Background

The Department of Safety and Security(UNDSS) is responsible for providing leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the programs and activities of the United Nations System. 

Under the guidance and supervision of the International Stress Counsellor, the Stress Counsellor will provide psychosocial support to United Nations personnel and their eligible dependents in Afghanistan. In line with the United Nations’ commitment to ensuring that personnel are able to operate effectively, the function contributes directly to the promotion of staff well-being, resilience, and duty of care, thereby enabling the safe and effective delivery of UN mandates and programmes. The incumbent will support the delivery and continuity of an established, sustainable stress-management system serving all UN entities operating in the country, while contributing to the strengthening of Critical Incident Stress Management preparedness within the UN security architecture in Afghanistan.

Duties and Responsibilities

The key objective is the management of stress and critical incident stress conducted in accordance with the principles of immediacy, proximity, and availability of high-quality professional services, which are embodied in the Management of Critical Incident Stress Framework (MCISF, 2015) to enhance wellbeing and positive mental Health of UN staff and dependents. 

This position is located within UNDSS office under the SMT local-cost-shared-budget and the postholder will provide confidential counseling (individual as well as group) in a safe environment for critical incident stress, work related concerns as well as personal concerns. The candidate would assist in analyzing and monitoring the determinants of stress, formulating and delivering trainings based on needs assessment that improves coping, decreases stress and enabling the organization to achieve the results in most effective manner.

The Stress Counselor will administer a wide range of stress management activities, actively increasing emergency preparedness in the country in collaboration with UNDSS and the UN Crisis Management as per the UNDSS CISMS standard operational procedures on critical incident stress. The Stress Counselor will administer a wide range of stress management activities, actively increasing emergency preparedness, incident response and post incident recovery in the country in collaboration with UNDSS and the UN Crisis Management as per the UNDSS CISMS standard operational procedures on critical incident stress (MSCIS - 2015). The duties include:

1) Provide strategic advisory support to management, promote effective communication, and foster strong partnerships

  • Regularly visit the UN Offices/Sub Offices in the country in order to implement preventative stress management training activities and offer technical consultations when needed.
  • Liaise with local experts and institutions in the country for referral purposes. Collaborate with UN managers, medical doctors, and local physicians on psychosocial issues with the objective of establishing a network of professionals ready to support and intervene in case of need.
  • Advise UN management on stress mitigating strategies and activities.

2) Contribute to the planning for and establishment and promotion of holistic staff well- being programmes

  • Provide individual, group and critical incident counseling sessions to the staff and dependents as/when needed.
  • Plan and facilitate preventative stress management training on a variety of stress related sues to UN staff in the country and circulate useful reading resources related to stress periodically.
  • Guide in establishing the Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells (CISICs) including selecting Peer Helpers and family focal points; facilitating peer helper training sessions (jointly with UNDSS CISMS); and coordinating and following up on all relevant activities.
  • Support welfare activities for UN staff in the country in collaboration with the existing Staff Association.
  • Identify, address and follow up on critical incident stress cases among the UN staff and dependents in the country.

3) Organize a system of responding to all staff and eligible dependents to meet counselling needs for

  • Traumatic stress, work related stress, anxiety, grief, loss and other personal issues, either through provision of confidential counselling, group counselling or through provision of an appropriate referral.
  • Perform ongoing assessments and monitor the determinants of stress in the UN staff to include activities such as data collection, analyses and related documentation.
  • Provide regular feedback and monthly report to the Head of Unit on all activities
  • Monitor environmental factors that could lead to stress, with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents, with respect to civilian staff members of the mission; develop, organize and implement a stress management programme for such staff.
  • In the absence of the Head of Unit, act as OIC as required and as appointed by the PSA.
  • Technical input on staff well-being

 4) Expand the pool of mechanisms/resources available through inter alia and facilitate knowledge sharing

  • Capacity building of staff on needy topical relevant issues.
  • Designing and implementing a counselling outreach programme.
  • Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. 

Competencies

Core Competencies:

  • Achieve Results: Level 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
  • Think Innovatively: Level 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
  • Learn Continuously: Level 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
  • Adapt with Agility: Level 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
  • Act with Determination: Level 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
  • Engage and Partner: Level 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: Level 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Development     

  • Knowledge Generation: Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations 

Business Management    

  • Customer Satisfaction/Client Management: Customer Satisfaction/Client Management Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns
  • Resource Management: Allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with business needs and priorities and principles of accountability and integrity
  • Communication: Communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.

HR- Duty of Care    

  • Psychosocial support to personnel: Ability and certified qualification to provide psychological counselling services to teams and individual personnel.
  • Occupational safety, health and wellbeing: Knowledge of OSHW concepts and methods and ability to apply them in the development of the OSHW strategies, policies, management systems and quality standards that are consistent with the business strategy. Ability to identity OSHW risks and to develop mitigation strategies and monitoring systems; to create OSHW incident reporting and response systems; understanding of the key workplace stressors and ability to design effective response measures

Business Direction & Strategy    

  • Strategic thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Psychology (Clinical or Counselling Psychology), Psychiatry, Clinical Social Work is required. Or
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree
  • Certification or country-specific licensure such as registration in the health or social services ministry authorizing the incumbent to deliver mental health services is desirable as applicable in Afghanistan

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

  • Minimum of 2 (two) years (with a master’s degree) or 4 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in psychological counselling, training and managing or supporting emergencies. Qualifying years of experience are calculated after the receipt of an accredited advanced level degree recognized by the United Nations.
  • Professional experience in psychosocial support and counselling, including assessment and support of individuals affected by alcohol or substance misuse; application of harm-reduction approaches; use of referral mechanisms; relapse-prevention support; and management of workplace-related substance-use concerns is desirable.
  • Professional experience in providing psychosocial support and stress-management interventions for individuals and groups, including work with vulnerable populations (such as women and children), with appropriate case coordination and referrals, and in accordance with ethical practice, cultural sensitivity, and safeguarding standards is desirable.
  • Professional experience in psychosocial support within crisis and high-risk contexts, including contribution to critical-incident response and suicide-prevention efforts, with appropriate risk awareness, referral, and coordination, and in line with ethical, cultural, and safeguarding principles is desirable.
  • Experience in capacity-building or training delivery, including the design and facilitation of training, workshops, or awareness sessions on psychosocial support, stress management, or staff well-being, adapted for diverse and multicultural audiences is desirable.
  • Professional experience providing psychosocial support or counselling in a multicultural institutional setting, such as the United Nations system, an international organization, or a nationally based organization with international or diverse staff, is desirable.
  • Proficiency in standard computer applications, particularly Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), including preparation of reports, presentations, and basic data tracking, is required.
  • Fluency (oral, writing, understanding) in English, Dari and/Pashto is required 

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Disclaimer

UNDP participates in the Scheme for the disclosure of safeguarding-related misconduct in recruitment processes within the humanitarian and development sector (Misconduct Disclosure Scheme). In line with this Scheme, UNDP will contact previous employers of job applicants to request information about any investigations or findings of misconduct concerning allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment (sexual misconduct) against the applicant, during or after their employment. By submitting a job application, the applicant confirms to have understood and consented to UNDP contacting the applicant’s prior employers to request any such information on sexual misconduct concerning the applicant during UNDP’s recruitment process.

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