Mental Health Specialist Sierra Leone

Professional Profile and Requirement

• Degree in Psychiatry (i.e. Medical Doctor with specialist training in psychiatry)
• Professional qualifications in Psychiatric Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Clinical Psychology, General Medicine or Masters in Public Health (with specific interest in mental health) will also be considered if accompanied with significant relevant experienceMinimum of 3 years working in mental health
• Experience in scaling up or developing mental health services
• Experience in project management in Low Income Countries
• Experience and skills in training medical professionals and non-professionals
• Experience of writing training materials/ documentation for health or development programmes
• Experience of advocacy / engagement with government and non-governmental organisations
• Qualifications and experience in conducting monitoring, evaluation, and research
• Excellent oral and written English, French and Krio are an advantage

 

CBM is an international development organisation, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world. Based on its values and over 100 years of professional expertise, CBM addresses poverty as a cause and a consequence of disability, and works in partnership to create a society for all. CBM’s vision is: “an inclusive world in which all persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential”.

CBM works with persons with disabilities, their families, local partner organisations, alliance partners including UN agencies, global organisations, and Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs).

CBM has been involved from the outset with "VISION 2020: The Right to Sight", a global initiative with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020, and other global initiatives such as the provision of affordable hearing aids, education for all and community mental health.

CBM is also recognised as a collaborating organisation by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Together with its partner organisations, CBM is active in more than 700 projects in 81 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and in 2011, reached morethan 36 million people.

The International Office in Bensheim, Germany, is now accepting applications for

 

Mental Health Specialist and Programme Coordinator Sierra Leone

 

Location: Freetown

Contract Duration: 2 years with a possible extension

Objective:

Reporting to the Regional Advisor Mental Health (based in Togo) the job holder supports the programme’s overall objective of positively affecting the quality of treatment available for people with mental disorders in the country. This EU-funded programme works with the Government of Sierra Leone and other local partners to develop a high-quality mental health system, allowing access to care at district level, as well as empowering service users and other stakeholders in mental health. The project will help to put mental health in Sierra Leone on the government’s agenda and will make related issues such as human rights abuse better known and recognized by stakeholders.

 

Main Tasks:

• Support the Government of Sierra Leone (particularly the Ministry of Health and Sanitation - MOHS) by providing regular training and supervision for Community Psychiatric Nurses
• Advise on government policy and service implementation
• Develop skills of other local professionals (e.g. newly appointed psychiatrists, nurses in Psychiatric Hospital, Kissy) to perform to a higher standard
• Work with the WHO country office and local professionals to ensure that the national programme follows the National Policy and Strategy, as well as the WHO’s mhGAP programme
• Support other local partners in the implementation of their programme activities (coalition-building and awareness-raising)
• Co-ordinate the programme and run the Project Office in close collaboration with the international partner Global Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP)
• Support the partners in smooth and transparent administration of the project, particularly ensuring that records (narrative and financial) are well maintained, facilitating high standards of reporting between partners and to the funder
• Work with local colleagues to improve curricula for the Psychiatric Nurse Training Programme at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), and for the training programmes of General Nurses and Community Health Officers in other institutions
• Take a flexible approach to participating in work that will lead to fulfilment of the overall objective of the Programme and to CBM’s aims as opportunities arise

 

Professional Profile and Requirement

• Degree in Psychiatry (i.e. Medical Doctor with specialist training in psychiatry)
• Professional qualifications in Psychiatric Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Clinical Psychology, General Medicine or Masters in Public Health (with specific interest in mental health) will also be considered if accompanied with significant relevant experienceMinimum of 3 years working in mental health
• Experience in scaling up or developing mental health services
• Experience in project management in Low Income Countries
• Experience and skills in training medical professionals and non-professionals
• Experience of writing training materials/ documentation for health or development programmes
• Experience of advocacy / engagement with government and non-governmental organisations
• Qualifications and experience in conducting monitoring, evaluation, and research
• Excellent oral and written English, French and Krio are an advantage

 

Personal Profile

• Knowledge of international development and disability & development issues, in particular Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and knowledge of the WHO Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) guidelines
• Keen interest in public health medicine, particularly if accompanied by relevant training in this field
• Committed to working in a team, and prioritising development of other team members’ capacity
• Strategic thinker and problem solver that is able to motivate people
• Able to work and lead individuals as a team
• Diplomatic and able to network and build good working relationships
• Determination to deliver results
• Willingness to travel, sometimes in difficult circumstances
• Proficient in computing (e.g. MS Office)
• Interest in public health medicine, particularly if accompanied by relevant training in this field
• Knowledge and skills in Project Cycle Management
• Planning and budgeting skills
• Leadership knowledge and skills
• Human Resource Management, mentoring and coaching
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Excellent analytical skills

 

The future job holder adheres to CBM beliefs as well as values and commits to CBM’s Child Protection Policy.

 

CBM encourages persons with disabilities to apply for this position.

 

Qualified candidates are invited to submit, via e-mail (max 2MB), a meaningful cover letter, CV, three professional references, salary expectations and availability to recruitment@cbm.org / www.cbm.org./www.cbm.org/jobs/Mental-Health-Specialist--389114.php

 

Deadline: June 17^th, 2013, 09.00 a.m. Frankfurt Time Zone