National Staff Counsellor

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

The war in Ukraine has placed the entire Ukrainian agrifood system at risk, with significant consequences for food security both in Ukraine and globally. The destruction or damage to agricultural infrastructure and markets, and the disruption of food supply chains is threatening the food security of already vulnerable populations. Agriculture-based livelihoods, a key source of income for 30 percent of the population, are severely impacted. While many Ukrainians are fleeing their communities and/or the country, a significant proportion of the population is staying, facing extreme challenges and thus requiring multisectoral humanitarian assistance.

In this context, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is uniquely positioned in Ukraine to implement a multidimensional and innovative strategy to sustain and restore agrifood systems at scale. FAO’s country office remains in Kyiv, with field offices in Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro.

The FAO Health Services provides preventative medical, counselling, and occupational health services to FAO employees and their dependents as well as advising on all mental health-related matters. Within the Health Services, the counselling unit provides services to promote the psychological health and well-being of employees and contributes to a healthy work environment, at Headquarters and in field offices worldwide.

This role is home-based in Kyiv, Ukraine but will require some in-office presence in any of FAO Ukraine’s field offices.

Reporting Lines

Under the direct supervision of the Designated Responsible Officer/Head of Office in Ukraine, and close technical guidance and coordination from the Chief and Staff Counsellors of FAO’s Health Services.

Technical Focus

The National Staff Counsellor will be supporting the implementation of the mental health support plan for employees in the FAO Ukraine country and field offices.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Counsellor will work with clients, employees, and eligible dependents to facilitate the implementation of the FAO planned psychosocial support addressing the psychosocial needs identified, with an aim of improving wellbeing and responding to traumatic incidents. This includes\:

• Facilitate the provision of effective psycho-social support to FAO Ukraine personnels prioritizing emergency locations with the aim of mitigating stress and boosting protective factors.
• Supporting FAO Ukraine personnels on healthy work practices and approaches on how to effectively support employees and encourage resilience and recommend suitable support strategies;
• Provide employees with individual and/or group counselling as needed (i.e. assessment, short-term intervention, referral);
• Contribute to identification of creative ways of building a network of external mental health providers available to provide
services to staff;
• Extending adequate psychosocial support to the country offices through FAO Security
• Assess and monitoring psycho-social needs and issues affecting the wellbeing of employees;
• Design and provide training and awareness raising activities for employees and managers on trauma as well as strengthening healthy workplace practices to the extent possible.
• Provide Critical Incident Stress Management to groups- and/or individual employees following critical incidents. A holistic approach to critical incident management is used and may include services such as practical support, psycho-education, psychological first aid, strategic advice to leadership, family support and individual or group interventions.’

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• An advanced university degree in counselling, clinical psychology or a field related to mental health or a first-level university degree in the aforementioned fields, coupled with 2 additional years of relevant work experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree
• At least five years of work 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.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Ukrainian

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Good knowledge of the UN System internal policies, practices, and procedures is highly desirable
• Proven ability to plan and prioritize own work, and to work independently
• Additional training or certification in Trauma and Stress Management is an added advantage.

Selection Criteria

• Additional training or certification in Trauma and Stress Management is an added advantage.
• Experience working within the UN system or international development/humanitarian aid sector is considered an asset
• Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the region is considered an asset.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help or have queries, please contact\: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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