Chief, Staff Care and Wellbeing

Org. Setting and Reporting

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The Chief, Staff Care and Wellbeing reports to the Director of Relief and Social Services.

Responsibilities

Advises the Director of Relief and Social Services, other directors, and managers on staff care, mental health and wellbeing areas; supports the development and implementation of divisional strategies, policies and plans, ensuring alignment with departmental, UNRWA and wider UN strategies, policies, and processes to support staff care and wellbeing in meeting the mandate of UNRWA; coordinates and cooperates closely with other sections within and outside of the Human Resources Department (HRD), raising awareness and advocating for staff welfare and psychosocial issues at the highest levels; works towards gaining support for psychosocial wellbeing projects; develops and verifies psychosocial wellbeing related policies or HR policies affecting staff mental health and wellbeing; oversees the integration of staff care in all relevant policies to ensure an organizational approach to staff mental health and wellbeing. Leads the Staff Care Division; regularly collaborates with other units to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to service delivery; develops existing staff care protocols (especially crisis intervention protocol) in coordination with relevant parties; develops and continuously evaluates the strategy of psychosocial support to UNRWA personnel (all contracts) and their families; intervenes in crises and other situations with appropriate psychosocial interventions for UNRWA employees and their families; develops guidelines to ensure that the provision of services meets professional standards and maintains the highest ethical standards. Ensures that the work of staff counsellors/staff care specialists is well integrated in regional and field-based plans; coordinates the work of all staff counsellors, staff care specialists/consultants, ensuring resources are used efficiently and that staff welfare programmes are reasonably consistent across field offices; endorses staff counsellors’ workplans at headquarters and in the field offices; ensures quality standards are consistently realized through clinical and technical support, supervision, coaching, obtaining feedback and continuous education; oversees the development and maintenance of the online platforms designed to support staff in collaboration with relevant wellbeing stakeholders. Takes part and/or initiates various working groups, focusing on the well-being of staff, oriented towards finding alternatives and better solutions through policy changes or defining best practices; takes responsibility for the development and delivery of a range of trainings and programmes, including but not limited to team building, resilience, harassment, and cross-cultural sensitivity to improve morale, health, and team dynamics. Produces comprehensive reports that summarize the activities of staff counsellors and staff care initiatives; oversees the development of written and visual materials that increase awareness of important themes and topics related to staff care and wellbeing. Maintains close collaboration with staff counsellors in other UN agencies with similar programmes, sharing experiences and resources to the extent possible, to align service delivery with the staff care, mental health and wellbeing strategies and agency priorities (to the extent possible). Represents UNRWA on the advisory committee of the United Nations Staff and Stress Counsellors Group, interagency committees and working groups including but not limited to the UN Mental Health Strategy and UN Duty of Care Working Group.

Competencies

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. Default managerial competencies may apply. Planning and Organizing Creating and Maintaining Impact and Partnership Deciding and Initiating Action Engaging and Nurturing Creating and Innovating Fosters inclusive and collaborative teamwork: is inclusive and collaborative and contributes to a culture of learning and personal growth. Applies strategic thinking: demonstrates commitment to gathering perspectives, analyzing options and risks, and proposing new ways of doing things. For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education

Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry, or a related discipline.

Job – Specific Qualification

Active licensure / registration as a mental health professional with a recognized governing association; must be a member of that organization in good standing is required.

Work Experience

A least ten years of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience relevant to mental health and wellbeing is required. At least five years of relevant work experience in a humanitarian organization is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number is required. Experience working in a hardship location or providing counselling services to staff working in very difficult and insecure environments is required. Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry, or a related discipline is required. Sound knowledge of Arabic is required.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English is required. Sound knowledge of Arabic is required.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Type of Contract and duration: 1 year extrabudgetary funds, appointment subject to funds availability, and a possibility of further extensions based on need, performance and funding. The incumbent will be required to travel regularly inside and outside Field, throughout the Agency’s area of operations. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA’s online e-recruitment system inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/United Nations

United Nations Considerations

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, 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. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA 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. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment. 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 RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.