Thematic Expert - Psychosocial Support Officer (Kenya)
Busara Center for Behavioral EconomicsAbout Busara
Founded in 2014, Busara is a leading behavioral science and research organization dedicated to improving development outcomes by understanding and influencing human behavior. Busara Uganda partners with governments, development agencies, foundations, research institutions, NGOs, and private sector organizations to design solutions that are evidence-based, contextually grounded, and capable of achieving impact at scale. Over the past decade, Busara has grown into one of the largest behavioral science organizations globally, combining global expertise with deep local knowledge and implementation experience. Busara's mission is to advance and apply behavioral science to help people and organizations make better decisions. The organization's distinctive value lies in its ability to connect rigorous research with practical implementation. Busara combines behavioral science, adult learning principles, human-centered design, systems thinking, and applied research methods to identify the behavioral, social, and institutional factors that influence program outcomes. This enables partners to move beyond understanding what challenges exist to understanding why they exist and how to address them sustainably. Busara supports partners across the full program lifecycle, including assessments, behavioral diagnostics, curriculum development, training and capacity strengthening, program design, monitoring and evaluation, adoption measurement, and knowledge generation.
The Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Strategy aims to enable 7 million young women and men across Kenya to access dignified and fulfilling work. Through partnerships with financial institutions, training providers, enterprise support organizations, and other ecosystem actors, the initiative supports programs designed to expand employment opportunities and strengthen pathways to sustainable livelihoods for youth. Over its implementation, the scale and diversity of supported programs have grown substantially across sectors and geographies. As the strategy has matured, the Foundation’s learning priorities have shifted to place greater emphasis on understanding the nature and durability of the outcomes these programs generate. The central evidence question has shifted from assessing how many young people are reached to examining whether they can access and sustain dignified and fulfilling work as a result of these interventions. In this context, the Foundation wants to understand several interrelated dimensions of program outcomes. These include the sustainability of employment and livelihood outcomes over time, differences in outcomes across youth segments, and the extent to which interventions contribute to broader institutional and ecosystem changes.
Busara is partnering with Mastercard Foundation as its Impact Partner Organization (IPO) in Kenya to conduct Program Outcomes Assessments (POA) and Strategic Reviews across Foundation-supported programs under the Young Africa Works Strategy. These assessments and reviews combine quantitative and qualitative inquiry structured around four core POA question areas, including Reach and Access, Progression to Dignified and Fulfilling Work, Improvements in Quality of Life, and Systems and Institutional Contribution, alongside program-specific objectives for each Implementing Partner reviewed.
Busara is seeking the services of a Psychosocial Support Officer on a short-term basis to support work across the Young Africa Works Strategy program portfolio, whose programs incorporate gender, inclusion, and safeguarding principles into their interventions for the youth participants.
Purpose of the Role
The Psychosocial Support Officer will provide specialized professional expertise to safeguard participant well-being throughout the assignment, with a particular focus on identifying, preventing, and responding appropriately to emotional distress or unforeseen crises that may arise during sensitive interviews, surveys, or other field interactions. The role will also support the wider field team in maintaining a safe, ethical, and trauma-informed approach to engagement with participants
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Monitor participants for signs of distress, trauma, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm during sessions.
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Provide immediate emotional support and grounding techniques to help distressed participants regain a sense of safety and stability.
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Protect participants’ privacy by treating personal stories and mental health information with the highest level of confidentiality.
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Prepare data collectors to recognize and respond appropriately to emotional stress in themselves and others during the data collection exercise.
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Facilitate brief daily debriefs to help the team reflect on difficult experiences and support one another after demanding field days.
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Offer practical guidance and brief supportive counseling to staff members who may feel overwhelmed.
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Apply established safety protocols and ethical guidelines when engaging on sensitive topics.
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Escalate any significant safety concerns or incidents to lead researchers immediately.
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Contribute to adjustments in field plans when new emotional risks emerge during implementation.
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Prepare an incident report at the end of the data collection exercise, summarizing any incidents identified and the mitigation and referral measures implemented in line with Mastercard Foundation’s Safeguarding policies.
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A financial proposal/quote itemizing the services to be provided.
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A brief psychosocial support plan outlining participant safety measures, distress response procedures, and escalation pathways for field activities.
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Field support notes or debrief summary capturing key wellbeing concerns, actions taken, and any follow-up needs identified during the assignment.
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An incident and referral log documenting any psychosocial risks, responses provided, and referrals made in line with safeguarding protocols.
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A concise end-of-assignment report summarizing psychosocial support activities, key observations, mitigation measures, and recommendations for future fieldwork.
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A bachelor’s degree in social sciences, psychology, gender studies, development studies, community development, or a related field from a recognized institution in Kenya; a master’s degree is an added advantage.
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At least 5–7 years of professional experience in psychosocial support, safeguarding, gender-responsive programming, inclusive fieldwork, or related work in Kenya, preferably in development or humanitarian settings and with vulnerable groups such as refugees, displaced persons, women, youth, or persons with disabilities.
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Demonstrated experience supporting qualitative fieldwork or participant engagement, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to apply trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and ethical approaches when working with diverse communities.
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Working knowledge of safeguarding principles, confidentiality, duty of care, and referral pathways in the Kenya context, including the ability to respond appropriately to sensitive disclosures.
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Strong communication and facilitation skills in English and Kiswahili; knowledge of additional Kenyan local languages or experience working effectively with interpreters is an advantage.
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Prior experience contributing to donor-funded evaluations, field research, or program reviews is an added advantage.
Twenty (20) working days over a period of three (3) months (starting September 2026).
The timelines above are indicative and will be finalized jointly with the successful consultant during the inception phase, in line with the specific review cycle for which they are engaged.
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their applications, shortlisted candidates will be notified accordingly.
Data Privacy Statement
As part of Busara’s recruitment process, personal information provided by an applicant through various means will be collected and stored. This includes but is not limited to the information which the candidate provides to Busara in their application and profile, any data from role assessments, interviews information including video interviews and data provided to us by your referees. This data will be used to evaluate the application, communicate with the candidate, and where a candidate has selected this option, for future recruitment opportunities. All this information will be treated as part of each job application record and only retained for the required record retention period.
By choosing to apply for this position at Busara, you are giving Busara your consent to process your personal data as described above. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is secure.