Founded in 1979, St Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) is a refugee-led, refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad programs: education and skills, legal aid, psychosocial, community outreach, and unaccompanied children and youth services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.
StARS’ Mission: Driven by a commitment to justice and fairness, StARS works as displaced people and for displaced people to respect human dignity and enhance quality of life.
Our Vision: Displaced people lead in the creation and implementation of responses to different forms of migration to establish safe, just, welcoming, and inclusive communities globally.
We serve people from many places, including Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Yemen.
Psychosocial Department
StARS’ Psychosocial Department (PSD) assists refugee adults and families in meeting basic needs, and improving physical and mental wellbeing. PSD works across all layers of the MHPSS Intervention Pyramid, focusing on health, mental health, and social needs. PSD programs collaborate with all StARS departments to ensure wraparound services that also address legal (protection, refugee status determination, and resettlement), education, and community needs. PSD provides interventions for approximately 10,000 individuals and their families per year, through six teams:
Drop-in clinic providing screening & intake (for psychosocial, medical, and legal programs), psychological first aid, and emergency response (Drop-In and Emergency Response Program – DIER);
Individual psychosocial support and case management for adults and families, coordinating with group and community services (Adults and Families Psychosocial Program - AFP);
Mental health interventions through psychological services, psychiatric treatment, and specialized case management (Mental Health Program – MHP);
Assisting refugees with unmet medical needs, ensuring individual access to medical treatment, and working with communities to raise awareness on prevention and response to medical conditions (Medical Access Program – MAP);
Meeting basic needs through distribution of cash assistance, food & hygiene items, and other material assistance (Distribution Response Program – DRP);
Alternative care and housing through refugee community hosts, providing shelter and support for unaccompanied children and youth and vulnerable adults (Community Hosting Program – CHP).
Role
The PSD Director is responsible for the management of StARS’ PSD programs and its staff in the provision of broad MHPSS services for refugee clients and staff. The PSD Director is responsible for all matters relating to program management, including development of projects, staffing, implementation of activities, monitoring & evaluation, and reporting. The PSD Director works alongside two PSD deputy directors and six program coordinators to oversee the day-to-day running of StARS’ psychosocial services. The PSD Director leads a department of approximately eighty staff, mostly comprised of refugees.
The PSD Director is part of StARS’ Executive Leadership Team (ELT), consisting of StARS directors responsible for the overall running of StARS. The ELT oversees the effective management of StARS as an organization, including the strategic direction of StARS, development and implementation of policies and procedures, financial management of the organization, fundraising, donor relations, project management, and reporting.
Responsibilities
All duties are carried out in collaboration with StARS directors, as part of the Executive Leadership Team of StARS. The ELT operates a model of peer supervision. An excellent collaborative working relationship with StARS directors is essential to the success of this role. The PSD Director performs a wide range of duties, including the following:
Programmatic and Technical
· To provide leadership to StARS' Psychosocial Department programs and staff.
· To maintain oversight and monitoring of activities across PSD programs, in close coordination with PSD deputy directors and program coordinators.
· To ensure high quality psychosocial support and ensure a refugee rights-based approach is followed within StARS' PSD services.
· To ensure that systems are in place for appropriate and fair response to clients.
· To ensure that comprehensive case management practices are in place within the relevant PSD programs, including maintaining and updating electronic databases and records for each client.
· To ensure program monitoring and evaluation systems are in place and programming is reviewed based on results and emerging needs.
· To convene decision-making panels, and lead on decisions on the attribution of grants to assist clients with unmet medical needs, as well as those in need of emergency or ongoing cash assistance.
· To provide guidance to program staff on responding to emergency mental health and serious protection needs of clients, as well as recommendations for further action in response to cases and issues facing refugee communities.
· To ensure close coordination between the PSD and Refugee Legal Aid Department, ensuring mental health and protection are adequately considered and addressed through collaborative psychosocial and legal programming.
· To ensure appropriate systems are in place for managing referrals from community-based organisations for MHPSS and medical interventions, coordinating with the Community Outreach Department.
· To maintain good working knowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of StARS’ clients and of the situation of refugee communities in Egypt. To maintain good working knowledge of relevant local and international guidelines, processes, and procedures.
· To develop program interventions and projects to meet developing needs among refugee communities in Egypt.
· To contribute towards the development of concept notes, full funding proposals and budgets for projects.
· To ensure accurate record keeping systems are in place for all PSD programs.
Supervisory
· To provide leadership and support to staff across PSD programs.
· To provide direct supervision for PSD deputy directors, program coordinators, and cross programmatic staff and ensure supervision structures are in place for all PSD staff.
