Job Details:

• Organization: Yemen Red Crescent Society “YRCS” – Hodeidah Branch 
• Job Title: Psychosocial Specialist
• Duty Station: Hodeidah Governorate 
• Reporting To: Protection Assistant
• Duration of Assignment: 7 Months with possibility of extension 
• Terms of employment: Employment is full time according to YRCS guidelines 
• Application Deadline: 27/04/2026

Organizational Context
The Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS) is a humanitarian organization established by Republican Decree No. (15) of 1970. The northern and southern branches of the YRCS were unified in 1993 into a single national society. It was recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1982 and joined the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement the same year.
YRCS operates across all governorates of Yemen and enjoys unique and widespread community acceptance for delivering humanitarian services to the most vulnerable. Its humanitarian approach aims to build community resilience during and after disasters. With support from international partners and local communities, YRCS has strengthened its core functions and operational capacity to improve efficiency and deliver effective humanitarian and relief operations throughout Yemen.

Role Summary

The Psychosocial Specialist delivers specialized mental health and psychosocial support (PSS) services—including Psychological First Aid (PFA), trauma counseling, and structured group interventions—to individuals and communities, enhancing resilience and reducing stigma. The role involves identifying and verifying vulnerable cases, providing tailored counseling, designing group sessions, mentoring staff and volunteers, and ensuring integration of PSS into broader protection programming. S/he will strengthen referral pathways, establish peer support networks, and ensure inclusive participation of women, children, elderly, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and minority groups in psychosocial activities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Case Identification and Immediate Support

• Screen and verify individuals and households needing psychosocial support according to vulnerability criteria (children, women, elderly, PWDs, survivors of trauma).
• Provide immediate Psychological First Aid during emergencies, conduct rapid psychological risk assessments, and ensure urgent safety referrals.
• Support rapid psychosocial needs assessments during crises (e.g., displacement, floods) and draft flash reports with key findings.

Individual Counseling and Trauma Support

• Deliver trauma informed individual counseling sessions for children, women, elderly, and PWDs; document progress and outcomes.
• Maintain secure case files, ensure informed consent, and uphold strict confidentiality.
• Refer complex cases to specialized mental health services and follow up to ensure service uptake.

Group Interventions and Community Engagement

• Develop and deliver structured PSS group sessions (coping skills, stress management, art therapy, recreational activities); track attendance and collect feedback.
• Establish peer support groups (e.g., mothers’ support groups, youth clubs), train volunteer facilitators, and monitor group cohesion and effectiveness.
• Help facilitate awareness campaigns to reduce stigma around mental health and promote psychosocial wellbeing.

Capacity Building and Mentorship

• Train and mentor Protection Monitors and community volunteers on PFA, stress management, self care, and burnout prevention.
• Produce quick reference guides for PFA and PSS interventions in Arabic, tailored to local cultural contexts.
• Provide regular technical backstopping and debriefing sessions to frontline staff to strengthen psychosocial competencies.

Referral Pathways and Service Integration

• Map and maintain a directory of mental health and psychosocial service providers; update regularly.
• Develop clear referral protocols and ensure beneficiaries are guided through the process.
• Work with local health actors to integrate PSS referrals into health services and track service uptake.

Monitoring, Reporting and Learning

• Collect pre  and post intervention data to measure changes in psychosocial wellbeing indicators.
• Prepare monthly narrative reports with case studies, lessons learned, and recommendations for program adaptation.
• Ensure proper documentation of interventions, success stories, and lessons learned for donor reporting and knowledge management.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Mental Health, Counseling, or related field.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in psychosocial support, trauma counseling, or MHPSS programming in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Strong knowledge of PFA, trauma informed care, stress management, and group facilitation techniques.
• Experience delivering counseling for children, survivors of GBV, elderly, and PWDs; familiarity with art therapy or recreational interventions is an advantage.
• Proven experience training and mentoring staff and volunteers on psychosocial topics.
• Ability to collect and analyze psychosocial baseline data, prepare narrative reports, and document case studies.
• Fluency in Arabic and good command of English.
• Proficiency with mobile data collection platforms (Kobo, Google/MS Forms, ….), and basic Excel for reporting.
• Training in psychological first aid, trauma counseling, safeguarding, and PSEA desirable.
• Experience in community engagement, stigma reduction campaigns, and coordination with health actors.

Competencies and Personal Attributes:

• Demonstrates genuine care for beneficiaries while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Upholds strict confidentiality and ethical standards in all psychosocial interventions.
• Strong ability to assess psychosocial risks, measure wellbeing indicators, and adapt interventions accordingly.
• Clear and culturally sensitive communication skills; able to explain psychosocial concepts to diverse audiences.
• Builds trust quickly with beneficiaries, staff, and community leaders; respectful of cultural norms.
• Emotionally resilient, able to manage stress and support staff in high pressure environments.
• Skilled trainer and mentor, able to simplify complex psychosocial concepts into practical guidance.
• Proactive in identifying psychosocial gaps and proposing practical solutions.
• Collaborative team player who supports multidisciplinary teams and coordinates across sectors.
• Flexible to adjust interventions based on evolving needs and contexts.
• Committed to inclusive participation of vulnerable groups and reducing stigma around mental health.
• Strong attention to detail in case files, reports, and success stories.
• Honest, reliable, and committed to humanitarian principles and YRCS values.