Consultant (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support), Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Hosted Fund, Remote, 8 months, REQ #575422

ECW is seeking to recruit an exceptional Consultant specializing in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) to drive key initiatives outlined in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. The consultant will play a crucial role in leveraging insights from existing and past MHPSS programs, integrating these with international best practices to enhance future investments.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, EDUCATION 

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the first global movement and fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. It was established in 2016 during the World Humanitarian Summit by international humanitarian and development aid organizations, along with public and private donors, to help reposition education as a priority on the humanitarian agenda, usher in a more collaborative approach among actors on the ground and foster additional funding to ensure that every crisis-affected child and young person is in school and learning.

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of this consultancy is to analyze and extract lessons learned from ECW’s previous investments in MHPSS, summarize the approach, analyze the value add of and identify learning points from previous investments that can help ECW improve the quality of MHPSS investments.
This evaluation will involve the following key activities:

• Approach Analysis: Summarize the core elements of ECW's MHPSS approach, including its alignment with best practices and the IASC Intervention Pyramid. Further understand how all investments have informed MYRP and FER practices and identify opportunities for strengthening connections between them.
• Lessoned Learned: Extract key lessons learned from ECW's past investments in MHPSS programs. This will involve identifying successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.
• Value Addition Assessment: Analyze the value ECW's MHPSS integration brings to education programs for children affected by crises.
• Recommendations for improvement: Based on findings, make concrete recommendations for strengthening ECW's approach to MHPSS and propose a strategy to achieve our MHPSS commitments. Make specific recommendations to guide grantees on budgeting for core MHPSS components to improve the quality and effectiveness of future MHPSS investment in all investment windows

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT

• Advanced University degree (or equivalent) in one or more of the following disciplines: social work, international development, law, social sciences, public administration, or other related fields.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional work experience in MHPSS in education in emergencies and protracted crisis.
• Fluency in English is required, and knowledge of an additional UN official language, particularly French, is desirable..

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Interested candidates are required to fully complete their application profile, upload a cover letter and their financial proposal (daily fee rate in USD).

Applications with incomplete profile and without a financial proposal will not be considered.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.