· To lead on ensuring MHPSS interventions are available and implemented for StARS staff.
· To ensure training and professional development is provided for PSD staff, for other StARS departments, and for psychosocial trainees in community-based organisations.
· To ensure that all members of the PSD carry out tasks in accordance with StARS’ policies, procedures, and standards, in particular ethics, conduct, confidentiality, anti-discrimination, and the prevention of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse.
· To administer and support disciplinary procedures as needed, staff leave, reimbursements, and other personnel management aspects.
· To participate in peer supervision among the Executive Leadership Team, providing supervision for at least one StARS director, and receiving individual supervision from a StARS director.
Policy/Advocacy
· To represent StARS in interagency coordination mechanisms, and provide direction for PSD management in their participation.
· To lead in coordination with UNHCR Egypt, with other UN agencies, INGOs, and local organizations, to facilitate individual case-based and systemic advocacy, and to enhance referral mechanisms.
· To advocate with interested parties regarding the situation of refugees in Egypt.
· To provide data and insights that inform StARS’ advocacy strategy.
· To monitor policies and external developments affecting refugees in Egypt, paying special attention to particularly vulnerable or marginalized groups.
Finance/Administration
· To monitor and maintain strong financial records as per StARS financial procedures, and ensure proper financial documentation of all activities.
· To develop and oversee project budgets, and to work with the Finance Director in ensuring expenditure, allocation, and financial reporting is in line with project budgets.
· In cooperation with the Director of Finance and StARS ELT, develop and implement StARS’ annual financial plan, identifying funding gaps and developing strategies accordingly.
· To ensure systematic recording of program activities is in place in compliance with monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and reporting requirements.
· To coordinate with the HR department, ensuring recording of personnel information and documents.
Communication/Reporting
· To fully participate with the Executive Leadership Team for the management of StARS, reporting on all identified issues and developing solutions to organisational needs.
· To be an active member of the ELT, and to provide all necessary support to other directors and to StARS.
· To oversee preparation of PSD data and narrative reporting for projects.
· To review and ensure timely submission of relevant project reports, in coordination with the M & E team and StARS ELT.
· To maintain excellent relationships with StARS’ donors, the StARS Advisory Board, and other relevant stakeholders.
· To promote information sharing within PSD and StARS on all issues affecting the populations we serve.
Qualifications and characteristics of the ideal candidate:
Technical
· Excellent oral and written English. Fluency in Arabic is an advantage. Highly developed written and verbal communication skills.
· Background in social work, psychology, or other relevant field, through academic studies and / or extensive work experience.
· A minimum of three years’ experience in working with refugees in roles relevant to this position.
· Experience in case management and the provision of mental health, medical, or psychosocial services to refugees or marginalized and vulnerable populations.
· Experience in project management and leadership of a team, including in recruitment, training, supervision, M & E, financial management, and performance reporting.
Personal
· A demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, supervise, guide, and support team members as well as cooperate with peers.
· Exceptional interpersonal skills, with an ability to develop and maintain nuanced relationships according to interests, requirements, and need.
· Belief in and commitment to non-discrimination on the basis of gender, race, disability, religious belief, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
· Diplomacy and assertiveness; the ability to confront and discuss sensitive issues with respect and care.
· Skilled in obtaining information necessary to accomplish duties.
· Ability to prioritize work, multi-task, and meet deadlines.
· Problem analysis and problem resolution at both a strategic and functional level.
· Ability to express technical ideas and concerns in a non-technical environment.
· Ability to develop effective systems considering organizational effectiveness and impact on people.
· Strong organization and planning skills, detail-oriented.
· Ability to handle conflicting priorities in a fast-paced environment while working with limited resources.
· A positive attitude and collaborative approach to dealing with clients, volunteers, and staff.
· Commitment to StARS’ Vision and Mission.
· Lived experience of forced displacement is a distinct advantage.
Hours: 8 hours/day, 5 days/week (Sunday – Thursday), and other hours (weekends and evenings) as required.
Supervised by: The PS Director is a member of the StARS Executive Leadership Team, which has a peer supervision model. Accountable to StARS’ Advisory Board.
Salary: EGP 21,000/month (plus medical allowance and savings contribution).
Benefits: All StARS official benefit policies as stipulated in the StARS Handbook.
Closing date for applications: 12 June 2021.
How to apply:
Please send a resume, and cover letter addressing your motivation for the position, as well as your suitability for the role and requirements to applications@stars-egypt.org. Use the subject line ‘**Director of Psychosocial Department’**. Please include your date of availability. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Note: Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for an interview.