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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Role: Psychosocial Support Counsellor

Duty station: Prishtina

M/F

Expected commencement: 01.11.2026

Since 1999, SOS Children’s Villages, a non-governmental social development organization, has worked in Children’s Rights to address children’s needs and concerns. It provides children without parental care, or at risk of losing it, with a secure home and a strong foundation for independent living.

YouthCan Connect runs for 36 months with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and SOS Children's Villages Worldwide. It seeks to advance the socio-economic inclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged young people through stronger employability, digital and life skills, psychosocial resilience, and access to sustainable jobs. In partnership with public institutions, private sector employers, vocational education providers and civil society organizations, the project develops innovative routes from education into decent work while reinforcing local youth employment and inclusion systems.

SOS Children's Villages Kosovo wishes to appoint a motivated professional with strong organizational skills and attention to detail to its project team as Psychosocial Support Counsellor.

The Psychosocial Support Counsellor will design, coordinate and deliver high-quality training within YouthCan Connect. Using practical, inclusive learning methods centred on young people, the role develops participants’ digital competencies, life skills and employability. Responsibilities also cover participant outreach and engagement, coordination of mentoring and internships with relevant partners, tracking learning progress, and contributing to the project’s objectives and anticipated results. Work must follow the approved project framework, BMZ requirements, and SOS Children's Villages policies and procedures.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Deliver psychosocial counselling individually and in groups to project participants, helping young people address emotional, social and personal difficulties that could affect their well-being and development.

• Evaluate participants’ psychosocial needs, recognize vulnerabilities and obstacles to participation, and prepare individual support plans suited to each person’s circumstances.

• Organize and facilitate group meetings and workshops covering emotional well-being, resilience, self-esteem, stress management, coping strategies and other relevant psychosocial subjects.

• Offer continuing psychosocial guidance and follow-up, track participants’ progress, and help sustain their motivation, confidence and involvement in project activities.

• Recognize young people who need further or specialist assistance, arrange suitable referrals to mental health professionals, social services or other relevant institutions, and ensure prompt follow-up.

• Collaborate with trainers, the Project Manager and other project colleagues to recognize psychosocial obstacles to learning, participation, and progression into education, vocational training or employment.

• Help establish youth clubs and support their activities, promote young people’s participation and youth-led initiatives, and assist with workshops, outreach events, business roundtables and other project activities.

• Help develop and maintain the project’s online platform by supplying, selecting and uploading relevant resources and content aligned with the staff member’s expertise and allocated responsibilities.

• Coordinate with relevant institutions, community organizations and service providers to improve referral pathways and deliver joined-up psychosocial support to participating young people.

• Keep precise, confidential records of psychosocial assessments, counselling meetings, individual support plans, referrals and participant progress, while contributing to project monitoring and reporting.

• Take part in project planning, coordination meetings, professional supervision, capacity-building activities and monitoring to maintain effective, high-quality psychosocial interventions.

• Uphold professional ethics and SOS Children's Villages Kosovo policies, especially Child and Youth Safeguarding, confidentiality, data protection, inclusion and non-discrimination, and undertake other relevant tasks within the role’s remit.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Hold a Master’s degree in psychology, ideally specializing in counselling, clinical psychology or a related discipline.
• Possess a Professional License authorizing practice in psychology.
• Bring at least 3 years of relevant professional experience in psychosocial counselling, mental health support or work with vulnerable young people.
• Have experience delivering individual and group counselling and assessing psychosocial needs.
• Demonstrate a good understanding of adolescent and youth development, psychosocial well-being, and mental health difficulties experienced by young people.
• Prior work with marginalized or disadvantaged young people is an advantage.
• Understand referral mechanisms, safeguarding procedures and relevant psychosocial support services.
• Demonstrate strong abilities in communication, interpersonal work and documentation.
• Use Albanian and English well in both speech and writing.
• Be able to work autonomously and within a multidisciplinary team, and be willing to travel within Kosovo when needed.

COMPETENCIES – KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Apply strong individual and group counselling skills through youth-centred, evidence-informed methods.
• Evaluate psychosocial needs, recognize risks and formulate suitable support plans.
• Demonstrate excellent listening, empathy and relationship-building abilities.
• Understand trauma-informed methods and psychosocial support for vulnerable young people.
• Facilitate group sessions addressing emotional resilience, stress management and personal development.
• Exercise sound professional judgement when handling sensitive circumstances, safeguarding issues and referrals.
• Set professional boundaries while upholding confidentiality and ethical practice.
• Demonstrate strong skills in case documentation, progress tracking and reporting.
• Work effectively alongside project colleagues, families and external service providers.
• Show dedication to inclusion, diversity, youth participation, and child and youth safeguarding.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Employment will be under a fixed-term contract lasting three (3) years.
• The regular schedule is 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 16:00.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

• A professional workplace with a dynamic atmosphere.
• Prospects for professional growth and career progression.
• Continuing access to training and capacity development.
• A team environment built on cooperation and support.
• A chance to contribute to projects with meaningful impact and to organizational goals.

SOS Children´s Villages maintains zero tolerance for breaches of Child Safeguarding, sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse, fraud and corruption, and other safeguarding concerns. Its approach is governed by the Child and Youth Safeguarding Regulation, Anti-Corruption Regulation, PSHEA Regulation, Code of Conduct and other relevant instruments.

The role is with an NGO dedicated to children and human rights and requires rigorous safer recruitment checks.

The selected candidate must undergo safer recruitment checks, including police and reference checks, to establish suitability for work with SOS CV. Selection will assess not only the ability to fulfil the role’s duties but also the candidate’s safeguarding motivation and approach.

Required documents

1. Completed application form.
2. Diploma copies.
3. References provided by previous employers.
4. A court certificate confirming the absence of any criminal conviction, required only from candidates invited to the Final Round.