Technical Assistant at Interpeace: (Deadline 11 March 2023)

Technical Assistant at Interpeace: (Deadline 11 March 2023)

Terms of Reference – Technical Assistant 

Resilience Oriented Therapy in districts hospitals and health centers 

1. Background & Rationale

Since October 2020, Interpeace, in partnership with Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR), and in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, through the former National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), and now the new Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), implemented a pilot program titled “Reinforcing community capacity for social cohesion and reconciliation through Societal Trauma Healing” in Bugesera District. The programme was funded by the European Union (EU) through its instrument contributing to Stability & Peace (IcSP) and aimed at piloting a holistic and innovative approach that simultaneously provides mental health services, advances social cohesion, and promotes sustainable collaborative livelihoods among the targeted community members in its area of implementation.

The objective of the programme was to reinforce social cohesion and sustainable peace through the scaling up of evidence & community-based trauma healing and reinforcing capacity of mental health professionals through the assessment of gaps and challenges in mental health, social cohesion, and sustainable livelihoods to develop evidence-based and context-informed approaches and intervention protocols to address the identified gaps and challenges.

Building on the success, lessons learned and developed resources from the implementation of the pilot programme, Interpeace and its implementing local partners Dignity in Detention (DiDe), HAGURUKA, and PFR, with the financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), has expanded the programme into five (5) districts: Musanze, Ngoma, Nyabihu, Nyagatare, and Nyamagabe.

Among the developed intervention protocols, is the Resilience Oriented Therapy (ROT), which is a multi-phase group-based treatment modality for emotion regulation, behavioral self-management, and identity development. The protocol provides participants with tools for trauma processing, building agency, responsibility, and motivation for change with the acquisition of resilience enhancing socioemotional competencies. In collaboration with district hospitals and health centers, Interpeace will implement the protocol to provide mental health interventions needed by the programme participants in the 5 districts of operation.

It is against this background that Interpeace is recruiting a Technical Assistant to support mental health Division at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre in monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Resilience Oriented Therapy in the five districts’ hospitals and health centers in selected sectors of operations. The Technical Assistant will mainly ensure the implementation, sustainability, and contextualization/alignment to national mental health priorities. The Technical assistant will also provide capacity building to mental healthcare providers at district and health centers level, both on the ROT protocol and other related areas as may be identified by RBC.

Objectives & Methodology

In accordance with the above background and rationale, as well as the partnership between Interpeace and Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) through Mental Health Division, the objectives of the assignment are as follows:

• Develop M&E tools integrating the priorities of the Resilience Oriented Therapy protocol;
• Strengthening capacities of mental health services on the M&E skills;
• Reinforcing the MH system in M&E to improve the data collection, data analysis and reporting;
• Advise Mental Health Division with appropriate strategies based on the evidence-based data.
• Strengthen capacities of mental healthcare providers at district and health centers level on the application to ROT protocol in screening and managing cases.

Scope of Work

The Technical Assistant’s scope of work is understood to cover all activities necessary to accomplish the stated objectives. The Technical assistant has the following responsibilities:

• Collect, analyze, and report information related to ROT activities in the 5 district hospitals and 25 health centers in selected sectors of operation;
• Be available during field visits for monitoring, and data collection; when communicated by Interpeace in collaboration with RBC;
• Ensure that relevant data has been collected in all health centers in selected sectors across the 5 districts as well as district hospitals;
• Take part in consultation and feedback meetings involving all stakeholders when requested;
• Take lead on report writing on the implementation of ROT protocol, and submit drafts to RBC and Interpeace staff for feedback;
• Develop training materials related to overall mental health M&E;
• Develop reporting tools for the collection of information related to the programme indicators;
• Organize and facilitate training and mentoring to mental health professionals to ensure the understanding and implementation of ROT protocol and related M&E plans and systems;
• Support capacity building of mental health professionals on child and adolescent mental health programme;
• Develop child and adolescent mental health and wellness friendly awareness messages;
• Provide monthly narrative programme reports;
• Submit monthly work plan for validation and follow up;
• Support any other activities related to the M&E in MH Division;

• Advise the MHD policy makers based on evidence-based data;
• Contribute to the research writing in the field of the programme and in mental health related areas.

Qualifications and Competencies

The Technical Assistant must have the following qualifications:

• At least a master’s degree in Mental Health related field (Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, Mental Health Nursing), Public Health or Epidemiology;
• At least five (5) years of experience in mental health care system research field;
• Ability to deliver on this assignment within the indicated reporting deadlines, including incorporating peer-review/feedbacks from RBC and Interpeace;
• Proven language proficiency (English, French and Kinyarwanda);
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills – the ability to liaise with people successfully and effectively in a wide range of functions in a multi-cultural environment and organizational skills;
• Ability to contextualize gendered perspectives to data analysis;
• Excellent reporting skills;
• Strong analytical skills, proficiency in statistical analysis software is a plus;
• Strong overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;
• Good knowledge of Kinyarwanda (written and oral) is a MUST.
• Up to 3 references required.

Reporting line and Duration

Under direct supervision of the Mental Health Division/ Rwanda Biomedical Centre but also a dotted line management of Interpeace Senior Programme Manager, the recruited Technical Assistant will be based at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) and will work in close collaboration with Interpeace to ensure that the assignment is properly executed. The total duration of the assignment shall be one year (1) renewable.  This position can be full-time or part-time, depending on negotiations between the selected candidate, RBC and Interpeace.

How to Apply 

Please submit your CV, and letter expressing your interest,  a writing sample in the English language, as well as references by 11^th April 2023 via email to: recruitment@interpeace.org with cc to irebe@interpeace.org. Please include “TECHNICAL ASSISTANT” in the subject line of your email.