ASSOCIATE STAFF COUNSELLOR

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN Headquarters in Africa and the representative office of the Secretary-General. We support Programme implementation of the UN Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, conference and information services (www.unon.org).

This position is located at United Nations Office at Nairobi Joint Medical Services. The incumbent reports to the Chief Joint Medical Serivice, UNON JMS. Within delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for:

Responsibilities

• Conduct Psychosocial needs assessments of staff members at the duty station in-person or virtually and process reports of the same when required
• To support JMS team of doctors and nurses in managing workplace crises related to evolving local and global crises
• Prepare Psychosocial information and training materials as guided by the Chief, Joint Medical Service, and provide awareness training on emerging mental health issues of both national and international concerns to managers and staff members alike
• Support the team in roll out of activities in line with the UN Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy
• Participate in JMS in house training and offer technical contributions to mental health related discussion
• Participate in JMS health awareness campaigns and respond appropriately if called upon to respond
• Conduct in-person and online psychosocial needs assessments, mental health status assessments and process reports of the same and plan workplace interventions
• Prioritize plans of actions for staff members assessed, initiate psychosocial response and initiate follow up activities
• Provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) to staff adversely affected by various emerging crises.
• Provide in-person, virtual/online or telephone psychological counseling support to staff members and dependents
• Provide guidance and liaise with supervisors of staff affected by mental health conditions on absence management, return to work and reintegration to the workplace as indicated.
• Provide bereavement and grief supportive counseling
• Offer psychosocial support to hospitalized staff members or their dependents
• Provide psychoeducation to managers and staff members in a walk in /walkout basis
• Provide Missions’ preparedness and post-missions’ psychosocial debriefing to staff members staff members deploying and returning from emergency operation zones
• Keep statistics and provide analytic reports periodically for management review and guidance.
• Contributes to the collection and analysis of data and identification of trends or patterns and provides draft insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Documents requirements and background information used for data analysis.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: 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; The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects 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.

CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box"; Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Education

An advanced degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in counseling or clinical psychology or psychiatry is required. Training in trauma counseling is required. Certification in either Cognitive Behavior Therapy, or Crisis Intervention or Psychological First Aid is desirable. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years experience in either clinical or counseling psychology is required.

Experience in trauma counseling, crisis intervention, grief and bereavement support is required.

Experience of working in a challenging multicultural setting is required.

Experience working and liaising with fellow Counselors, Medical and Human Resources professionals is desirable.

One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working knowledge of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English and Kiswahili or Swahili is required. Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.

NOTE: "fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and " Knowledge of" equals a rating of " confident" in two of the four areas.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

This position is available for a period a period of one year and may be subject to extension.

THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO NATIONALS OF KENYA ONLY. National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located and will be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of the office. If no suitable local candidate is identified, Kenyan nationals residing elsewhere may be considered, in which case the candidate would be responsible for any costs related to traveling and relocating to Kenyan in the event of an employment offer.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Note to current staff members at the General Service level: Should a current General Service staff member (not on Continuing or Permanent Appointment) be selected for this post, he/she would need to resign from his/her General Service appointment before receiving a new appointment at the National Officer level. Locally recruited General Service staff members applying for this post must meet the minimum requirements, including academic qualifications and years of relevant experience. Relevant experience in the General Service category at G-6 and G-7 levels may count towards experience requirements.

Internal Applicants: When completing the form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. "

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

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.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists please seek technical assistance through the Inspira "Need Help?" link.

United Nations Considerations

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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

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.