Head of the Mental Health Department, Psycho-Social Support Needed at Action Against Hunger – Cameroon

Reporting base:
Number of positions: 01
Contract duration: Until August 2026
Desired start date: August 18, 2025
Line Manager: Operational Technical Referent SMPS-P (head office)
Functional Manager Program Managers and SMPS experts
Line Manager: Deputy Program Manager
Yaoundé

CO-RDD SMSP-0725-002
Action Against Hunger is an
international, apolitical, non-denominational and non-profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). For our operations in Cameroon, we are looking for:

Head of the Mental Health, Psycho-Social Support Department
I. PURPOSES OF THE JOB
Guarantee the quality, relevance and scaling up of the SMPS-P and
Gender strategy and interventions on the mission, in compliance with ACF and international standards and national policies
.
II. MISSIONS OF THE JOB
Mission 1: Contribute to the definition of the country strategy, and to the definition of the strategy and
positions of the SMPS technical department
The Head of the SMPS department is responsible for:
 The understanding and continuous, systematic and satisfactory monitoring by the field teams of the humanitarian situation in SMPS and the intervention context;

 Analysis of the SMPS humanitarian situation and integration of considerations related to this
element in all mission projects;
 Internal/external transmission and to headquarters of the information collected and analyzed;
 Definition and quality of the mission sector strategy document in accordance with
ACF International and national frameworks;
 Its contribution to the mission strategy and the ACF sector strategy;
 Integration of the SMPS sector with other technical sectors (SAME, NUT, WASH) and
gender considerations;
 Monitoring the implementation of the SMPS mission strategy, its revision, and its accountability;
 Feeding into the technical and operational advocacy strategies of the mission, the region and
headquarters (in accordance with the advocacy objectives defined by the ACF reference documents);
 Identification of sectoral advocacy themes specific to the mission in conjunction with the
Deputy DP and the advocacy manager.
Example tasks:

 Monitor general indicators;
 Check that ACF’s key SMPS indicators are monitored and analyzed in the intervention area;

 Take ownership of the strategies and technical positions produced by headquarters;
 Write the SMPS sections of the mission strategy;
 Share and ensure consistency of the strategy with other sectors;
 Share and explain the mission strategy to all teams in the SMPS department;
 Ensure that international, national and ACF documents are present on the mission, take
ownership of them and share them with the SMPS teams;
 Plan internal assessments related to compliance with international standards;
 Organize the contingency plan workshop for the SMPS part and participate in
consolidation meetings at mission level;
 Coordinate with other Department Managers to ensure the best impact of
projects through integration;
 Define and manage the collection of strategy monitoring indicators;
 Collect data and information on the humanitarian situation and the SMPS sector, formalize them
and transmit them to the appropriate channels (Deputy DP, Country Director, Region, Headquarters Representative);

 Propose SMPS-P technical advocacy themes on the mission;
 Write or consolidate reports on the selected themes, in conjunction with the Deputy DP;
 Define a sectoral advocacy dissemination plan for the mission;
 Interact with the sectoral coordination on the dominant SMPS advocacy themes.
Mission 2: Coordinate the identification of needs and the formulation of
project proposals
The Head of the SMPS department is responsible for:
 Coordinating the identification of humanitarian needs in SMPS;
 Formulating, financing and implementing the feasibility study for SMPS projects
(public health, technical, socio-economic, cultural and environmental);
 Involving the Logistics and Finance departments in the definition/validation of
SMPS projects;
 Contributing to the prospecting of donors for his/her sector and ensuring technical exchanges
with the identified donors;
 Participation at the request of the DP, Deputy DP or Field Coordinator in
donor visits;
 Carrying out the SMPS parts of project proposals in accordance with
donor formats and deadlines.
Examples of Tasks:
 Define, coordinate and manage SMPS needs assessments in the project area and related areas
;
 Coordinate and/or write needs assessment reports, feasibility reports and
donor proposals;
 Consult with Finance and Logistics Department Managers on
project proposals;
 Meet and/or support the Deputy DP with sector donors;
 Consolidate or write the SMPS parts of project proposals;

 Validate SMPS project proposals submitted by the mission;
 Establish/update the donor portfolio;
 Accompany donors on field visits at the request of the DP or Deputy DP.
Mission 3: Support the implementation and ensure reporting of programs/projects
The Head of the SMPS department is responsible for:
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 Validating the key stages and methodologies of the projects implemented (timeline,
systematic Baseline survey (original/final), technical studies, call for tenders, specifications,
community approach, external evaluations);
 Providing technical support (direct and remote) to Program Managers with
information sharing or alerting the Field Coordinator;
 Ensuring the existence of monitoring and evaluation systems and the integration of their results to ensure
project improvement;
 Validation, within the deadlines, of the SMPS sections of internal reports and donor reports,
as well as project amendments with the contribution of the teams.
Examples of tasks:
 Validate the methodologies and documents produced by the Program Managers;
 Regularly visit the projects and interact functionally with the
Program Managers;
 Train the field teams in Monitoring & Evaluation, in the measurement of indicators, and in their
compilation;
 Support the Field Coordinator in the monitoring of the APRs (quantitative and narrative), provide feedback on
technical issues and alert on malfunctions identified in the dashboards;

