MHPSS Officer (Technical & Program Lead)

Project: International Stress & Trauma Sensitive Healthcare Programme in Post-Conflict and Crisis Contexts (ISTHP) Project

Location: Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), with travel to other areas

Duration: 3 years and 7 months (contract is renewed every 6-month based on performance appraisal)

Publishing date: 17th May 2026

Deadline of submission: 15th June 2026
Reporting to: Regional Director

About Us

The Lotus Flower is a non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering vulnerable women and girls to live in safety, access opportunities for learning, achieve financial independence, and lead change within their communities. The organization operates safe social spaces within refugee and IDP camps, delivering integrated programs that support recovery, resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.

The organization currently manages multiple women’s centers serving IDP, refugee, and host communities across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its programming aligns with the priorities of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and is structured around four core pillars: Health and Safety, Education and Livelihoods, Peacebuilding and Human Rights, and Climate Change.

Through a community-based and survivor-centered approach, Lotus Flower delivers services including livelihood training, language and digital skills development, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), health and fitness activities, and awareness raising on gender-based violence and women’s rights. The organization prioritizes local ownership by employing and empowering women from within the communities it serves.

Background

The Lotus Flower is implementing the ISTHP project in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in partnership with medica mondiale. The project is designed to strengthen trauma-informed Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) systems in response to the ongoing needs of conflict-affected and vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls. The ISTHP project adopts a multi-layered approach that combines capacity strengthening, systems strengthening, and advocacy. Key components include the delivery of specialized training for health professionals on survivor-centered and trauma-informed care, the strengthening and continuation of existing self-care working groups among partner organizations, and the promotion of coordinated in-country advocacy to enhance the integration and sustainability of MHPSS services. Operating within the complex humanitarian and development context of KRI, the project prioritizes localization, partnership, and institutional capacity strengthening. It aims to enhance the quality and accessibility of MHPSS services by working closely with government institutions, civil society actors, and local partners, while aligning with international standards and best practices. Through this intervention, Lotus Flower and medica mondiale seek to contribute to sustainable, system-level change by embedding trauma-informed approaches within health and psychosocial support structures across the region.

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Position Purpose

The MHPSS Officer will serve as the technical and programmatic lead for the implementation of the ISTHP project in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, implemented by Lotus Flower in partnership with medica mondiale. The position is responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of a comprehensive, trauma-informed MHPSS approach that strengthens both individual capacities and institutional systems.

The role will lead the design, adapt, and implement key project components, including capacity strengthening of health professionals on medica mondiale’s survivor-centered Stress and Trauma Sensitive Approach (STA®), facilitation and strengthening of existing staff-care working groups among partner organizations, and advancement of coordinated in-country advocacy efforts targeting relevant stakeholders and decision-makers.

The MHPSS Officer will ensure that all interventions are contextually relevant, gender-sensitive, and aligned with international standards for MHPSS and protection, while responding to the needs of conflict-affected and vulnerable populations in KRI. The role will also contribute to strengthening coordination between civil society, government actors, and technical stakeholders, promoting sustainable integration and institutionalization of trauma-informed practices within health and psychosocial support systems.

Through strong technical leadership and program oversight, the MHPSS Officer will ensure high-quality implementation, contribute to evidence-based programming, and support long-term systems strengthening outcomes under the ISTHP project.

How to Apply

• Interested candidates are invited to submit their updated CV and a cover letter to [email protected], clearly indicating “MHPSS Officer” in the subject line of the email.
• CVs that are in the form of pictures, and screen-shots will not be accepted.
• CVs that do not include the subject line will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Applications past the expiration date of the advertisement will not be considered.