Organization: UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Istanbul
Grade: Mid level – P-4, International Professional – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Human Resources
Medical Practitioners
Procurement
Closing Date: 2025-01-22

Description:

Under the direction of the Regional Director, UNICEF ECARO O/P Istanbul Turkiye is seeking a highly motivated P4 level Regional Staff Counselor who will support the general well-being of UNICEF employees and their families as well as teams in UNICEF offices throughout the region by offering expertise to UNICEF management, staff of regional and country offices in Europe and Central Asia, and staff based in UNICEF Geneva.

From infancy through adolescence, UNICEF works in more than 190 nations and territories to protect children’s rights, save lives, and enable them to reach their full potential.

We at UNICEF are dedicated, enthusiastic, and proud of the work we undertake. Encouraging the rights of all children is a calling, not simply a job.

Careers are developed at UNICEF because we provide a variety of professional and personal development options for our employees, enabling them to pursue lucrative careers while accomplishing a meaningful purpose. We take great satisfaction in offering an alluring benefits and pay package together with a culture that fosters employee success.

Organizational context of the job

UNICEF aims to create a workplace where resilience, work-life balance, and employee wellbeing are all ingrained in the company culture. UNICEF employees are often subjected to high levels of daily, cumulative stress because of the nature and location of their job. This stress includes stressors linked to their workload and the difficulties of living and working in multicultural, usually unstable, and insecure situations.

As part of the UNICEF ECAR organizational structure, a regional staff counselor is designated to create, develop, and carry out a regional staff mental health and wellbeing plan in accordance with the UN System Wide Mental Health plan and UNICEF Global Staff Wellbeing Strategic priorities.

Under the technical direction of the global chief of staff wellbeing, this office-based role in Istanbul reports to the regional director of Europe and Central Asia (ECA). In addition to providing assistance to UNICEF employees stationed in Geneva, it primarily assists UNICEF employees and offices throughout the Europe and Central Asia region. It also supports the organization’s worldwide staff well-being initiatives. Traveling to offices mostly located in Europe and Central Asia may be part of it.

The job’s purpose

In order to support the general well-being of UNICEF employees and their families as well as teams in UNICEF offices in the region, the P-4 Regional Staff Counselor is expected to contribute expertise to UNICEF management, staff, and the regional and country offices in Europe and Central Asia, as well as the staff based in UNICEF Geneva.

The position will support the creation of a regional framework for staff well-being and encourage its regional implementation. Activities to improve the work-life balance of UNICEF employees, increase awareness of healthy work practices, help staff and their families deal with personal or work-related issues, provide immediate support after a traumatic incident, and other related tasks will be identified by the framework.

The regional network of UN counselors will be coordinated and collaborated with by the Regional Staff Counselor. Close coordination with Country Offices and frequent field trips are necessary.

In addition to supporting, coordinating, and implementing the UNICEF Staff Wellbeing Strategic priorities locally, the Regional Staff Counselor is a member of the UNICEF Staff Wellbeing team worldwide. It could be necessary to get cross-regional or global support.

Responsibibilities:

1. In collaboration with the Regional Director, the global Chief of Staff Wellbeing,  Regional Chief of People and Culture, and colleagues, facilitate the development, implementation and coordination of a regional framework aiming at improved Staff Well-Being in the region:

1. Assist in developing the framework;
2. Develop strategies for implementing the framework in the region;
3. Monitor the impact of the framework on regional and country levels;
4. Lobby and provide input for improvement.

1. Facilitate the provision of effective psycho-social support to staff leadership, managers and individual staff prioritizing emergency locations with the aim to mitigating stress and boost protective factors by:

1. Providing support and advice to the leadership and managers in offices on healthy work practices and approaches on how to effectively support staff and encourage resilience. Recommend suitable staff support strategies to managers during and following emergencies and other crises;
2. Providing staff with individual and/or group counselling as needed (i.e. assessment, short-term intervention, referral);
3. Facilitating the treatment of psychiatric disorders primarily through referrals. Including to the medical services division, and through guidance to supervisors and senior management, where appropriate;
4. Contributing to identification of creative ways of extending a network of external mental health providers available to provide services to staff around the world;
5. Coordinating the regional network of Peer Support Volunteers (PSVs), including selection, training and technical supervision;
6. Coordinate with UNDSS, agency counsellors and PSVs, to ensure the provision of adequate psychosocial support during emergencies;
7. Assess and monitor psychosocial needs and issues affecting the wellbeing of staff.

1. Provide Critical Incident Stress Management to groups- and/or individual staff following critical incidents, employing a holistic which may include services such as practical support, psycho-education, psychological first aid strategic advice to leadership, family support and individual or group interventions by:

1. Contacting the affected staff member(s) and offering information about typical stress reactions, support and referral information;
2. Facilitating appropriate traumatic stress interventions, following a critical incident or  traumatic event;
3. Recommending and arranging for individual and/or group follow-up support to staff and their dependents.

1. Training and awareness raising on Staff Well-Being related  topics:

1. Explore and contribute to the development 0f new modalities, such as e-learning and webinars, which make awareness raising material available and attractive to all staff;
2. Cooperate with Regional and Country offices to Integrate subjects such as healthy work practices managing stress and trauma, building resiliency etc. into learning strategies.

5. Monitoring and oversight:

a) Provide on a quarterly basis statistics and trends on issues related to staff well-being, whilst maintaining confidentiality. Alert the Regional Director, Regional Chief of People and Culture, and Chief of Staff Wellbeing on trends that may be of concern in offices or offices requiring targeted support or Managerial intervention. Capture lessons learnt and best practices for dissemination as appropriate.

Impact of Results:

In consultation with the Chief Staff Wellbeing, decisions made regarding type of interventions for staff support, referral agencies and consultants, strategies to increase staff-well being, types of information for dissemination. These decisions have an indirect impact on all UNICEF staff in the region, and directly affect those staff involved in interventions, presentations, trainings, etc.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Requirements:

• Education: Advanced University degree In counselling, clinical psychology or related mental health profession. Additional training or certification in staff support and traumatic/critical incident stress as well as a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/ substance abuse, family counselling, training, stress management.

The candidate must hold active licensure/registration as a mental health professional with a recognized governing association and be a member of that organization in good standing.

Additional training or certification in staff support and traumatic/critical incident stress management, as well as a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, family counselling, training, remote counselling.

• Work Experience: Minimum eight years of national and especially international professional experience In staff support, mental health, cross cultural communications, counselling, and related areas, preferably gained within the UN system or international development humanitarian aid sector.Track record showing resourcefulness and keen social awareness and sound judgement pertaining to common counselling caveats e.g. overzealous client advocacy, burnout, the need for self-care and personal counselling. An empathic non-judgmental clinical approach with tact and confidentiality.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of another UN language (French, Russian) will be an asset.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Experience either working in a hardship location or providing counselling services to staff working under very difficult and insecure environments is an asset.
• Evidence of previous experience in adhering to professional boundaries, e.g., administering only those services for which supervised training has been administered.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

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