International Consultant - Expert in Psychology and Institutional Capacity-Building (SSA)

Background:
 

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with 57 participating States is the world’s largest regional security organization. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the Secretariat, please see: http://www.osce.org/secretariat

Participating States have committed to refraining from the threat or use of force and the importance of peaceful settlement of disputes in the Helsinki Final Act 1975. In particular, the document advocates that participating States “settle disputes among them by peaceful means in such a manner as not to endanger international peace and security, and justice”. This laid the groundwork for the 1990 Charter of Paris, which established the Conflict Prevention Centre. The Centre was initially tasked with supporting and implementing confidence- and security-building measures and other functions concerning dispute conciliation and settlement. In 2017, the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the OSCE agreed on the establishment of the Armenia Co-operation Programme (ACP), following the closure of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. The ACP supports continued project-based co-operation between the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions and Armenia, within their respective mandates and across all three OSCE dimensions.

Within the framework of the ACP, strengthening democratic control and oversight of the security sector was identified by the Armenian authorities as a priority. Building on previous OSCE activities and a comprehensive needs assessment conducted by the OSCE Secretariat and ODIHR, extra-budgetary projects were developed to support strengthened security sector governance and police-public partnership in Armenia.

The assignment will be implemented within the framework of the OSCE Secretariat Extra-budgetary project “Strengthening Good Governance and Democratic Practices in the Security Sector in Armenia”, implemented by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) and Transnational Threats Department (TNTD). The project aims to advance community policing reform and strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia (MIA) for strategic planning, governance and building a resilient Police Service. As part of this work, the project will support the MIA in assessing needs and existing capacities for the provision of psychological support services for police and other MIA officers. The assessment will contribute to strengthening institutional safeguards related to duty of care and the protection of the rights of uniformed personnel, taking into account the specific challenges associated with exposure to trauma, chronic stress and burnout.

The OSCE Secretariat is therefore seeking qualified experts in psychology and institutional capacity-building who may be engaged to assess existing institutional arrangements, identify needs and capacity gaps in the provision of psychological support to MIA personnel, and engage with relevant national stakeholders. The findings of the assessment will provide an evidentiary basis for subsequent policy development.

Objective of Assignment: 

The objective of this call is to identify qualified experts with relevant experience in psychological support services and institutional capacity-building who may be engaged to assess the needs and existing capacities, and develop policy recommendations for strengthening the provision of psychological support within the MIA.

Duration of Assignment:

For the assignment currently envisaged under the project, up to 20 working days are foreseen. Upon need further working days may be added, up to maximum 180 per calendar year. The work will be conducted off-site.

Tasks and Responsibilities:
 

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, CPC/FSC Operations Service, Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R), and in close co-ordination with the OSCE project team and designated MIA focal points, the selected consultant will be required to perform the following tasks:

1. Completion of stakeholder consultations, data collection and institutional capacity assessment
   • Prepare and conduct meetings, interviews and/or focus group discussions with pre-agreed stakeholders, including MIA senior management, management of MIA agencies and services, heads and representatives of human resources and internal oversight departments, as well as other relevant organizations and experts, required to complete the analysis following the initial phase, identified in consultation with the project manager;
   • Finalise the initial assessment of perceptions, expectations and barriers related to accessing psychological support, including stigma, confidentiality concerns and gender-specific barriers;
   • Finalise mapping of the existing MIA structures, human resources, budget and technical capacity for the delivery or management of psychological support services;
   • Review existing referral pathways to external psychological support providers.

2. Analysis and preparation of findings and recommendations
   • Analyse the information collected through stakeholder consultations and institutional capacity mapping;
   • Prepare a draft needs and institutional capacity assessment report;
   • Identify key needs, capacity gaps, risks and opportunities;
   • Develop recommendations to inform the future concept and action plan for a psychological support service model.

3. Validation and finalisation
   • Present preliminary findings to the MIA and relevant stakeholders;
   • Facilitate validation of the assessment findings and recommendations;
   • Incorporate feedback received during the validation process;
   • Finalise the assessment and recommendations.

Deliverables:
 

The selected consultant will be expected to produce the following deliverables:

1. Inception report, including the assessment methodology, work plan and proposed list of interviews/stakeholder consultations;

2. Needs and institutional capacity assessment report, presenting the analysis of information gathered through stakeholder consultations and institutional capacity mapping and identifying key needs, capacity gaps, risks and opportunities. The report shall include recommendations based on the needs and institutional capacity assessment;

3. Validation meeting/workshop with the MIA and relevant stakeholders, including presentation of preliminary findings, a summary of feedback received and finalisation of the assessment and recommendations. 

Necessary Qualifications:

• First-level university degree in psychology, clinical psychology, occupational psychology, mental health, public health, social sciences or a related field;

• A minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience in the design, delivery or assessment of psychological support, mental health or employee wellbeing services, preferably within law enforcement, emergency services or other high-stress or uniformed service environments;

• Demonstrated experience in policy planning, conducting needs assessments, institutional capacity assessments or similar evaluative studies, including the development of assessment methodologies and data collection tools at national and/or international level;

• Familiarity with gender-responsive approaches to workplace psychological support, including awareness of the specific needs and barriers faced by women in uniformed services;

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of the Armenian law enforcement system;

• Professional fluency in Armenian, including excellent communication and drafting skills;

• Working knowledge of English; knowledge of another OSCE language would be an asset;

• Previous experience working with international organizations or international projects would be a distinct asset;

• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity and the ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities would be desirable;

• Computer literate.

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization. 

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.