Lebanon: Mental Health Study Researcher – Lebanon

INTERSOS is an independent humanitarian organization that assists the victims of natural disasters, armed conflicts and exclusion. Its activities are based on the principles of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equality of rights and opportunities, respect for diversity and coexistence, paying special attention to the most vulnerable people.

1.Terms of reference

Job title: Mental Health Study Researcher

Duty Station: Lebanon, roving inside the country

Starting date: 24st July 2017

Duration of contract: 1.5 months

Reporting to: INTERSOS MMP Analyst

2.General context of the project

The Mixed Migration Platform (MMP) is a joint initiative of seven INGOs that provides quality mixed migration-related information for policy, programming and advocacy work, as well as critical information for people on the move. The platform also acts as a mixed migration information hub for the Middle East and focuses on people within mixed migration flows moving to, within and from the region, as well as linked secondary regions such as Europe or Central Asia and South West Asia (CASWA).

3.General purpose of the position

Research on how do mental health issues affect the ability of refugee youth to function in their environment of ongoing displacement (education; employment; family income generation; other family responsibilities).

4.Tasks and responsibilities

Research on:

Overview of mental health sector in Lebanon

• To what extent are youth-specific mental health policies in existence/under development?
• To what extent has the refugee crisis accelerated mental health reforms through the creation of a ‘policy window’ (a term used to describe the opportunity presented by the current socio-political climate to advance policy reforms)?

Overview of labour policies and subsequent livelihood opportunities for refugee youth in Lebanon

• How is the current livelihoods climate (work permit documentation requirements, living costs, daily expenditure, income generation opportunities) impacting the mental health of young refugees in Lebanon?

By individually examining and comparing both refugee and host community Lebanese youth:

• What are the key presumed causes or exacerbating factors for ill mental health amongst youth in Lebanon (desk research, KIIs)?
• How do youth perceive their own mental health and to what experiences do they attribute both positive and negative states (stigma; shift in perceptions due to scale of MH issues)?
• Does (and if yes, how so) the socio-economic climate place youth under pressure through family responsibilities, livelihoods opportunities, host community animosity, educational requirements, cultural obligations, proxy translation for other family members, legal requirements?
• How is protracted displacement impacting the future aspirations of youth in Lebanon (how does this impact refugee youth, what impact does their displacement have on Lebanese youth?)

5.Required profile/experience

· Master degree from an accredited university in social studies, international relations, anthropology, psychology or any related field.

· At least 3 years' experience on quantitative and qualitative research in Humanitarian context, in particular of managing, analysing and drawing meaning from large data sets;.

· Demonstrable experience of writing reports and papers on humanitarian/human rights matters;

· Knowledge of the humanitarian context within the Middle East;

· Demonstrable experience of child protection research;

· Evidenced understanding and experience of protection-based, child-sensitive research design and a Do No Harm approach to all methodologies;

· Experience in research and analysis educational background in ethnographic, psychology and qualitative methods, experience in conducting semi-structured interviews and leading focus groups;

· Excellent verbal and written English. Arabic will be an asset;

· Excellent team working skills, adaptability to different working environments, ability to work in a multicultural environment; ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Qualified applicants are requested to submit their CV, motivation letter and 2 references to recruitment@intersos.org with subject line: "Mental Health Study Researcher – Lebanon”.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview.