Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer

• PositionMental Health and Psychosocial Support -MHPSS Officer
• CompanyJM Education and Research Centre -JMERC
• LocationKampala, Uganda
• Job TypeFull Time
• CategoryHealth, NGO, International Development
• IndustryNon-profit education, research and adolescent wellbeing
• DepartmentNot stated in the advert.
• Deadline3 November 2026

JM Education and Research Centre -JMERC is a Ugandan non-profit organisation established in 2020 to support communities through education, research and systems support.

JMERC works with teachers, school leaders, parents, caregivers, community actors and systems stakeholders to strengthen learning and wellbeing for children and adolescents.

Its programmes include the Adolescent Resilience and Empowerment Programme, which combines social-emotional learning, gender-transformative environments and socio-economic empowerment for adolescent girls.

The MHPSS Officer provides technical expertise and day-to-day implementation support on adolescent mental health, psychosocial support, wellbeing and referral pathways within AREP. The role connects programme delivery with research, schools, health providers, government stakeholders and community actors.

The officer supports safe and effective SEL and mental-health activities, identifies and refers adolescents needing additional support, and contributes to documentation, learning, evidence generation and dissemination. The post is full-time, reports to the Head of Youth Programmes and is based in Kampala.

• Provide technical guidance on integrating mental health, psychosocial support, resilience and wellbeing within programme implementation.
• Support the programme team to apply appropriate adolescent mental health and MHPSS approaches in school settings.
• Review and provide technical input into research tools, training materials, session plans and other programme resources from an MHPSS perspective.
• Ensure programme approaches are age-appropriate, culturally responsive, gender-sensitive and adolescent-centred.
• Support the programme to maintain boundaries between school-based psychosocial support and specialised mental health care.
• Support orientation and capacity building of teachers, school staff and relevant programme personnel on adolescent mental health, psychosocial wellbeing and SEL.
• Strengthen teachers’ understanding of recognising signs of distress and responding appropriately within their roles.
• Support development and use of mechanisms for identifying learners who may require additional support.
• Work with schools to strengthen safe and functional referral and support pathways.
• Provide technical guidance on teacher wellbeing where relevant to implementation.
• Map and maintain an up-to-date directory of relevant mental-health, psychosocial, child-protection and health referral services.
• Support establishment and strengthening of referral pathways between schools, families, community structures and health/social services.
• Ensure implementation follows safeguarding, confidentiality, consent/assent and ethical principles when working with adolescents.
• Support management of disclosures relating to mental-health concerns, violence, abuse, self-harm, sexual and reproductive health and other protection concerns within protocols.
• Escalate serious safeguarding or mental-health concerns through appropriate programme and professional channels.
• Participate in planning, coordination and implementation of project activities in participating schools and communities.
• Conduct or support school visits, stakeholder engagements, training, mentorship and programme monitoring.
• Work with programme and research teams to ensure implementation is consistent with approved protocols.
• Identify implementation challenges related to adolescent wellbeing and recommend practical solutions.
• Support adaptation of implementation approaches based on emerging evidence while maintaining programme fidelity.
• Contribute to collection, interpretation and documentation of implementation learning related to mental health, psychosocial support and adolescent wellbeing.
• Work with the research team to identify emerging themes, challenges and lessons.
• Support documentation of reach, acceptability, adoption, fidelity and sustainability from an MHPSS perspective.
• Contribute to programme reports, learning briefs, case studies, technical papers and presentations.
• Support translation of research findings into practical recommendations for schools, government, health systems and other stakeholders.
• Liaise with relevant ministries, district authorities and health facilities to support education, health, wellbeing and protection.
• Support engagement with technical partners and specialists in adolescent mental health, MHPSS, child protection and SRHR.
• Contribute to technical working groups, consultations, learning events and policy dialogues.
• Support JMERC’s efforts to strengthen links between evidence, policy and practice in adolescent mental health and wellbeing.
• Document implementation experiences, success stories, challenges and lessons learned.
• Contribute technical content to programme communications while protecting adolescent confidentiality and dignity.
• Support communications staff to translate technical MHPSS evidence into accessible content.
• Participate in dissemination events, conferences, webinars and stakeholder engagements as required.
• Contribute to an integrated adolescent programme MHPSS implementation plan.
• Map and strengthen adolescent mental-health and psychosocial referral pathways.
• Provide MHPSS inputs into RSEL and REASEL training and implementation materials.
• Contribute to teacher and school capacity-building activities.
• Support regular school monitoring and technical-support visits.
• Document implementation learning and emerging MHPSS issues.
• Contribute to programme reports and learning products.
• Provide technical inputs into research outputs and dissemination.
• Contribute to policy and stakeholder engagement around adolescent mental health and school-based MHPSS.

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Mental Health, Psychiatric Nursing, Public Health or a related field.
• Professional training or qualification relevant to mental health, counselling, psychosocial support or adolescent wellbeing.

Work Experience

• At least 2-3 years’ relevant experience in mental health, psychosocial support, adolescent programming, school-based interventions or related work.
• Experience working with children and adolescents, preferably in education or community settings.
• Experience working with government, schools, health providers or community structures.

Additional Requirements

• Understanding of safeguarding, child protection, confidentiality and ethical engagement with minors.
• Desirable: master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Desirable: experience with adolescent SRHR and mental-health programming.
• Desirable: experience in research or implementation studies.
• Desirable: knowledge of Uganda’s education and health systems.
• Desirable: monitoring, evaluation, research or evidence-generation experience.
• Desirable: experience working with multidisciplinary teams.

Technical Skills

• Mental-health and psychosocial support: Provide technical guidance and review programme resources.
• Referral pathways: Map services and strengthen safe referral systems.
• Research and evidence: Contribute to implementation learning, reports and technical outputs.

Soft Skills

• Facilitation and communication: The advert requires strong facilitation and communication skills.
• Documentation: The advert requires strong documentation skills.
• Interpersonal collaboration: The advert requires strong interpersonal skills and multidisciplinary teamwork.

Benefits are not stated in the advert.

• Provide technical leadership on adolescent MHPSS within AREP.
• Support school and teacher capacity building.
• Strengthen referral, safeguarding and protection pathways.
• Work across programme implementation and research learning.
• Engage with government, schools, health providers and communities.
• Contribute to policy dialogues, learning events and technical outputs.
• Support adolescent-centred and gender-sensitive programming.

Send your CV and cover letter as one attachment to [email protected] using mailto:[email protected], with the subject “Application for MHPSS Officer”, by 3 November 2026.

• Combine the CV and cover letter into one attachment as requested.
• Address the bachelor’s-degree and professional-training requirements directly.
• Show evidence of at least 2-3 years of relevant experience.
• Highlight work with children or adolescents in school or community settings.
• Reference safeguarding, confidentiality, consent/assent and ethical practice.
• Demonstrate relevant research, implementation-learning or evidence-generation experience.