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 Junior Advisor, you will be supporting partner organizations to provide MHPSS services for specific target groups and will be supporting the scientific accompaniment of those services and the dissemination of the findings, both in tandem with a more experienced colleague. You will be working in a project team of altogether 8 staff.

Your tasks

Supporting the identification and contracting of suitable MHPSS-partner organizations that work with the project’s target groups
Technically and administratively accompanying and supporting the partner organizations in their planning and implementation of these services; supporting in the identification and addressing of capacity development needs of the partner organizations, if any
Technically and administratively accompanying and supporting the research teams who are documenting and systematically evaluating the MHPSS-services offered
Supporting with the quality assurance of the research papers/ research briefs prepared by the research teams and supporting the dissemination of the findings
Supporting with the coordination between different service offers and research teams
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
Knowledge of and openness for non-traditional MHPSS-interventions, for example arts-based or sports-based interventions
Proven experience with scientific work and methods combined with strong analytical thinking
Strong teamwork and communication skills
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
High degree of initiative
Structured and meticulous working methods – also under time pressure
Resilience and frustration tolerance
Business fluency in Arabic and English
Knowledge of and experience with GIZ procedures and policies is an asset
Basic knowledge of German is an asset

Please send your resume/CV