Staff Counsellor – WFP

By Osama Elsheikh Last updated Apr 10, 2023

Job Description

Organization	United Nations World Food Programme
Job Title	Staff Counsellor P3
Requisition ID	761851
Location	Sudan – Khartoum
Posted Date	07/04/2023
Closing Date	30/04/2023

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees. We encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

Are you a Staff Counsellor interested in further developing your professional experience while contributing to ending global hunger? Are you passionate about helping those in need? Would you like to join a global organisation investing in its people?

If so, an exciting & fulfilling career awaits you!!! Join our diverse and passionate team that works on varied and international projects directly contributing to saving & changing millions of lives around the globe.

WHO WE ARE

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & world’s largest humanitarian organization, operating in more than 120 countries and territories, bringing life-saving assistance in emergencies, building pathways to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change and supporting sustainable and resilient livelihoods for a world with zero hunger.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP’s values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org/ and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

WHY JOIN US?

WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate %
WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of trainings, accreditation, coaching, mentorship and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
We offer attractive compensation package (please refer to Terms and Conditions section).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. The core policies and strategies that govern WFP activities are: save lives in emergency situations; improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people; and to help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through conditional food for work and training programmes.

WFP Sudan is one of the oldest WFP operations, born in 1969. With a broad activities portfolio from Emergency Response to Humanitarian response and resilience activities, WFP Sudan established itself as the University of WFP throughout the years. This has allowed WFP Sudan staff the opportunity to grow and affirm themselves in their career. The challenges of working in difficult conditions to bring much-needed food and support to our recipients, while inherently rewarding, can place a great deal of pressure and stress on WFP staff. As part of a multidisciplinary team under the Staff Wellness Division, the Staff Counselling Unit is committed to promoting psychological and physical health in the broadest sense so staff can continue to function at high levels to meet the mandate of the organization. We do this by identifying and addressing psychological risk factors in the workplace, and through the provision of counselling services to staff members and their dependents.

The UN WFP is looking for a highly qualified Staff Counsellor to join the Staff Wellness Division based in Khartoum, covering the WFP Operation in Sudan. The WFP Sudan operation is one of the largest, with over 1,300 staff in five Area Offices and a total of 19 offices. The operational environment is fluid and challenging. Khartoum is a family Duty Station.

THE ROLE

The Staff Counsellor will administratively report to the Country Director and technically report to the Regional Staff Counsellor based in Nairobi. A key responsibility will be developing and implementing a wide range of Wellness initiatives and programs consistent with the five pillars of the Wellness Strategy and the ability to summarize data and trends to develop programs and policies designed to support staff. Frequent travel is required to support the sub and field offices, at times on short notice based on operational needs.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The Staff Counsellor will be responsible for performing the following duties:

Provide empirically supported and culturally sensitive counselling services to staff and if requested their dependents; this may include case management and referrals to other resources as required;
Provide pre and post deployment briefings to staff being deployed to emergency or hardship duty stations;
Using the WFP Wellness Strategy work closely with partners to develop a broad range of Wellness initiatives that fit the context and needs of the operation;
Based on data trends and requests from other divisions/units/offices develop and provide a range of trainings and programs including but not limited to team building, resilience, harassment, and cross-cultural sensitivity to improve morale, health, and team dynamics;
As part of a multidisciplinary team work closely with individuals and teams to address psychological risks at the individual, unit and organizational level;

When requested work closely with managers/supervisors towards improving the working atmosphere in their units;
Manage the content of the Wellbeing Platform relevant to South Sudan.
Provide counselling services to individuals and/or groups during emergencies; provide services in a timely and sensitive manner to staff and dependents after critical incidents, and ensure follow up support for staff and dependents following critical events;
In conjunction with country management and the Wellness Division, develop an innovative Wellness Support Volunteer Program (WSV) that focuses on Wellness in the broadest sense of the term with a mandate to deliver tangible mechanisms to support staff; Support and maintain the existing WSV Network through supervision; disseminate training materials and related protocols;
Identify and liaise with high quality local and regional mental health resources that can be used for referrals or in times of crisis;

In the best interests of staff members and the organization work in a collegial and professional manner with all units in the Staff Wellness Division to insure continuity of care;
Work as a part of a team to insure WFP divisional priorities are implemented consistent with the yearly divisional work plan and the Wellness Division Strategic Plan;
Develop and participate in multidisciplinary programmes in the Staff Wellness Division as well as Regional and Country Offices;
Be proactive in building partnerships with but not limited to HR and security that support staff within the agency and with other agencies or relevant organizations;
Contribute to the development of policies and guidelines, as well as written and visual materials to increase awareness regarding important themes and topics related to Staff Wellness;

Complete administrative duties such as maintain statistics on activities and completing reporting requirements as per the requirement in the Staff Wellness Division;
Work closely with the Regional Staff Counsellor in Nairobi to coordinate on regional initiatives and provide support as required;
Participate and collaborate in UNSSCG, CISMU activities and working groups;
Maintain the highest ethical standards related to the provision of psychological services and adhere to the Wellness Division Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct;
Perform other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS & KEY REQUIREMENTS

Education:

Advanced university degree (Doctorate, Masters or equivalent) in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry or demonstrably equivalent studies from a recognized institution.
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 a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, resilience, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, mediation, trauma etc. will be an advantage.

Experience:

At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional post graduate experience relevant to the field is required.
Experience either working in a hardship location or providing counselling services to staff working under very difficult and insecure environments is an asset.

Language:

Proficiency in writing and verbal communication in English is required.
Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or Portuguese (A WFP’s working language).

MORE ABOUT YOU

Broad knowledge of all facets of the field of counselling and ability to provide an environment in which others can talk confidentially and act without fear or repercussions within a climate of established trust.
Excellent communication skills (oral, written and presentations) including the ability to defend and explain difficult issues and positions to staff at all levels.
Ability to identify clients’ needs and suggest appropriate solutions.
Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with clients.
Ability to contribute to the strategic vision of the Wellness division based on trends identified using a population health model.
Must be an excellent team player and value working with a multidisciplinary and culturally diverse team.
Very good working knowledge of technology tools such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word.
Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries and establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

These are the common standards of behaviour that guide HOWwe work together to accomplish our mission.

Leads by Example with Integrity	Drives Results and Delivers on Commitments	Fosters Inclusive and Collaborative Teamwork	Applies Strategic Thinking	Builds and Maintains Sustainable Partnerships
Lives the WFP values and shows humanity and integrity by role modelling care for others	Delivers on commitments and adapts readily to change	Is inclusive and collaborative, and contributes to a culture of learning and personal growth	Demonstrates commitment to gather perspectives, analyse options and risks, and propose new ways of doing things	Builds and nurtures external partnerships and collaborates with partners to deliver common objectives

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This is an International Professional position and candidates must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards (http://icsc.un.org) including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance.

The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Khartoum, Sudan to take up this assignment.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable)
Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
Please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

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