2024-42 Mental Health & Wellbeing Schools Coordinator

at  Jigsaw the National Centre for Youth Mental Health

POSITION SUMMARY:

Jigsaw is hiring a Mental Health & Wellbeing Schools Coordinator on a full-time, fixed 3-year basis.
This contract is being offered on a shorter working year basis. Time worked will be in line with the Post primary school academic year and will be 42 working weeks out of 52 per annum. Salary is in line with the below salary range and is spread over 52 weeks.
The successful candidate will work as a member of the Mental Health Promotion Team in Jigsaw. They will play a key role in coordinating the development, implementation and monitoring of Jigsaw’s 3-year programme of work to provide wellbeing and mental health supports for post-primary schools, in partnership with the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)/ Department of Education. We are looking for a motivated, enthusiastic and experienced professional who will utilise and apply their knowledge and experience to support our multi-component programme of supports and resources for schools. The post holder will require an understanding of the school setting and the wellbeing curriculum in Irish post-primary schools and have at least 3 years’ experience in supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools/education settings.
A core feature of the role will involve the development of a broad range of programmes, supports, resources and training for post-primary schools to build schools’ capacity to promote and support mental health and wellbeing across the whole school community. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with the eLearning Team to co-create eLearning courses and training. They will work collaboratively with the Mental Health & Wellbeing Clinical Lead (Schools) to develop and deliver a broad range of online and in-person training opportunities for teachers, school staff and parents. They will also work with the Youth Voice and Engagement Team to ensure that youth voice is central to our work with schools.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Essential Criteria:

• A third level degree or master’s qualification in health promotion, public health or other relevant subject, education (specifically post-primary), guidance counselling or an allied health profession (psychology, mental health nursing, social work, occupational therapy, psychotherapy).
• Minimum of 3 years’ work experience in a role where mental health & wellbeing promotion in relevant education settings was a key responsibility.
• Experience of developing and delivering education and training programmes and initiatives in relevant health promotion or education settings, i.e. where programme development, training and facilitation (online and in-person) was a key part of your role.
• Excellent attention to detail and experience of developing educational content (e.g. training manuals, webinars, webpages, social media, toolkits), particularly in relation to youth mental health and wellbeing.
• Experience of deploying a wide variety of presentation, training and facilitation techniques to ensure best learning outcomes for participants.
• Understanding of the wellbeing curriculum and classroom-based approaches and a working knowledge of the national policy context for wellbeing in post-primary schools, in particular, the Department of Education’s Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice.
• Ability to produce work plans and progress reports for Jigsaw’s Senior Management Team, Education Subcommittee and funders.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with a variety of individuals and organisations.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to communicate and work with a range of audiences from a variety of backgrounds.
• Genuine passion for working with young people, addressing their mental health and influencing change in Irish society in relation to youth mental health and wellbeing.
• Full, clean driving licence & access to a car.

Desirable criteria:

• Understanding of the issues which impact on the mental health and wellbeing of young people and an understanding of mental health promotion and wellbeing in the education setting.
• Experience of working with school leaders, school staff, student support teams, students and parents as part of a whole-school approach.
• Ability to meet strict deadlines and targets.
• Able to work independently as well as part of a team, and the ability to prioritise a variety of tasks.
• High tolerance for complexity and change and an ability to flourish and adapt in a dynamic change environment.
• Reliability, flexibility, and commitment.
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

BENEFITS

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Factors taken into account in determining an appropriate scale include the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications relevant to the job. The salary range for this role will be €33,600 - €48,256 (this is the pro-rata’d salary range).

Jigsaw operates the following benefits for its employees

• Defined contribution pension scheme.
• Annual leave 20 days, exclusive of public holidays and 1.5 company days.
• Comprehensive annual CPD schedule
• Discounted Group Health Insurance Scheme
• Travel pass Scheme/ Bike to Work Scheme
• Financial support for further education
• Flexible Working

Please note

• The closing date for applications is 4.00pm on Monday, 14th October 2024. Interviews are due to take place on Monday, 21st October 2024 on site in our National Office in Pearse street.
• Application is by online application form only & CVs will not be accepted. Please complete all fields of the application form. Incomplete application forms will not be considered.
• The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.
• As Jigsaw’s programme of work with schools will be deployed nationally, this role will require some travel for work and a willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends, as required.
• As this is a national role, the post holder will be required to participate in regular in-person team meetings in order to maximise collaborative working with others on the team. Presence in National Office at other times many also be required (e.g. Mental Health Promotion Department meetings, National Office Team meetings, etc.).
• All Jigsaw staff members are required to obtain Garda clearance as a condition of their initial and continued employment.
• Jigsaw is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
• All documentation received by Jigsaw will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Acts, 1988 and 2003 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR; 2018). The information will only be used by Jigsaw in the processing of job applications and for ongoing administrative purposes with job candidates.

General Duties

• Play a key role in the development, implementation and monitoring of Jigsaw’s national programme of work to provide wellbeing and mental health supports in post-primary schools.
• Work collaboratively with key partners in the deployment of Jigsaw’s programme of supports ensuring that they complement other relevant supports available to post-primary schools nationally.
• Work collaboratively with the eLearning Team to co-create eLearning courses and training for school leaders, teachers, school staff and parents.
• Work in partnership with the Mental Health & Wellbeing Clinical Lead (Schools) to develop and deliver a broad range of online and in-person training opportunities for teachers, school staff and parents.
• Collaborate with the Youth Voice and Engagement Team to ensure that youth voice is central to our work with schools.
• Develop an annual work plan for Jigsaw’s work with schools, identifying actions, deliverables and annual KPIs.
• Monitoring the engagement and participation of schools in Jigsaw’s programme of work nationally.
• Produce written reports and presentations on this programme of work quarterly, annually and/or as required for Jigsaw’s Senior Management Team, Education Subcommittee and funders.
• Stay current with national and international research and evidence in wellbeing and youth mental health education, promotion and training and ensure that Jigsaw’s programme of supports and resources is informed by evidence and best practice.
• Participate as a member of the wider Jigsaw team in team meetings and other relevant fora.
• Carry out any other such duties as may reasonably be requested, in fulfilment of Jigsaw’s vision, mission and strategic priorities.