Save the Children, one of the world’s most respected humanitarian organizations dedicated to child welfare, is seeking a Mental Health & Psychosocial (MHPSS) Officer to join its team in Yobe State. With applications open until July 13, 2026, this full-time role offers a meaningful opportunity for psychosocial support professionals to make a tangible difference in the lives of children and caregivers in one of Nigeria’s most vulnerable regions.
A Role Rooted in Wellbeing and Resilience
The purpose of this role is clear and deeply human: the MHPSS Officer will implement and oversee psychosocial support activities for children and caregivers, ensuring these efforts are properly integrated with Child Protection and Education in Emergencies (EiE) programmes. The role is fundamentally about strengthening community-based support systems and promoting wellbeing, resilience, and safeguarding in line with international standards, reflecting Save the Children’s broader commitment to holistic, child-centered care in crisis-affected and underserved areas.
The position requires a Bachelor’s degree, HND, or equivalent qualification, along with a minimum of three years of relevant experience, and is based in Yobe State within the NGO and Non-Profit job field. Given the location and nature of the work, this role sits within the broader context of Nigeria’s humanitarian response efforts, particularly in regions affected by displacement, conflict, or other crises.
What the Job Actually Involves
The scope of responsibilities attached to this role is extensive, spanning programme delivery, capacity building, community engagement, and emergency response.
Programme implementation and technical quality form the foundation of the role. The MHPSS Officer will lead the implementation of psychosocial support interventions, including structured PSS, group activities, and individual support, all delivered in line with IASC MHPSS Guidelines and Child Protection Minimum Standards. This includes delivering age-appropriate, gender-sensitive, and inclusive MHPSS services for children, adolescents through programmes like HEART and We Thrive, and for caregivers as well. The role also ensures MHPSS is properly integrated into Education in Emergencies activities, supporting the rollout of community-based approaches such as child-friendly spaces and peer support groups, while promoting child participation and resilience-building throughout all programming.
Case identification, basic support, and referrals represent a particularly sensitive but essential part of the job. The MHPSS Officer will be responsible for identifying children and caregivers in need of focused or specialized mental health support, providing basic psychosocial support and Psychological First Aid where appropriate. Safe and confidential referral pathways to case management, health, or specialized services must be maintained, and the officer will work closely with Child Protection caseworkers to ensure MHPSS considerations are properly integrated into case plans. Strict confidentiality and data protection across all case-related information is treated as a core obligation throughout this work.
Integration with Child Protection and EiE ensures the role doesn’t operate in isolation. This includes supporting the emotional stabilization of high-risk children and caregiver support within Child Protection case management, while collaborating with EiE teams to integrate Social Emotional Learning and psychosocial activities into schools, and building teachers’ capacity to provide basic emotional support. MHPSS considerations are also expected to be embedded within Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) programming, helping to reduce stress-related risks for vulnerable populations.
Capacity strengthening places the MHPSS Officer in a training and mentorship role. This involves training staff, volunteers, teachers, and partners on Psychological First Aid, basic psychosocial support skills, safe identification and referral practices, and stress management and self-care techniques. The role also includes supporting the development of training materials adapted to the local context, and promoting staff wellbeing initiatives aimed at reducing burnout and secondary trauma among colleagues working in emotionally demanding environments.
Community engagement and awareness work extends the role’s impact beyond direct service delivery. The MHPSS Officer will conduct community sensitization sessions on mental health awareness, positive coping strategies, and reducing stigma associated with mental health, while engaging community leaders, caregivers, and children to strengthen protective environments and promote acceptance of MHPSS services. All messaging must remain culturally appropriate and conflict-sensitive, reflecting the complex social dynamics often present in humanitarian settings.
Safeguarding and protection risk mitigation runs as a thread throughout every aspect of the role. The officer must ensure all MHPSS activities adhere to child safeguarding and PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) standards, identify and mitigate protection risks linked to programming, and ensure services are delivered in safe, confidential, and accessible spaces, all while applying do-no-harm principles consistently.
On the monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) side, the MHPSS Officer will support the collection and reporting of key indicators, including participation rates and changes in child wellbeing and coping, using both qualitative and quantitative tools such as observation, feedback, and wellbeing scales. The role also contributes to ongoing learning and adaptation of MHPSS programming, and ensures accountability to affected populations through proper feedback mechanisms.
Coordination and representation responsibilities require participation in MHPSS Technical Working Groups and other relevant coordination platforms, alongside close collaboration with Health, Child Protection, and EiE actors, as well as government social welfare and health services. The role also supports the mapping and strengthening of MHPSS service providers and referral systems in the region.
Finally, the role includes information management and reporting duties, maintaining accurate and confidential records of MHPSS activities and referrals, preparing regular activity reports, and documenting lessons learned and good practices in close coordination with MEAL teams. Given the volatile context many of these communities face, the position also carries emergency response and preparedness responsibilities, requiring the MHPSS Officer to provide rapid psychosocial response during emergencies such as displacement, attacks, or disasters, support the establishment of safe spaces for children and caregivers, and integrate MHPSS into broader emergency education and protection response plans.
Values That Guide the Role
Save the Children places strong emphasis on its core organizational values throughout this role. Accountability requires holding oneself responsible for decisions and resource management while role modelling the organization’s values. Ambition calls for setting challenging goals, pursuing personal development, and thinking strategically with a future-oriented mindset. Collaboration emphasizes building strong relationships across teams and partners while valuing diversity as a genuine strength. Creativity encourages innovative solutions and disciplined risk-taking, while integrity demands honesty, transparency, and the highest ethical standards throughout.
Who Should Apply
Candidates should hold a minimum of a BSc in Psychology, Social Work, or relevant field experience, along with at least three years of experience post-NYSC. Direct experience in Psychological First Aid and other MHPSS activities is essential, as is experience working within Child Protection or Education programmes that include an MHPSS component. Fluency in English is required, with fluency in Hausa considered desirable given the regional context. Excellent attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and discretion with confidential information are critical, alongside the ability to work independently and proactively in often challenging field conditions.
Why This Role Matters
For psychosocial support professionals committed to child welfare in humanitarian settings, this MHPSS Officer role at Save the Children offers a deeply meaningful opportunity to directly improve the lives of vulnerable children and caregivers in Yobe State. The breadth of the role, spanning direct service delivery, training, community engagement, and emergency response, ensures that successful candidates will build a comprehensive skill set in humanitarian psychosocial work, all while contributing to one of the world’s most trusted child-focused organizations.