Salah Al-Din, according to programme needs.
• Regular travel to targeted communities and activity locations will be required.
• Activities may be conducted in community centres, schools, youth spaces, or other approved locations.
• The Facilitator may work flexible hours depending on participant availability and approved activity schedules.
• The postholder must comply with AGO’s safety and security procedures during all movements and activities.

12. Performance Evaluation

Performance will be assessed based on:

• Quality and timeliness of MHPSS sessions
• Participant safety, inclusion, and engagement
• Appropriate identification and referral of participants requiring additional support
• Accuracy and timeliness of records and reports
• Appropriate management of materials and activity spaces
• Compliance with safeguarding and confidentiality requirements
• Responsiveness to supervision, participant feedback, and monitoring findings
• Effective coordination with programme colleagues and service providers
• Professional conduct and adherence to AGO policies

13. Recruitment Conditions

This position involves direct contact with children and adolescents. Appointment will be subject to satisfactory identity, qualification, employment-history, and reference checks, as well as other safeguarding checks permitted by applicable law.

The selected candidate must sign and comply with AGO’s Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding Policy, PSEA Policy, confidentiality and data-protection commitments, anti-fraud requirements, and conflict-of-interest declaration.

Any employment offer will remain conditional upon donor approval, confirmation of project funding, and successful completion of AGO’s recruitment and safeguarding procedures.

14. Equal Opportunity

AGO is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a respectful and inclusive workplace. Qualified women, persons with disabilities, and candidates from the programme locations are strongly encouraged to apply.

Recruitment decisions will be based on merit, suitability, safeguarding considerations, and programme requirements without discrimination. Reasonable accommodation will be considered throughout the recruitment process and employment.

Interested applicants must apply via the link below

MHPSS Facilitator | AGO

Note:

• Applications not meeting the specified minimum requirements may not be considered.
• The CVs received after the closing date may not be considered.
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview that may include a written test of communication and writing skills.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications may be screened prior to the vacancy deadline.