Strategic office context
UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) operates in one of the world's most complex humanitarian and development settings, delivering lifesaving and resilience-building programmes for millions of children and women affected by conflict, climate-related emergencies, displacement, disease outbreaks, poverty, and restricted access to essential services.
Reporting to the Chief of People and Culture and receiving technical guidance from the Regional Staff Counsellor, the Staff Counsellor leads the design and implementation of a comprehensive staff mental health and psychosocial support programme aligned with UNICEF's Duty of Care framework and MHPSS strategy. The role provides confidential counselling and psychosocial support to personnel and eligible dependents, while delivering prevention, early intervention, critical incident response, recovery support, and resilience-building initiatives. Responsibilities include individual counselling, leadership consultation, psychosocial risk assessments, team interventions, organizational wellbeing programmes, and critical incident stress management.
Key roles and responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership, Organizational Wellbeing and Psychosocial Risk Management
2. Prevention, Workforce Resilience and Organizational Development
3. Leadership Consultation, Coaching and Organizational Change Support
4. Individual and Group Psychosocial Support Services
5. Emergency Psychosocial Response and Critical Incident Support
6. Partnerships, Capacity Building and Knowledge Management
Minimum Requirements
- Additional training or certification in staff support and traumatic / critical incident stress as well as a broad range of related fields, such as Employee Assistance Programme, alcohol/substance abuse, family counselling, coaching, stress management is an asset.
- Demonstrated experience providing psychological support and critical incident stress management to personnel operating in emergency, conflict, fragile, or high-stress environments.
- Experience advising senior managers and leadership teams on workforce wellbeing, psychological safety, organizational resilience, and staff care strategies.
Desirables
- Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
- Experience with stress management, trauma counseling, substance abuse counseling, coaching certification is desirable. Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergencies is considered an asset.
- Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(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
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
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 are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.
Remarks
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.
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.