Job description

GIZ has been operating in Syria since 1976. It has thus established valuable contacts in civil society and garnered experience that is now crucial for supporting the country. From 2013 onwards, it worked without government involvement with the assistance of local non-governmental organisations. Despite the difficult conditions, GIZ has consistently contributed to improving people’s living conditions.

In view of the developments since December 2024, which have led Syria into a decisive phase of transformation, GIZ reopened its Country Office in Damascus in 2026. It is currently implementing 15 projects on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Foreign Office (FFO), with co-financing from the European Union and other donors.

The project “Strengthening the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) System in Syria” is due to start on 1. December 2026 for a duration of 3 years. Given the continued high demand for MHPSS services across Syria, the aim of the project is to strengthen the Syrian MHPSS system by

supporting the development of national strategies, regulatory frameworks and uniform quality standards for MHPSS services
developing practice-oriented training and continuing professional development programs for MHPSS professionals and ensuring these are permanently established in local training institutions
supporting partner organizations in offering MHPSS services for particularly distressed population groups, including survivors of torture, some of them through non-traditional (e.g. creative) interventions
working with researchers to scientifically accompany and evaluate the MHPSS-services offered through the project and preparing the findings for professionals, thereby expanding target-group-specific knowledge and promoting the application of effective approaches
training and advising professionals from the fields of education, peacebuilding, transitional justice and disaster risk management on how to work in an MHPSS-informed manner with people affected by crises and conflicts.
In this position as MHPSS Technical Advisor, you will be responsible for the development and revision of academic curricula/ study programs in the field of MHPSS and their permanent establishment in local universities or training institutions, in cooperation with national and international experts. You will moreover be contributing to capacity development on working in a psychosocially sensitive way for persons from other sectors, such as peacebuilding, transitional justice, education or disaster management. You will be working on these tasks in close collaboration with two other colleagues in a project team of overall 8 staff.

Your tasks

Coordinating and technically leading the revision of GIZ’s existing curriculum for a long-term training of clinical supervisors in cooperation with technical experts and a local training institution
Ensuring the establishment of the training of clinical supervisors at a local training institution
Coordinating and technically leading the development and/ or revision of two practice-oriented curricula in the field of MHPSS in cooperation with local training institutions and with technical experts, ensuring their accreditation from the relevant national institutions and their establishment in the training institutions’ range of studies.
Supporting with the revision, adaptation and further development of existing training modules on working in an MHPSS-informed way
Supporting with giving trainings on working in an MHPSS-informed way to actors from other sectors such as peacebuilding, transitional justice and education
Where suitable, bringing in expertise and ideas into the other work streams of the project (mentioned above), which will be mainly covered by your colleagues
Supporting with team-internal tasks, including monitoring and evaluation, reporting, preparation of team workshops etc.
Your profile (required qualifications, competencies and experience)

A completed post-graduate degree in mental health, clinical or general psychology, psychological counselling, psychiatry or a related field
At least 5 years of professional experience in MHPSS, preferably in the Middle East, particularly in/ for Syria
Experience in working in academia
Experience in working on the development or revision of academic MHPSS-related curricula and/ or experience with giving trainings in the field of MHPSS in a practice-oriented way
Experience with clinical supervision, preferably trained as clinical supervisor (for example in GIZ’s supervision training)
A high degree of understanding of the cross-sectoral nature of MHPSS, its interactions and relevance for other sectors such as peacebuilding, transitional justice, education and disaster management and how to work in an MHPSS-informed way
Strong coordination, communication and negotiation skills
Knowledge of the Syrian MHPSS system (governmental, civil society, and academic)
High cultural-, context- and gender-sensitivity as well as sensitivity to inclusion issues
A high motivation to contribute to strengthening the MHPSS system in Syria, particularly in academia
Resilience and frustration tolerance
Business fluency in Arabic and English
An existing network of MHPSS actors (preferably governmental and academic) in Syria is an asset
Knowledge of and experience with GIZ procedures and policies is an asset
Basic knowledge of German is an asset

Please send your resume/CV