Closing date: 17 June 2021
Contract Length: Full time to end of December 2021
Duty Station: Home-based preferably with the consultant located in the Latin American/Caribbean Region (as to be mutually agreed between UNFPA and the consultant)
Purpose of consultancy:
Background
Since the start of the outbreak in December 2019, COVID-19 has spread to over 182 countries and territories. As of May 2021, there have been over 157 973 438 confirmed cases, with over 3 288 455 deaths reported, including among children.
In many countries, including those with ongoing humanitarian crises, the COVID-19 outbreak is creating significant additional pressure on the already overburdened social service delivery systems, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of affected populations. The urban poor, migrant, internally displaced and refugee populations are especially at risk as they tend to live in overcrowded settings, making it incredibly difficult to practice social distancing. These settings often also lack continuous access to water and sanitation services. Populations on the move will be further exposed to the disease as basic essential and life-saving services are hindered due to control measures, movement restrictions, border closures, discriminatory access to testing and vaccinations, and other health services.
The work of UNFPA contributes both to outbreak control and to mitigation of the collateral impacts of the pandemic, including of the risks to the continuity of essential social services for children, women and vulnerable populations. The objectives of the organization’s COVID-19 preparedness and response strategy are to reduce human-to-human transmission in affected countries and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on children, youth and their care providers, especially for the most vulnerable. UNFPA’s strategy is in line with the COVID-19 strategic preparedness and response plan of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Inter- Agency Standing Committee (IASC) humanitarian response plan led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
COVID-19 has also had a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of UNFPA personnel. Not only are they supporting affected populations who are experiencing increased levels of distress and lack of resources, but they themselves are also experiencing the impact of COVID-19 on their personal lives and their mental health and wellbeing. In response, UNFPA has developed a Duty of Care program including the implementation of staff care support globally with staff care specialists in each of the regions where UNFPA is present. The LACRO region in particular has been greatly impacted over the past few months and it’s essential that we begin offering specialized staff care support to the region.
Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of consultancy is to provide staff care counselling and support to the Latin America and Caribbean (LACRO) region remotely through video conferencing, email and phone.
The Staff Care Specialist will work closely with the Global Duty of Care Coordinator and the LACRO Region Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP)/HR Focal Points on the assessment and then implementation of appropriate staff care and wellbeing interventions for all personnel. The incumbent will work to build a sustainable stress management system that improves and supports the wellbeing and resilience of personnel and eligible dependents when necessary. More specifically, this includes, but is not limited to the following duties and responsibilities:
• Where necessary conduct coaching sessions for management teams (including the Regional Office, Country Offices) to provide coaching on how to institute simple and robust mechanisms to support staff care and lead healthy teams (that remain in line with more overarching and institutional Duty of Care interventions such as the High-Level Committee of Management recommendations around Duty of Care).
• Where appropriate, conduct "Psychosocial Dimensions of COVID-19” webinars/training for UNFPA personnel and eligible dependents (using contemporary IT methods).
• Conduct Peer Helpers training, and other online training sessions on domestic violence, intimate partner violence, stress and stress-related themes for UNFPA personnel/peer helpers/dependents and staff care and wellbeing subjects.
• In the event of a critical event in either a humanitarian or an emergency situation, the Regional Staff Care Specialist will provide support. They will help staff clarify concerns, support staff with problem solving and connect staff to appropriate resources as necessary.
• Refer personnel and eligible dependents to relevant physicians/mental health practitioners to ensure appropriate access to both immediate and adequate psycho-social services as well as access to other relevant psychosocial resources.
• Monitor changes in staff care and wellbeing needs in the target regional and country contexts and bring to the attention of Duty of Care Coordinator, Regional HRBP/HR Focal Points so that necessary action can be taken.
• Coordinate with CISMU and any other staff care providers working in the region for UN agencies
• Ensure that any corporate or local Staff Care and wellbeing protocols, policy, guidelines and assistance programs are appropriately disseminated and understood amongst relevant regional and country office employees.
• Work closely with other Regional Staff Care Specialists, Duty of Care Coordinator and relevant staff from DHR in the elaboration of a sustainable plan of staff care for the agency, which is accompanied by an elaboration of regional needs at different levels of support.
Additional duties:
• Prepare regular progress reports and a final report on overall results and findings on the state of staff care and wellbeing and provide suggestions, recommendations and guidance both to Regional Office and DHR-NY to improve practices and day-to-day support to teams in this and similar such contexts.
• Perform any other duties as required by Duty of Care Coordinator, HRBP/Regional HR Focal Points.
Within the broad scope of work as outlined above, the consultant is expected to deliver relevant activities on timely basis, reliably and accurately throughout the consultancy period. Specific deadlines, reports/deliverables will be on need basis and communicated accordingly.
The consultant will report to the Global Duty of Care Coordinator, with reporting lines to the regional human resources business partner. Under the guidance of the Global Duty of Care Specialist, the Staff Care Specialist will work to understand and disseminate corporate staff care and wellbeing priorities to all UNFPA personnel in the LACRO region regardless of contract modality. On a day-to-day basis, this will also mean working with the LACRO HRBP to equally assess and then support the subsequent local and regional context staff care and wellbeing needs.
Expected Travel: None
Required Expertise and Qualifications
Education:
Advanced university degree (Masters) in Psychology (Preferably Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology or Psychoeducation)
Knowledge and Experience:
Years of Experience and Skills:
• At least 7 years of professional experience in Mental Health, and Family medicine, including first psychological aid, stress management etc.; psychological counselling, psychotherapy and or psychoeducation essential particularly in international humanitarian and development setting.
• Additional certification in trainings on mental and psychosocial support, UN certified training in psychosocial service provision, training and or experience in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, psychosomatic disease, behavioral problems, psychosocial programming would be an asset.
• Well-developed communication, leadership and team building skills.
• Demonstrated expertise in conducting participatory assessments and approaches.
• Knowledge and experience implementing guidelines on Mental Health Psychological Support Network in Emergency Settings.
• Prior experience in working with the United Nations agencies is desirable
• Experience in working in hardship fragile context is an advantage
• Proficiency in current office software applications and online communication and collaboration tools is mandatory.
Languages:
Fluency in English and Spanish required. Fluency in Portuguese and/or French would also be beneficial.
How to Apply
Please send your application and a short letter of motivation with "LACRO Staff Care Specialist Consultant" in the subject to abbs@unfpa.org, by 17 June 2021
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
