Your mission
MAIN PURPOSE
The MHPSS Lead provides strategic and thematic leadership for War Child’s MHPSS work and its relate to a specific portfolio of Evidence‑Based Methods (EBMs). The role is accountable for the vision, quality, coherence, innovation, external positioning and continuous improvement in their thematic area and on their assigned EBM portfolio. It ensures alignment with organisational strategy, the Partnership Journey Framework, internal quality standards, sectoral standards, frameworks and humanitarian best practice.
The role has oversight of an assigned EBM portfolio and its related partner onboarding journeys, thematic quality assurance and adaptive learning processes, while line managing thematic coordinators and guiding thematic coordinators. and specialists.
POSITION IN WAR CHILD ALLIANCE
Reports to (Solid/Management): Director Quality & Impact
Reports to (Dotted/Functional): n/a
Department: Quality & Impact
Unit: Technical / MHPSS Cluster
Supervises (list direct reports / roles): Estimated 2-4 Senior Cluster Specialist(s)
(Operational) Scope: Country Programme / Alliance Shared Services
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide strategic leadership and vision in their thematic area of work, lia i sing with other thematic Leads where relevant. This includes driving development and use of thematic strategies, translating sectoral trends, evidence and standards into organizational direction and identifying emerging risks and opportunities in their thematic domain across relevant contexts and conflict phases .
Shepherd the EBM s in their portfolio across the Partnership Journey , ensuring coherence, quality, learning and alignment with War Child’s Care System and organisational priorities, and effectively engaging with other departments, such as Partnerships & Programme Management, Research & Development, Engagement, Operations , etc , as well as teams in their own department ( Humanitarian and MEAL ) to ensure high quality deliverables
Provide thematic authority and quality assurance to War Child’s work , particularly around the consistent application of programme quality standards during the EBM Cycle (the f ormative, development, feasibility and effectiveness phases of the Partnership Journey ), aligning with internal frameworks, sector standards and the Core Humanitarian Standard.
Maintain strategic o versight of assigned thematic and EBM portfolios, influencing allocation of resources and ensuring prioritization and coherence on implementation, scaling, learning and adaptation across relevant contexts /clusters and with other thematic areas , leads, and their portfolios.
Maintain strategic o versight of organizational capacity in the assigned EBM portfolio , including strategic thinking on capacity development and maintenance, and advisi ng on prioritization and resource allocation.
Drive continuous learning, adaptation and improvement of EBMs , using evidence, quality data and learning agendas to inform decisions. This includes leading and/or facilitating development and execution of learning agendas, as well as documenting and/or compiling lessons learned across clus ters/projects/partners.
Lead or contribute to relevant thematic and/or EBM learning activities, task teams, working groups and /or Communities of Practice, ensuring effective collaboration, delivery and shared learning.
Lead and manage thematic Coordinators within the assigned EBM portfolio, providing direction, mentorship, performance oversight and professional development , as well as ensuring appropriate ways of working and matrix management with other relevant roles, teams or departments.
Provide authoritative thematic leadership to partners, country teams and global colleagues, strengthening programme design, implementation and evidence use in all relevant context, including emergency responses .
Represent and build up the profile and reputation of War Child's EBM Care System Portfolio and thematic expertise externally in global fora , strengthening sector engagement, inter ‑ agency collaboration and organisational credibility , and contributing to shaping policy and sector discourse. This includes establishing a vision and strategy for external representation influencing together with the appropriate teams and colleagues .
Each staff member is responsible for contributing to creating a culture committed to our mission, vision, internal safeguarding standards, JEDI ((Social) Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion) principles and the CHS (Core Humanitarian Standard) framework and are expected to actively promote this in their work.
These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.
ROLE-SPECIFIC OR CONTEXT RESPONSIBILITIES
Acts as primary internal and external thematic focal point for an assigned EBM portfolio.
Lead the development, refinement and socialisation of strategies, policies, SOPs, tools and guidance related to the thematic area .
