Wellness (Staff) Counsellor at World Food Programme (WFP)

WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender identity and disability.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

POSITION LISTING DETAILS:

Job Title: Wellness (Staff) Counsellor
Type and Level of Contract: Special Service Agreement (SSA)- Level 7
Functional Unit: United Nations Primary Care Clinic / Wellness
Duty Station: Lilongwe (1)
Duration of Contract: 11months
Date of Advertising: 03.06.2024   Deadline: 16.06.2024

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme 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.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

As a part of a multidisciplinary team under the Staff Wellness Division, the Staff Counselling Unit is committed to the promotion of psychological and physical health in the broadest sense so staff can continue to function at high levels in order 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 Malawi Primary Care clinic (PCC), One UN Clinic, based in Lilongwe. The Staff Counsellor will be part of the PCC team and will be responsible for the psychosocial wellness of all International and National UN employees working in Malawi.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

The Staff Counsellor will administratively report to the Primary Care Clinic,  but technically will report to the Regional Staff Counsellor based in Johannesburg. A key responsibility will be developing and implementing a wide range of Wellness initiatives and programs consistent with the WFP and UN Mental Health strategies and the ability to summarize data and trends to develop programs and policies designed to support UN employees. Some travel is required to support UN 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:
1. