Background

Background/Context

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. In order to strengthen compliance with international standards on trauma-informed counselling and case management in the provision of services, UN Women developed a Partners Engagement Strategy that encompasses a capacity development package that is composed of various technical and operational/project management trainings, long-term coaching sessions, organisation development, and peer-to-peer exchanges.

UN Women Afghanistan is seeking a Senior Technical Advisor and Expert Trainer on trauma-informed psychosocial counselling and case management to provide strategic technical advice on a relevant and context-responsive course of action to take in ensuring trauma-informed counseling provided to at-risk women and their families is of high quality and survivour-centred and considers the safety and security of service providers, clients and all stakeholders amidst the multiple humanitarian challenges in the country.

Reporting to the EVAW Programme Manager, the Senior Technical Advisor and Expert Trainer is expected to work with one or more national consultants and provide overall strategic direction and capacity strengthening to support UN Women’s partners to apply international standards and improve health outcomes by increasing quality of trauma-informed psychosocial support counseling and case management. The consultancy will be home based with possible travel to Afghanistan, to be determined depending on need, feasibility and the safety and security considerations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the EVAW Programme Manager, the international consultant will be responsible for the following tasks and deliverables:

Deliverables:

Under the overall supervision of the EVAW Programme Manager, the international consultant will be responsible for the following tasks and deliverables:

1. Analyse the complex implementation context in Afghanistan and develop / adapt Trauma-informed Psychosocial Counselling and Case Management capacity strengthening approach and materials.

• Conduct consultations with senior management of partners and high-level officials from all relevant stakeholders to inform strategic approach to strengthen partner capacities in delivering high quality trauma-informed psychosocial counseling and case management according to international PSS standards and based on a deep understanding of the Afghan context.

• Develop / adapt Trauma-informed Psychosocial Counselling and Case Management training design, materials and implementation plan.

• Work hand in hand and supervise national consultant to adapt global resources on trauma-informed psychosocial support counselling and case management to the Afghan context.

2. Strengthen institutional capacities of UN Women and partners in addressing trauma and improving health outcomes to at-risk women and their families.

• Develop a competency framework of technical and functional skills needed and a plan to target capacity gaps in delivering high quality trauma-informed psychosocial counseling and case management in Afghanistan.

• Deliver expert training to UN Women staff and partners on applying international standards on trauma-informed psychosocial counseling and case management, which may include the training of trainers and developing a delivery plan to reach multiple cohorts and strengthen capacities of staff in provincial centers.

3. Overall technical and advisory assistance on trauma-informed PSS and case management.

• Based on the capacity gaps and the high-level competency framework, provide overall technical and strategic advice to UN Women staff and partners to deliver context-responsive and trauma-informed counselling and the needed course of action to reach at-risk women and their, considering the safety and security of service providers.

• Based on delivery of capacity strengthening and observations. Provide strategic advice for ongoing long-term coaching that the EVAW programme can integrate in future strategic directions.

Deliverable	Expected completion time (due day)	Payment Schedule (optional)
Analyse the complex implementation context in Afghanistan and develop / adapt Trauma-informed Psychosocial Counselling and Case Management capacity strengthening approach and materials. Submit capacity development recommendations and Trauma-informed Psychosocial Counselling and Case Management training design, materials and implementation plan	Up to 20 days By August 2024	20%
Strengthen institutional capacities of UN Women and partners in addressing trauma and improving health outcomes to at-risk women and their families Submit competency development framework Conduct of capacity development to UN Women staff and partners on applying international standards on trauma-informed psychosocial counseling and case management,	Up to 60 days September 2024 to March 2025	40%
Overall technical and advisory assistance on trauma-informed PSS and case management Provide biannual reports on strategic advice to UN Women staff and partners to deliver context-responsive and trauma-informed counselling and the needed course of action Provide advice for ongoing long-term actions that the EVAW programme can integrate in future strategic directions	Up to 20 days By April 2025	40%

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy with missions to Kabul. As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of 3 trips to Afghanistan (e.g. Kabul and possibly regions with UN Women sub-offices, to be determined based on ongoing assessment of security situation.)

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Substantive knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in the fields of gender equality, protection, preparedness and humanitarian action, resilience and women, peace and security
• Strong knowledge of the country
• Skills in IM tools and visual representation of data analysis
• Excellent networking skills
• Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy research
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings
• Strong knowledge of programme development, implementation, results-based management and reporting
• Adept at queries, report writing and presenting findings

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

Advanced university degree in Psychology or in a related discipline. A degree or certificate in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support is desirable.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience in the field of psychiatry or psychology.
• Minimum 10 years of experience teaching or training in the field of psychiatry or psychology.
• Demonstrated experience in providing capacity building of counsellors and case managers in psychosocial counselling; especially in conflict and post-conflict trauma methods with at-risk populations is required.
• Significant experience working in relevant fields in Afghanistan is a distinct advantage
• Demonstrated experience in providing strategic advice and ensuring quality assurance and peer-review of conflict-sensitive psychosocial support services in a distinct advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in working and developing partnerships with governments, relevant experts, international organisations, civic society organisations, assistance agencies and donors in the field of mental health and PSS is an advantage
• Senior leadership experience in managing people and processes in a politically sensitive environment is an advantage.
• Knowledge and experience using the IASC guidelines on mental health and psychosocial services and other international standards on trauma-informed care to improve health outcomes.
• Strong communication skills (ability to moderate meetings, give presentations and trainings
• Experience in humanitarian context is a strong advantage.

Languages:

• Excellent verbal and written (drafting and editing) English skills

How to Apply

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)