Staff Care in Emergencies Strategy Specialist (P4), TA, 6 Months, Home Based Assignment

The UNICEF Humanitarian Review report outlined that there have been favorable advances in the provision of staff wellbeing support at UNICEF, including during emergency operations. However further efforts are needed to systemize support, ensuring enhanced consistency and sustainable support for all personnel irrespective of contract type. The groundwork to address the critical need has been started by the Global Staff Wellbeing Emergency project team, who have developed a high-level plan for the creation of a Humanitarian Minimum Service Package (MSP). The MSP is structured to provide support in different emergency contexts, during different phases of an emergency. The purpose of this 6-month phased home based assignment will be to formulate the MSP framework based on the conduct of an internal needs assessment and external best-practice research; develop a more in-depth content proposal; and work on the design of some of the key elements of the MSP in conjunction with the Global Staff Wellbeing Emergency project team and other colleagues in UNICEF.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Resilience.

How can you make a difference?

Job Organizational Context:

UNICEF is dedicated to cultivating a workplace culture that seamlessly integrates staff wellness, resilience, and work-life balance, with the stated aim being to “integrate mental health & wellbeing into the UNICEF workplace culture & practices to cultivate a healthy, resilient, and productive workforce”. This commitment is particularly vital for individuals deployed to emergency duty stations, where the need for a supportive environment is most critical. Due to the nature and location of their work, UNICEF staff members are frequently exposed to high levels of day to day and cumulative stress, including stressors related to their workload and the demands related to living and working in often unstable and insecure environments.

This position will support the Global Staff Wellbeing Emergency project team to deliver against one of the key mental health and wellbeing priorities included in the UNICEF OneHR Strategy.

This role is home-based and reports to the P-5 Chief Staff Wellbeing based in Istanbul. The successful candidate will be required to work around the UTC time zone, with a maximum time difference of +/- 4hrs for effective coordination.

Purpose of the Job:

The UNICEF Humanitarian Review report outlined that there have been favorable advances in the provision of staff wellbeing support at UNICEF, including during emergency operations. However further efforts are needed to systemize support, ensuring enhanced consistency and sustainable support for all personnel irrespective of contract type.

The groundwork to address the critical need has been started by the Global Staff Wellbeing Emergency project team, who have developed a high-level plan for the creation of a Humanitarian Minimum Service Package (MSP). The MSP takes a lifecycle approach towards the implementation of evidence-based tools and practices to ensure that UNICEF staff and surge teams in different humanitarian contexts receive standardized, predictable psychosocial and wellbeing support, before, during and after their deployment/employment assignments (with tailored support to contextual circumstances). The Package also makes initial provisions for key staff who may have staff care responsibilities in their terms of reference including HR professionals (and eventually encompassing staff in leadership positions).The MSP is structured to provide support in different emergency contexts, during different phases of an emergency, implementing an integrated mental health and wellbeing approach to address the four phases of psychological risk management - Preparedness, Prevention, Intervention, and Maintenance.

The purpose of this 6-month phased assignment will be to formulate the MSP framework based on the conduct of an internal needs assessment and external best-practice research; develop a more in-depth content proposal; and work on the design of some of the key elements of the MSP in conjunction with the Global Staff Wellbeing Emergency project team and other colleagues in UNICEF.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Perform Internal Analysis:

• Perform an in-depth internal assessment, mapping the existing systems for staff support, guidance, and initiatives within UNICEF, specifically focusing on emergency and hardship duty stations.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of these systems, addressing challenges encountered at various stages such as emergency preparedness, deployment, on-mission support, and post-deployment assistance.

2. Conduct External Research:

• Undertake comprehensive research to identify and assess external, evidence-based best practices in support systems for staff care during emergencies. This research will cover the four crucial phases: preparedness, prevention, intervention, and maintenance.

3. Formulate Humanitarian Minimum Service Package (MSP) framework:

• Synthesize internal analysis and external research findings to highlight the gaps.
• Integrate recommendations and proposed changes into a cohesive MSP framework.
• Present the draft MSP framework, outlining the core principles, components, prioritized actionable steps including quick wins, for approval by the Chief Staff Wellbeing and Chief HR Emergencies.

4. Develop Content Proposal:

• Produce a proposal specifying the content that should be included in each of the recommended components of the MSP e.g. process/system changes, psychoeducational resources such as videos and fact sheets, coupled with interactive learning tools like quizzes and self-assessments.

5. Content Design: Lead the design for some elements of the proposed MSP content, working in conjunction with the Global Staff Wellbeing Emergency project team and other specialist colleagues/providers.
6. Other:

• Possible travel, up to 7 business days, possibly to one hardship or emergency duty station location
• Any other duties, as assigned by the supervisor.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The following minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree (equivalent to a Master’s) from an accredited institution is required in counselling, clinical or counselling psychology, Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) or a field related to mental/behavioral health.
• Work Experience:

• At least eight years of relevant professional work experience in providing mental health support in a humanitarian context. 
• Possess advanced research and writing proficiency, ensuring the effective articulation and synthesis of complex information.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other counsellors and strategic partners and be a good team player.
• Experience in United Nations Common System or international development/humanitarian aid sector is desirable, with a particular focus on emergency duty stations
  • Skills (optional): Technical and Non-technical skills required. 
  • Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

The following desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Experience in United Nations Common System or international development/humanitarian aid sector is desirable, with a particular focus on emergency duty stations
  Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.