DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
24 March 2026-23:59-GMT+03:00 Eastern European Time (Damascus)WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.
ABOUT WFP
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.
WHY JOIN WFP?
WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
WFP Syria is looking for a Staff Counsellor to support the provision of essential psychosocial support for staff and dependents in the country. National and international staff in Syria have faced extreme challenges in recent years, including high-risk security conditions, devastating natural disasters, a protracted economic crisis, severe funding shortages, and complex operational hurdles. In order to mitigate the psychological impacts of this context and to support staff with ongoing stressors, consistent, accessible and effective psychosocial support is required.
ONTRACT DETAILS:
Contract Type: Service Contract
Duration: 12 months
Duty Station: Damascus
Number of required employees: 1
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Staff Counsellor will be based in Damascus and will be expected to travel frequently to other WFP Syria duty stations for short missions to provide support. This position will report administratively to Syria CO Deputy Country Director, and functionally to the MENAEERO Regional Staff Counsellor, based in Cairo. The Staff Counsellor will be responsible for performing the following duties:
1. Support the International Staff Counsellor for Syria and Jordan in identifying psychosocial hazards and risk factors, and in assessing the mental health needs of staff in Syria.
2. Provide culturally sensitive and trauma informed individual and/or group counselling for WFP employees and direct dependents.
3. Provide pre and post deployment briefings to staff deployed through briefings, counselling sessions and other activities to ensure proactive support is extended to staff.
4. Participate in crisis response, provide crisis counselling to individuals and/or groups during emergencies and after critical incidents, and ensure follow up support.
5. Provide active psychological support including during emergencies and/or after critical incidents to ensure continued staff well-being and that managers & staff are provided with the effective support to manage change.
6. Support and maintain the WFP Wellness Support Volunteer Network (WSV) through ongoing supervision and oversight. Work collaboratively with WSV’s to create events and initiatives designed to promote staff wellness.
7. Liaise with the Family Liaison Officer to provide support on family related issues and to build communities of support in Syria.
8. Contribute to the design of guidelines, as well as information materials to increase awareness and promote staff wellness.
9. Contribute to building a mental health referral network of professionals to facilitate culturally appropriate psychosocial support for WFP employees. Refer to external mental health professionals and relevant services when needed.
10. Maintain at all times the highest ethical standards related to the provision of psychological services consistent with the Wellness Division Ethical Guidelines and Standards of Practice.
11. Complete administrative duties, such as maintaining statistics on implemented activities and completing reporting requirements as per requirements of the Wellness Division. Providing comprehensive report at end of assignment.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED :
Education:
Advanced university degree (Doctorate, Masters or equivalent) in Psychology, Psychiatry or demonstrably equivalent studies from a recognised institution. The candidate must be licensed/registered or equivalent with a governing body as a mental health professional. Additional training or certification in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, critical incident stress, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, mediation, trauma etc. will be an advantage.
Experience: With a master’s degree, at least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional post-graduate experience, or with a bachelor’s degree, at least seven (7) years of experience relevant to the field, is required. Experience either working in a hardship location or providing counselling services to staff working under very difficult and insecure environments is an asset.
Knowledge & Skills:
Broad knowledge of all facets of the field of counselling and ability to provide an environment in which others can talk confidentially and act without fear or repercussions within a climate of established trust. Excellent communication skills (oral, written and presentations) including the ability to defend and explain difficult issues and positions to staff at all levels. Ability to identify clients' needs and suggest appropriate solutions. Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with clients. Very good working knowledge of technology tools such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word. Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries and establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
Languages:
Proficiency (level C) in writing and verbal communication in English and fluency in Arabic is required.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org
NO FEE DISCLAIMER
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.
We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.
At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.
All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.