This position is located in the Division for Management (DM) of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). Administratively, the incumbent reports to the Chief, Human Resources Management Service (HRMS), DM/UNOV For more information on UNOV, please visit the website www.unov.org

The Staff Counsellor leads the design, implementation, and delivery of comprehensive staff well-being and mental health programmes for UNOV/UNODC staff and affiliate personnel. S/he focuses on prevention, awareness-raising, and the promotion of a healthy, inclusive, and respectful work environment, in line with the UN Mental Health and Well-being Strategy. The role encompasses both individual support and organization-wide initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience, enhancing productivity, and fostering a culture of care and psychological safety. Specifically, the incumbent will be responsible for the following specific duties: • Monitor trends and emerging psychosocial risks affecting staff well-being and performance across Headquarters and Field Offices; design and implement preventive and responsive programmes to promote mental health, resilience, and organizational well-being. • Lead the implementation of the UN Mental Health and Well-being Strategy within UNOV/UNODC, coordinating Secretariat-wide initiatives, including the Mental Health and Well-being Scorecard, Health Intelligence surveys, and risk assessments. • Develop and maintain a comprehensive annual learning and awareness programme on mental health, resilience, and well-being, in collaboration with HRMS/TDT, including psychoeducational workshops, preventive initiatives, and regular contributions to internal communications such as the HRMS Newsletter. • Design and deliver tailored learning and training sessions for staff and managers on self-care, stress management and prevention, and creating respectful and supportive workplaces. • Provide individual counselling and psychological support, as needed, to staff and affiliate personnel experiencing personal or work-related difficulties, ensuring a confidential, safe, and professional environment. • Assess needs and provide referrals to appropriate mental health professionals, maintaining active referral networks and close links with external community resources. • Advise and support managers in addressing workplace stressors, strengthening team cohesion, and resolving interpersonal or performance-related challenges. • Provide confidential support pursuant to the provisions of ST/SGB/2019/8 on addressing discrimination, harassment, including sexual harassment, and abuse of authority, including during informal and formal processes. • Work with the United Nations Security and Safety Services during and after critical incidents; conduct psychological screening to support authorization decisions for carrying firearms and other use-of-force equipment, as part of the assessment of new recruits and the ongoing evaluation of serving security personnel. • Contribute to policy and strategy development on mental health and well-being, providing inputs and drafting materials to increase awareness and support institutional alignment with UN system standards. • Conduct managerial consultations and prepare analyses and reports highlighting trends, risks, and recommendations to senior management. • Maintain accurate and confidential counselling and activity records, ensuring regular reporting and accountability for programme results. • Perform any other work-related duties as required.

Professionalism: Has expert knowledge in the field of counselling, counselling methods as well as treatment and assistance methods. Has proven ability to provide counselling services to effectively assist with crisis or difficult situations which involve diverse actors and stakeholders and to treat sensitive and confidential information appropriately. Is able to coordinate and consult with other relevant specialist services in the Organization involved with staff assistance matters including staff administration, human resources management as well as Medical Services in respect of emergencies, support and conflict resolution issues. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

An advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in clinical psychology, counselling psychology, psychiatry, social work or related area is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of relevant qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Additional training or certification in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse; stress management, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution and psychological screening is desirable.

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in counselling, psychiatry, psychology, social work, social welfare or related area in an international setting is required. Work experience in the design and delivery of counselling sessions, workshops, trainings, and information sessions, including on stress counselling is required. Experience working in the United Nations system or other similar international organization is desirable. Experience working in a multicultural environment as a team member is desirable. Previous work experience in humanitarian field or emergency settings is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French

and

Spanish are desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult

https://languages.un.org

for details).

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Required Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

English

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

Desirable Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

French

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

Spanish

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

UN Level II

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

This temporary position is available for six months. Actual filling of this position and actual duration of the assignment is subject to availability of funding. If the selected candidate is an internal staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection may be administered as a temporary assignment. While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff.  Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Vienna is classified in the H category (family duty station).

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.