Title: Psychosocial Support Officer.
Location: Deir ez Zor, with regular field visits to all protection sites within Deir ez Zor and Al-Hasakeh governorates.
Travel: 25% travel to Al Hasakeh.
Reporting to: Protection Coordinator (East), with Technical Management Line to Protection Technical Specialist (Country Office).
Direct reports: N|A
Close date: 24 May 2026
Job Profile
Working under the supervision of the Protection Coordinator (East) and with support of the Protection Technical Specialist (Country Office), the PSS Officer will build the capacity and provide technical support for the PSS Assistants and other protection staff in the area of operation. The position will play a key role in building the quality of PSS services provided at RI’s Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) and Protection Units (PUs), contributing to high-quality GBV, CP and General Protection programming. With support from his/her managers, the PSS Officer will review and revise the PSS curricula and tools being used by RI in Syria; assess the capacity of RI’s PSS Assistants and design and implement a training and mentoring program for them; and contribute to the planning, implementation and monitoring of high-quality PSS activities. In addition, the PSS Officer shall support the integration of MH and PSS-related activities between RI’s health and protection teams, including through the building of links to mhGAP-based services at supported health facilities.
Key Responsibilities
The PSS Officer will work closely with the Protection Coordinator and Protection Specialist (CO) to conduct the following:
PSS activities design & implementation:
- Review, revise and support the development and implementation of PSS-related curricula, training materials, standard operating procedures (SOPs), tools, and guidelines for PSS programming, ensuring they are relevant to the operating context, RI’s programming, and staff capacity.
- Collaborate with the Protection Officers to set a work-schedule for PSS activities.
- Support the field-based PSS staff to plan and conduct individual and group counseling sessions, psychological first aid (PFA), and psychoeducation sessions in a culturally and age-tailored manner.
- Contribute to the design of community-based psychosocial education on selected topics, based on input from team colleagues, communities, and recipients of RI protection services.
- Contribute to the raising of awareness among RI’s staff (protection and non-protection), partners, and community members about the availability of mental health, psychosocial support, and protection services.
- Coordinate closely with GBV teams to ensure complementarity of services, appropriate referrals, and alignment with inter-agency protection standards.
- Ensure the development of referral pathways for Mental Health and specialized case management services, both internally (to the health team) as well as externally.
Capacity building:
- Prepare and implement training for the PSS Assistants, other RI staff (protection and non-protection), and partners on PSS-related topics, based on assessments of capacity gaps.
- Actively observe and participate in RI’s PSS activities in order to monitor quality of services, identify and meet technical support needs, and provide on-the-job coaching to the PSS Assistants implementing the activities.
- Support community health workers and other RI health staff to enhance the internal referral system as well as the building their capacity to provide PFA or other relevant services to RI’s health clients.
- Monitor referrals from other RI sectors (including health) in the field to ensure effectiveness of the process, confidentiality of the cases, and adherence to selection criteria.
- Provide day-to-day supervision and technical support to PSS Assistants, including facilitating regular case discussions, offering guidance on complex cases, and providing continuous coaching to ensure quality service delivery and compliance with PSS and protection standards.
Reporting, Documentation and Data analysis:
- Support the development of effective systems to ensure appropriate documentation of client interactions, PSS sessions, and client case files are maintained.
- Review data collection by PSS Assistants, in collaboration with the Information Management and other program staff, and provide regular analysis of PSS activities and progress on project indicators.
- Provide weekly and monthly reports to the line manager to provide information on activities conducted, topics discussed, challenges faced.
- Contribute to effective information-sharing and communication within the organization and with external actors where determined relevant under the guidance of Protection Coordinato, Program Manager, and Area Manager.
Other
- Represent RI in coordination bodies when requested.
- Contribute to staff well-being activities in order to protect the protection team from burnout and support staff care strategies, as requested.
- Submit ideas for the improvement of the organizational/office environment and the welfare of project staff.
Behavior and Conduct
- Ensures the highest standards of behavior in and outside of work, promoting the values in RI’s code of conduct and safeguarding policies at all times.
- Leads by example - is a model for ethical conduct standards for other team members.
- Adheres to humanitarian principles and protection standards.
- Ensures own actions and the actions of the team members do not impact the safety of the RI team and the vulnerable communities we serve.
- Promotes awareness by external stakeholders of RI code of conduct and reporting mechanisms
- Promptly reports any concerns about possible violations of safeguarding or other protection-related policies and principles to relevant organizational focal points and/or senior management.
- Displays cultural sensitivity and the ability to work with diverse communities in an empathetic, non-judgmental manner.
Person Specification
Skills, knowledge and expertise required for the role.
Essential criteria
- University Degree in Social Sciences or related field (Psychology preferred), or equivalent in field experience.
- Minimum 3 years’ relevant professional experience in the protection sector (preferably including at least 1 year in a capacity building and/or supervisory role).
- Demonstrated knowledge of PSS-related tools and curricula.
- Previous working experience with GBV and child protection survivors and at-risk individuals.
- Demonstrated capacity-building skills (trainings, mentoring).
- Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Collaborative and a team player; excellent interpersonal and team-building skills
- Excellent communication skills (written and spoken) in English and Arabic.
Desirable criteria
- Experience and knowledge of the operating context in the area of operation, with a sound understanding of local dynamics and PSS-related needs.
- Experience of integrating protection with other sectors’ programming.
- Experience in information data management, utilizing databases and platforms.
- Experience of coordinating with government agencies, NGOs, and UN bodies.
- Results-oriented and ability to work in an efficient manner independently
- Ability to adapt and thrive in dynamic and high-pressure contexts