 Propose action plans and solutions to ensure the smooth running of programs;
 Ensure that the technical parts of the donor report narratives are written by the
Program Managers, validate them and ensure their consistency;
 Consolidate the technical parts of the reports before submission to donors;
 Request technical support from the Head Office Representative (tool, methodology, innovation,
experience sharing, etc.);
 Prepare needs/project assessment missions (TOR, recruitment of experts if necessary,
briefing).
Mission 4: Guarantee the quality and accountability of projects
The Head of the SMPS department is responsible for:
 The technical compliance of programs with
international rules, guidelines and technical standards, framework documents and ACF technical publications;
 Encourage the overall quality of project implementation to maximize their impact (see
OECD DAC criteria);
 To ensure compliance with standards (SPHERE, IASC and WHO), national and international standards;
 The technical quality of projects through specific ACF monitoring (quality project,
field visit, external audit, etc.);
 Issuing and monitoring technical recommendations; 
Alerting the Deputy DP and the Technical Referent of any major difficulty
encountered in the application of recommendations and/or necessary adaptation measures;
 Alerting the Deputy DP and requesting the application of the precautionary principle in the event of a
major risk in terms of public health;
 Promoting external and internal evaluations of projects, in line with the
ACF Evaluation policy;
 Promoting complaint mechanisms aimed at the transparency and ethics of projects,
particularly among the populations assisted;
 Promoting staff and population safety measures in the implementation of
SMPS projects in collaboration with the Program Manager and the Logistics department.
Examples of tasks:
 Check the technical adequacy of projects with internal framework documents and
sectoral technical literature;
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 Validate the adequacy with standards (SPHERE, IASC, WHO, national,);
 Ensure field visits and produce visit reports containing
technical and implementation recommendations;
 Feed the mission quality project with internal and external recommendations;
 Request technical support from the ad hoc Headquarters Referent (tool, methodology, innovation,
experience sharing, or alerts in case of skill gaps on technical subjects.);
 Draft the Terms of Reference for visits by Headquarters SMPS Referents and
internal Evaluators;
 Judiciously include external project evaluations in project proposals;
 Prepare external project evaluation missions (Terms of Reference following
ACF-UK guidelines, recruitment of experts if necessary, briefing and
field support);
 Validate the recommendations produced by the evaluators and transcribe them into good practices
on the projects;
 Ensure that project proposals integrate complaint mechanisms and train teams in
this participatory methodology;
 Monitor compliance with the rules established during field visits.
Mission 5: Ensure ACF’s active participation in national sectoral coordination,
technical platforms and develop sectoral partnerships
The SMPS Department Manager is responsible for:
 Representing ACF and ensuring relations with partners, authorities,
United Nations agencies and NGOs in his/her sector;
 Interacting with the Regional Sector Coordination;
 ACF’s contribution to the various SMPS sector action plans (Consolidated Appeal Process,
Flash Appeal, Inter-Agency Contingency Plan, national sector strategy, etc.);
 Technical communication (internal and external) on SMPS projects in conjunction with the
Deputy DP/Field Coordinator or Deputy Field Coordinator;
 Promoting sectoral partnerships (civil society, NGOs, authorities, private sector, etc.) and
strengthening their capacities.
Examples of tasks:
 Approach coordination platforms, participate in coordination and
strategic working group meetings and share information upstream and downstream;
 Take ownership of Cluster and/or Working Group procedures (protection and mental health) and
train the mission;
 Participate in the writing of documents related to humanitarian funding and
national strategies;
 Know and meet key actors in the SMPS sector at the national level, authorities, ministries,
UN organizations, etc., in order to ensure the inclusion of ACF as a recognized and influential actor in the
field;
 Organize workshops and training projects targeting partners in the sector;
 Identify and promote partnerships with local partners (national NGOs in particular);
 Participate in the development of operational partnerships in accordance with ACF’s partnership policy;
 Propose technical articles to headquarters for internal and external publication…
Mission 6: Manage the teams
The Head of the SMPS-P department is responsible for:
 The sizing and recruitment of the technical team;
 The functional and/or hierarchical management of the team;
5
 The evaluation of the technical performance of all SMPS teams (
Program Manager, Deputy Head of the SMPS department, Expert);
 The development of the mission’s SMPS skills.
Examples of tasks:
 Participate in the recruitment of National Program Managers or be involved in the
selection of expatriates (definition of profiles, interviews and/or additional tests,
technical suitability to the project context);
 Contribute to the drafting of Expatriate HR requests on the technical aspects (
job description, technical recruitment criteria, drafting of the action plan);
 Ensure the drafting and monitoring of the SMPS department’s action plan;
 Contribute to the drafting and monitoring of individual action plans for the SMPS department;
 Participate in evaluation interviews with members of his/her hierarchical and functional team;
 Identify the technical training needs of national and expatriate teams in collaboration
with the HR Department Manager;
