Background and Organizational ContextUnited Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) is an integral part of the United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) in Pakistan. The Office has been increasing the support to the UNSMS staff members in Pakistan, UNDSS within its capacity has been supporting the UN AFPs in delivering their programs. The Critical Incident Stress Management Section (CISMS) in UNDSS remains an integral function/ activity of UNDSS for continuous support to the UNSMS staff members and their dependents in Pakistan.
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Chief Security Advisor (CSA), Pakistan and the technical supervision of the CISMS, UNDSS Regional Stress Counsellor in New York, the incumbent will assist in the implementation of CISMS programme of UNDSS.
Position Purpose The key role of the National Stress Counsellor is to build a sustainable stress management system in the UN Offices operating in country and to strengthen critical incident stress management preparedness of the UN security management system (UNSMS), through a comprehensive stress management plan that focuses on probable emergencies. Under the administrative supervision of the CSA, Pakistan and the technical supervision of the CISMS, UNDSS Regional Stress Counsellor in New York.
The Stress Counsellor will implement a wide range of stress management activities, through the implementation of the UNDSS CISMS strategic framework on critical incident stress prevention and management outlined in the policy on Management of Stress and Critical Incident Stress (MSCIS-2015) that encapsulates the United Nations Standard Operating Procedure on critical incident stress management.
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
Key Duties and Accountabilities
Develop and implement a stress prevention and management plan applicable to all UN Agencies in the country. Plan and facilitate preventative stress management training on a variety of stress related issues for UN personnel in the country and circulate useful reading resources related to stress.
The key role of the National Stress Counsellor is to build a sustainable stress management system in the UN Offices operating in country.
- To strengthen critical incident stress management preparedness of the UN security management system (UNSMS), through a comprehensive stress management plan that focuses on probable emergencies.
- Conduct annual psychosocial needs assessments in UNSMS.
- Monitor the critical incident stress management program implementation in UN offices across Pakistan, including data collection, analysis, and documentation.
- Carry out periodic assessments to gauge the stress level of UNSMS staff and families.
- Identify, address, and follow up on critical incident stress cases among UN staff.
Provision of counselling services to staff and their eligible dependents. Ensure all stress management activities in UN offices in Pakistan are in line with the UN policies on Respect for Diversity and Gender Mainstreaming. Assist in establishing the Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells (CISICs) including selecting Peer Helpers and Family Focal Points; facilitating peer helper training sessions (jointly with UNDSS CISMU); coordinating and following up on all relevant activities.
- Provide individual and group counselling sessions to staff and eligible dependents.
- Maintain the database for periodic reporting.
- Assist in establishing the Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells (CISICs).
- Assist in selecting Peer Helpers and Family Focal Points.
- Facilitate peer helper training sessions (jointly with UNDSS CISMU); coordinating and following up on all relevant activities.
Identify, address and follow up on high stress cases and critical incident stress cases among the UN personnel and dependents in the country. Liaise with existing local Staff Association to advocate for the organization of welfare activities for UN personnel. Be willing to visit & travel regularly to the UN Offices/Sub Offices in the country in order to implement preventative stress management training activities and offer technical consultations when needed.
- Conduct annual psychosocial needs assessments in UNSMS.
- To monitor the critical incident stress management program implementation in UN offices across Pakistan, including data collection, analysis, and documentation.
- Carry out periodic assessments to gauge the stress level of UNSMS staff and families.
- Identify, address, and follow up on critical incident stress cases among UN staff.
- Coordination and liaise with different staff association.
- Refer cases to external professionals on need bases.
Under the guidance of the CISMU Regional Stress Counsellor, coordinate all critical incident stress management activities with relevant stake holders, including UN staff counsellors in the country and in neighboring countries, Peer Helpers, Family Focal Points, Mental Health Professionals etc. Collaborate with UN managers, agency counsellors, medical doctors, local experts and institutions on psychosocial issues with the objective of establishing a network of professionals ready to support and intervene in case of need. Advise UN management on stress mitigating strategies and activities. Perform ongoing psychosocial needs assessments and monitor the determinants of stress in UN personnel, including activities such as data collection, analyses, resource mapping and coordinating collective psychosocial capacity across UN agencies and partners.
- Prepare and draft reports.
- Maintain statistics of the CISMU critical incident stress management activities
- Provide support to relevant stake holders, including UN staff counsellors in the country and in neighboring countries, Peer Helpers, Family Focal Points, Mental Health Professionals etc.
- Arrange meetings with UN managers, agency counsellors, medical doctors, local experts and institutions on psychosocial issues.
- Establish a network of professionals ready to support and intervene in case of need.
- Advise UN management on stress mitigating strategies and activities.
Provide monthly reports to the Chief Security Adviser with copies to UN Headquarters UNDSS CISMU on all his/her activities. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
- Prepare and draft month reports.
- Other relevant activities as assigned by the supervisors.
- Any other miscellaneous UN duties as assigned by UNDSS CSA/ DSA offices Pakistan.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of he Office and the Organization.
Competencies Core - Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
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.
- Change Management: Ability to prepare, support, and help individuals and teams in designing and implementing organizational change
- Customer Satisfaction/Client Management:
- Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs.
- Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
- Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate Requests Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns. Considers clients point of views; establishes and maintains trust and respect of client community.
- Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
- Evaluation: Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks - Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
HR - Duty of Care
- Psychosocial support to personnel: Ability and certified qualification to provide psychological counselling services to teams and individual personnel.
- Occupational safety, health and wellbeing: Knowledge of OSHW concepts and methods and ability to apply them in the development of the OSHW strategies, policies, management systems and quality standards that are consistent with the business strategy. Ability to identity OSHW risks and to develop mitigation strategies and monitoring systems; to create OSHW incident reporting and response systems; understanding of the key workplace stressors and ability to design effective response measures.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Clinical Psychology or Psychiatry is required, or A first-level university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.
- A valid certification to practice at national level in clinical psychology or psychiatry is required.
Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:
- Minimum 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of relevant experience in psychological counselling, psychotherapy for trauma and critical incident stress.
- Qualifying years of experience are calculated after the receipt of an accredited advanced level degree recognized by the United Nations.
- Additional training or experience in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, critical incident stress and cross-cultural communication would be an asset.
- Experience in crisis coordination and emergency response would be highly desirable.
- Fluency in the English and national language of the duty station is required.
- Possession of a valid driver’s license;
- Ability to travel & physically fit.
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
Disclaimer Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: 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.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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