INTERNAL ONLY: Cluster MHPSS Senior Specialist (TeamUp, FamilyPlay) Country Cluster: Syria, Jor[...]

Your mission

MAIN PURPOSE

The MHPSS Senior Specialist ensures the effective coordination, coherence and consistent implementation of a specific portfolio of War Child’s Evidence-Based Methods (EBMs) in a thematic area across an assigned cluster of partners and countries. The role is responsible for translating strategies, standards and methodologies into contextually relevant thematic/EBM support to partners, ensuring that EBM implementation within a cluster is feasible and achieves high quality and impact. The MHPSS Senior Specialist oversees EBM quality assurance, partner onboarding, thematic guidance, and adaptive learning within a cluster, connecting thematic and EBM strategy to practice by guiding, aligning and line-managing the MHPSS Senior Specialist supporting countries and partners in that cluster. Where relevant, the MHPSS Senior Specialist might also be assigned to directly support a country and/or partner.

Clusters: Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, Jordan, oPt, Colombia, Global DRC, Uganda, CAR, South Sudan, Sudan, Chad

POSITION IN WAR CHILD ALLIANCE

Reports to (Solid/Management): MHPSS Lead

Reports to (Dotted/Functional): Country Cluster Lead

Department: Quality & Impact

Unit: Technical / MHPSS Cluster

Supervises: Estimated 3-4 Specialists per Country Cluster (Operational)

Scope: Country Programme / Alliance Shared Services

Core responsibilities

• Maintain cluster-level oversight of thematic quality assurance for EBM integration, implementation and scaling by partners, ensuring high-quality delivery of EBMs.
• Coordinate thematic support provided by Specialists within a cluster, ensuring prioritization and advising on resource allocation.
• Ensure operationalization of thematic and EBM guidance and standards, to guarantee contextual relevance to tailored support to countries and partners.
• Lead and/or facilitate adaptive learning cycles for EBMs at cluster level, ensuring learning agendas are developed and executed, lessons learned are documented and findings inform practice and strategic direction.
• Strengthen organisational and partner capacity in MHPSS EBMs, through training, mentoring and scalable learning approaches.
• Represent and build up the profile and reputation of War Child's EBM Care System Portfolio and thematic expertise externally in the appropriate fora, strengthening sector engagement, interagency collaboration and organisational credibility, and contributing to shaping policy and sector discourse.
• Contribute to the learning agenda for EBMs within your portfolio including gathering and sharing learnings on partner experiences and feedback.

Each staff member is responsible for contributing to creating a culture committed to our mission, vision, internal safeguarding standards, JEDI (Social) Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion principles and the CHS (Core Humanitarian Standard) framework and are expected to actively promote this in their work. These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

Role-specific context responsibilities

• Acts as primary internal and external thematic focal point for an assigned cluster.
• Oversee thematic components of partnership engagement within a cluster, liaising with partnership colleagues and with other cluster Coordinators where relevant.
• Collaborate effectively with the Partnership Department, ensuring appropriate matrix management of Specialists and complementarity of responsibilities.
• Contribute to the strengthening and evolution of the MHPSS EBM Care System portfolio, including through compiling knowledge and lessons learned from countries and partners in the cluster.
• Coordinate and contribute to learning activities, task teams, working groups and Communities of Practice related to their thematic area and EBMs.
• Support scalable learning approaches (e.g. blended learning, training pools, ToT/ToF models), including by compiling cluster-level inputs to training content, and learning materials.
• Coordinate support to MEAL processes within a cluster, including compliance with Quality of Care indicators.
• Provide thematic/EBM surge support in emergencies or priority contexts where needed.
• Contribute with thematic inputs into organizational processes such as development and delivery of strategies, annual plans, etc., leading on cluster-level inputs where relevant.
• Lead cluster-level reporting organization-wide reporting processes related to the EBMs in their portfolio and contribute to grant/project reporting processes, where relevant.
• Collaborate closely with teams in their department (MEAL and Humanitarian) and with other relevant departments such as R&D, Partnerships, Engagement and Operations.
• Act as a back-stop for Specialists where necessary.

Your profile

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE

Education: Relevant academic background or a closely related field.

Experience: Relevant experience in the thematic area, including in humanitarian or post‑conflict contexts. Experience working with partners on co‑creation and delivery of programmes. Demonstrated experience in programme design, needs assessment, learning cycles and quality assurance. Experience developing methods, tools, guidelines, training and learning materials. Experience facilitating trainings, workshops and virtual learning. Programme or grant management experience is an asset.

Languages: Fluency in English is required for this role. Additional languages may be useful depending on stakeholder groups and organisational context, for example Arabic, Dari, French, Spanish, or Ukrainian.

(Technical) Knowledge: Strong understanding of quality standards, evidence-based programming and MEAL integration. Knowledge of cross-sectoral integration (Education, Child Protection, MHPSS). Understanding of localisation, accountability and participation principles. Familiarity with digital collaboration and learning tools (e.g. Mural, Miro, SharePoint, MS Teams).

What we offer

Eligibility: This vacancy is open to internal candidates only.

Location: We operate in a global context, with team members based across multiple countries. War Child currently works in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (registration in progress), and Yemen. We also have offices in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Preference is given to candidates who reside in one of these locations and hold valid work authorisation. War Child does not provide relocation support.

Type of contract: This is a locally contracted position. Salary and secondary employment conditions are aligned with the applicable in-country salary scale, and local terms and conditions will apply.

How to Apply: Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their applications (CV and motivation letter in English) by 10-July-2026. We are reviewing submissions on a rolling basis, so early applications are strongly recommended.