 Identify possible local and regional technical training resources in collaboration
with the HR department;
 Provide technical support to teams (visits, training, dissemination of best practices
, etc.);
 Request technical support from headquarters to strengthen its capacities and/or those of
its teams.
Mission 7: Promote capitalization, development, technology and research within
the SMPS department
The SMPS Department Manager is responsible for:
 Capitalizing the SMPS sector at the mission level, centralizing it and reporting it
to headquarters (technical developments, pilot projects, innovative or poorly
documented approaches, operational methods that can serve as a reference for the ACF network,
successes/failures, contextual analyses, etc.);
 Supervising the capitalization work of the Program Managers and the
SMPS department;
 Sharing experience with SMPS sector stakeholders in the country and region;
 Continuity of SMPS knowledge and mission history;
 Implementation of new approaches proposed by headquarters or on the mission;
 Reporting technical development and research needs to headquarters and implementing
project proposals in this regard (particularly through responding to calls
for internal ACF research projects);
 Implementation of research projects;
 Exploring scientific and technical partnership modalities (laboratories, universities,
research centers, institutions, private sector, etc.);
 Developing technical skills in line with developments in the sector.
Examples of tasks:
 Reference the structures built by ACF in the national database, shared with the
reference authorities;
 Encourage the documentation of experiences by SMPS teams;
 Validate capitalization documents, finalize them, and transmit them to headquarters;
 Disseminate relevant documents in the SMPS networks of the country and the region;
 Identify avenues and needs in technical research and development;
 Write Equity projects in response to calls from headquarters;
 Coordinate funded research projects;
 Support and document innovations carried out on projects;
 Identify research partnerships if relevant (universities for example);
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 Participate in seminars and conferences at national and international levels with a view to
improving practices on the mission;
 Organize department meetings on the technical constraints of the projects and discuss them
with the headquarters Referents and formulate recommendations;
 Write and submit a mission/handover report and a photo CD at the end of the mission;
 Ensure that each expatriate Program Manager leaving the mission documents their
experience with a technical handover or end-of-mission report (in addition to any
donor reports).
Mission 8: Guarantee and ensure the confidentiality of data collected during the
mission’s SMPS activities.
 Ensure the confidentiality of data, property of the project beneficiaries and ACF;
 Guarantee the confidentiality of clinical interviews and therapeutic groups with the
psychologists in charge.
III. DIPLOMA / LEVEL OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
 Minimum Master II degree in psychology with at least 02 years of experience as a
Psychologist and 3-5 years of experience in humanitarian work. The experience has a position coordinating
programs focused on mental health and protection or 2 years of experience in a similar position;
 Experience in designing, implementing and monitoring projects and in facilitating working groups /
steering committees
 Knowledge of care practices and basic facilitation techniques Experience in analyzing
program data.
IV. REQUIRED SKILLS
 Sense of confidentiality;
 Mastery of psychological care and psychosocial support protocols developed by
the WHO ACF and IASC guidelines;
 Ability to propose and manage the implementation of appropriate protocols;
 Excellent computer skills: office pack;
 Communication, listening and observation skills;
 Good team spirit;
 Autonomy – Creativity – Flexibility;
 Be physically able to travel in the field (50%);
 Fluency in French and English: spoken and written.
RECRUITMENT PROCEDURE
The Action Against Hunger recruitment procedure includes 3 key steps:
1. A pre-selection based on the submitted file (only candidates whose skills and
experience match the profile described in the offer are retained for the written test;
2. A written technical test;
3. An oral interview.
For each step, only selected candidates are contacted.
Applications (including a CV, a cover letter, as well as references) must be
submitted ONLY by following the link:
https://forms.gle/3dajkhQmZC6qmBLT9
Indicating the job title and the reference: CO-RDD SMSP-0725-002
You can also access the link by phone by filming the QR code:
Applications must be sent before Tuesday, August 31, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Applications are made to the attention of: HR Department Manager, Action
Against Hunger Cameroon
Only candidates Selected candidates will be contacted by Action Against Hunger to conduct
tests and interviews.
The candidate must:
– Commit to respecting and applying ACF’s gender policy
– Integrate the gender approach into activities
Contribute to a work environment that takes into account the specificities of each individual and avoids
any discrimination.
ACF believes that everyone it comes into contact with, regardless of age,
gender identity, disability, ethnic origin, or any other grounds of
discrimination, has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect
, and exploitation. ACF will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by staff,
Related Personnel, Partners, or Suppliers.
The candidate must comply with ACF’s Safeguarding-PSEA policy, enforce it, and
apply it for the duration of the contract.
FEMALE APPLICATIONS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED.
“ACF RECRUITMENTS ARE FREE”
ACF WILL NEVER ASK FOR MONEY AS PART OF A
RECRUITMENT PROCESS