Staff Counsellor – Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) – P3

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the development programme of the United Nations System (UN) and works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience to sustain development results. UNDP supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as they help shape global sustainable development.

Enabling UNDP to meet client and partner needs, the Office of Human Resources in the Bureau of Management Services (BMS/OHR) is the hub for the global HR function at UNDP, providing strategy, policy setting, guidance, and oversight as well as HR advisory and talent management services. Within BMS/OHR, the People Performance Unit (PPU) exists to provide substantive leadership to the development and implementation of the UNDP-wide approaches and strategies aimed at creating a positive employee experience and maintaining a safe, respectful and enabling working environment that enables personnel engagement, productivity and performance. More specifically, the team leads and provides advice on matters related to employee experience and engagement, staff relations and respect in the workplace, duty of care with a focus on health and well-being, dealing with sexual misconduct in the workplace, and individual performance management and its linkages with the broader organizational performance.

The UN System Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy for 2024 and beyond was launched to address the needs of UN personnel and improve organizational capacities to prevent poor mental health, promote and support good mental health and well-being. This strategy provides a road map for creating an inclusive, sustainable work environment where mental health and well-being is embedded in the organizational culture and systems. It is further supported by UNDP’s People for 2030, which emphasizes UNDP’s ongoing commitment to create a healthy workplace and fostering a culture of well-being that maintains the focus on both individuals and the working environment.

To increase its capacity to respond to the psychosocial and mental health care needs of its personnel and foster a healthy working environment, UNDP is looking for a Staff Counsellor to work under the overall guidance of the HR Specialist – Mental Health and Well-Being Team Lead, PPU, OHR/BMS.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Staff Counsellor provides psychological support and guidance to personnel working in diverse geographic locations, utilizing tele-counselling services and in-person consultations. They play a vital role in enhancing the mental health and well-being of personnel by delivering individual and group counselling, leading crisis interventions, and promoting psychological health in the workplace. The Staff Counsellor also supports managers and staff to maintain a healthy working environment, ensures the development of relevant resources, and takes a proactive role in addressing stress and burnout-related concerns, particularly during crises and critical incidents.
UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

1. Provide Psychosocial Support to UNDP Personnel

• Provide psychological support to individual personnel working in different geographic locations through tele-counselling services and/or in person; deliver group sessions for offices and teams on issues of common concern.
• In case of emergency/crises, lead coordination with Critical Incident Stress Management Section (CISMS) and local/regional staff counsellors/services to ensure appropriate crisis intervention, and participate in missions and crisis deployments if requested by the Bureau/CO.
• Analyze records, prepare comprehensive reports, and plan and implement other staff counselling activities to ensure the provision of cohesive counselling services in the RBAS region.

2. Promote Well-being and Mental Health Literacy

• Design and deliver workshops, trainings, and information sessions on a wide range of topics (e.g. stress management, domestic violence, mental health promotion etc.) to ensure that staff regularly receive relevant information and are aware of sources where to find information or assistance.
• Provide advice and psychosocial support to managers to help them ensure a psychologically healthy workplace. In this regard develop policies and guidelines, as well as information / booklets to increase awareness about issues related to mental health and well-being; develop promotional materials on key topics.

3. Prevent Risks by Monitoring by Conducting Regular Analysis

• Proactively monitor environmental factors that could lead to stress/burnout, with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents including emergency and crisis situations.

4. Facilitation of knowledge building and management

• Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks. Implement relevant, high -impact advocacy with key partners.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Competencies

Core Competencies – UNDP Core Competencies can be found here

• Achieve Results – LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively- LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously- LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility – LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination – LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner – LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion – LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

People Management

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

HR – Duty of Care – Psychosocial support to personnel:

• Ability and certified qualification to provide psychological counselling services to teams and individual personnel

Business Direction & Strategy – Effective Decision-Making:

• Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.

Business Management – Communication:

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Business Management – Risk Management:

• Identify and organize action around reducing, mitigating and proactively managing risks

Business Direction and Strategy – System Thinking:

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management – Portfolio Management:

• Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management

HR Talent Management – Employee Engagement:

• Knowledge of theories and models of human motivation and engagement including the predictors of employee engagement; knowledge of and ability to guide application of tools, techniques, and processes to increase employee engagement; knowledge of tools and methodologies to measure employee engagement and to identify its specific drivers; knowledge of tools and methodologies to ensure regular engagement with personnel on key workplace matters, with a view to identifying the most pressing workplace issues.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (master’s or equivalent) in Clinical Psychology, Counselling, Social Work or Psychiatry required. OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields of study, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Professional Certificates: Registration/License as a mental health professional in the country of origin or elsewhere is required.

Experience:

Required

• Minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) and 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of working experience and expertise in individual and group counselling- remotely and in person.
• Demonstrated experience working independently with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating data and identifying relevant findings.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and executing training.

Desired

• Experience in providing counselling in the Arab States region, and crisis and fragile field locations.
• Experience and familiarity with the UN system and procedures.
• Additional certification in trauma intervention, substance abuse counselling, cross-cultural communication
• Experience in providing counselling in a crisis context
• Experience in supervising teams.

Required Language(s):
• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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