Lead on thematic components of EBMs Partnership Packages and standard resources , providing content, inputs and advi c e in an effective manner and liaising with relevant teams and roles in this process.
Ensure EBM alignment with internal programming quality standards and sectoral thematic standards .
Contribute to m ainstream ing safeguarding, accountability and participation standards within EBM guidance and tools , working closely with safeguarding and accountability and participation experts.
C ontribute with strategic thinking and c ollaborate with War Child staff and partners in support of an integrated approach to education, child protection and MHPSS within our Care System , as well as programming that accounts for sound MEAL practices and for cross-cutting issues, such as localisation , climate change , etc.
Advise on the technical /thematic components of partnership agreements related to the EBMs in their assigned portfolio .
Support scalable learning approaches ( e.g. blended learning, training pools, ToT /ToF models) , driving development of EBM learning trajectories and ensur ing appropriate thematic/EBM content is provided to L&D experts.
Contribute to onboarding process, including thematic and/or EBM training and mentoring to staff and /or partners where appropriate .
Supports operationalization and implementation MEAL processes within their thematic area, including integration of Quality of Care indicators across EBMs.
Contribute to knowledge and information man agement processes and deliverables , including content provision to communication materials, websites, newsletters, etc.
Lead thematic inputs int o organizational processes such as development and delivery of strategies, annual plans, etc at team, department al and organisational levels.
Collaborate closely with teams in their department ( MEAL and Humanitarian) and with other relevant departments such as R&D, Partnerships, Engagement and Operations.
Your profile
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE
Education Relevant academic background in the thematic area (MHPSS) or a closely related field.
Experience Relevant experience in the thematic area, including in humanitarian or post‑conflict contexts.
Demonstrated experience leading thematic portfolios or thematic streams.
Experience working with partners on programme co‑creation and delivery.
Proven experience in programme design, needs assessments, learning cycles and quality assurance.
Experience developing methods, tools, guidelines, training materials and toolkits.
Experience facilitating trainings, workshops and communities of practice.
People management or matrix leadership experience.
Portfolio or programme coordination experience.
Languages Fluency in English is required for this role.
Additional languages may be useful depending on stakeholder groups and organisational context, for example Arabic, Dari, French, Spanish, or Ukrainian
(Technical) Knowledge Strong understanding of quality standards, evidence‑based programming and MEAL integration.
Knowledge of cross‑sectoral integration (Education, Child Protection, MHPSS).
Understanding of localisation, accountability and participation principles.
Familiarity with digital collaboration and learning tools (e.g. Mural, Miro, SharePoint, MS Teams).
What we offer
Eligibility:
This vacancy is open to internal candidates only.
Location:
We operate in a global context, with team members based across multiple countries. War Child currently works in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (registration in progress), and Yemen. We also have offices in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Preference is given to candidates who reside in one of these locations and hold valid work authorisation. War Child does not provide relocation support.
Type of contract:
This is a locally contracted position. Salary and secondary employment conditions are aligned with the applicable in-country salary scale, and local terms and conditions will apply.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their applications (CV and motivation letter in English) by 10-July- 2026 . We are reviewing submissions on a rolling basis, so early applications are strongly recommended. ________________________________________________________________________________ By submitting your application you certify that all of the statements made in your application are true, complete, and correct and are made in good faith. You understand that falsifying, misrepresenting or intentionally withholding information will be grounds for rejection of your application or withdrawal of any offer of appointment or, if an appointment offer has been accepted, this will be ground for employment sanctions, such as, but not limited to, instant dismissal. In addition, you understand that you need to submit a Criminal Record Certificate and that, if you fail to submit it, no employment relationship can be established. Disclaimer
Only applications received via our website are processed.
If we appoint a suitable candidate before the given closing date, we reserve the right to remove the vacancy from our website before that date. In such a case, any responses received after that time are not processed.
It could be that during our selection process the closing date for the vacancy is extended. If so, and you have not yet heard from us, your application will remain active.