Provincial Psychiatrist - KPK

This position is open on a rolling basis and will be filled once a suitable candidate is identified. Relief International (RI) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to partnering with communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disasters to save lives, build resilience, and promote long-term health and wellbeing. With over 7,000 staff and volunteers across 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, RI delivers programs in Health and Nutrition, WASH, Education, and Livelihoods. In Pakistan, RI collaborates with government bodies, local organizations, and humanitarian partners to implement safe, inclusive, and accountable programs focusing on protection, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), education, health, livelihoods, and WASH, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The Provincial Psychiatrist will provide specialized psychiatric care and clinical supervision within the RISE layered MHPSS model for the assigned province. This role involves coordinating mobile clinics, wellbeing centers, home-based services, and hotline referrals to ensure quality assessment, treatment, and specialist care. The Psychiatrist will support continuity of care while respecting participant dignity, cultural context, and confidentiality, operating under a defined specialist contract and agreed consultation roster.

Key Responsibilities

The RISE project offers community-based, layered mental health and psychosocial support aimed at promoting wellbeing, coping, and safer help-seeking through outreach, wellbeing centers, mobile clinics, home-based support, hotline services, and referrals. Access is voluntary and based on vulnerability assessments and eligibility criteria. The Psychiatrist will also support routine preparedness and emergency assistance as approved.

- Conduct person-centered psychiatric assessments, including medical history, mental state, functioning, risk, and physical health concerns. Develop care plans with participants, involving caregivers only with consent or safeguarding approval.
- Provide evidence-based psychiatric treatment, including medication prescribing when clinically indicated, following RI protocols and safe dispensing procedures.
- Monitor treatment response, adherence, adverse effects, and ongoing risk; document prescribing decisions and coordinate further investigations or referrals as needed.
- Offer timely clinical advice for urgent cases such as self-harm or acute deterioration, using approved escalation and emergency referral pathways with proper documentation.
- Coordinate follow-up care across mobile, center-based, and telepsychiatry services, ensuring safe handover for relocated participants or those requiring ongoing medication.
- Support crisis preparedness and provide time-bound emergency clinical support during approved activations, facilitating transition back to routine services.
- Deliver scheduled case consultations and clinical supervision, reviewing complex cases and supporting mhGAP-informed training and competency assessments for MHPSS staff.
- Promote team reflection, staff wellbeing, and address unsafe practices promptly, escalating incidents as required.
- Assist in maintaining clinical protocols, consultation schedules, and referral arrangements with healthcare providers, ensuring care delivery and follow-up.
- Assess confidentiality, documentation, mobility, and protection risks before external referrals; adapt services to meet the needs of women, girls, and vulnerable groups.
- Review service gaps and clinical supplies, recommending improvements while safeguarding time for clinical duties over numerical targets.
- Maintain accurate clinical records in secure systems, ensuring consent, confidentiality, and appropriate information sharing.
- Provide aggregated activity and outcome data to MEAL, distinguishing unique participants and protecting clinical notes from routine dashboards.
- Uphold safeguarding and professional conduct standards, explaining feedback options and reporting concerns promptly.
- Adhere to RI’s Code of Conduct and prevention policies, participate in wellbeing and learning activities, and comply with security procedures.

Required Qualifications

- MBBS or equivalent medical degree with a PM&DC-recognized postgraduate qualification in Psychiatry (e.g., FCPS, MD).
- Valid PM&DC registration with verifiable postgraduate credentials.
- Minimum of five years of relevant psychiatric clinical experience post-qualification, including assessment, prescribing, risk management, and ongoing care.
- Experience supervising or mentoring multidisciplinary mental health teams and coordinating referrals.
- Strong practice in consent, confidentiality, safeguarding, and clinical documentation.
- Proficient communication skills in Urdu and English, with ability to travel regularly within the province following RI security protocols.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in community, humanitarian, mobile, or remote psychiatric services and familiarity with mhGAP approaches.
- Supervised experience supporting adolescents, caregivers, or crisis-affected populations, and training in evidence-based psychological interventions.
- Ability to communicate in Pashto or other local languages.

Relief International is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, encouraging applications from all qualified candidates, with particular encouragement for female applicants. The organization upholds humanitarian principles and values of integrity, adaptability, collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability.