Wellbeing Liaison Officer до Mercy Corps
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About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps is responding to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the surrounding region that has been affected by war since 2014 and has rapidly escalated as a result of the Russian invasion of February 2022. Ukrainian team members, their families and their loved ones have been exposed to persistent attacks and many have witnessed death and destruction first-hand, experienced injuries, gone without basic supplies and resources, and have had to flee their homes. Many continue to live with the psychological and physical trauma from this in addition to ongoing daily worry, fear, and uncertainty. As the war in Ukraine continues, team members also face enhanced danger through their humanitarian work.
Dealing with past and ongoing psychological trauma is often associated with stigma and misunderstanding which results in delayed, or no, care seeking and support. Being able to quickly and effectively support team members with basic psychosocial support, identify team members who need additional and more specialized support, and ensure early referral is critical to improving their overall outcomes. Context specific and culturally appropriate support is essential for ensuring Mercy Corps’ duty of care to our team members. Being able to communicate with team members’ families, as needed, is also a role that requires the support of an experienced psychosocial support professional.
In addition to the effects of war, team members face health threats such as COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks which may occur as a result of damaged infrastructure.
General Position Summary
The Wellbeing Liaison Officer will bring a new technical capacity to the MC Ukraine team which is urgently required to ensure health and safety duty of care and enable Mercy Corps to effectively deliver humanitarian assistance. This position will be responsible for assessing and responding to the resilience needs of MC Ukraine team members and serving as a liaison focal point in situations where this is warranted. This position will also support COVID-19 risk and case management and contact tracing and responses to other physical threats. The Wellbeing Liaison Officer will work in close collaboration with the HR and Security team to effectively address issues in a confidential and timely manner.
Essential Job Responsibilities
- Serve as the focal point person for team member health, safety and wellbeing, duty of care
- Support Director of People Team and Culture on developing and implementing culturally appropriate resilience support and wellbeing initiatives for MC Ukraine team members
- Support in creating awareness about the Employee Assistance & Resilience plan around the importance of using Konterra.
- Participate in Health Safety and Security assessments
- Follow up with team members after critical incidents, providing psychological first aid and onward referral as needed
- Establish procedures and routines for staff care briefings related to induction, exits, introductions, training, staff benefits schemes etc.
- Conduct exit interviews/separation with staff ending their mission with organization according to the exit procedures
- Ensure line managers are trained in basic psychological first aid and have necessary competencies regarding duty of care
- Assess and respond to health risks to team members, such as COVID-19, other infectious disease outbreaks, and environmental threats
- Interpreting, assisting, and advising employees and managers regarding HR policies, health safety and wellbeing, and resilience program support.
- Focal point for health insurance related issues
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Director People Team and Culture
Works Directly With: Human Resources Department, Security and Safety Officers, Team Leads
Works Closely with: All Mercy Corps Ukraine staff members
Location Preferably Kyiv. Possible to be based in Lviv, Dnipro or Odesa. 30-40% travel within Ukraine.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
- Mental health care provider: Psychologist or Social Worker (or similar skills and experience providing psychological first aid and more specialized assessments and interventions for psychological needs)
- At least 3-5 years of experience working with local populations, including responding to crisis mental health needs
- Deep understanding of cultural beliefs and practices around mental health and stress management in Ukraine
- Experience organizing and conducting culturally appropriate and context-specific mental health and wellbeing campaigns
- Clear understanding of health care processes and procedures in Ukraine, preferably with established connections with specialized mental health care providers
- Experience conducting health and security needs assessments
- Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Office Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This role is based in a Mercy Corps office with an anticipated 30-40% travel in direct support of field teams. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
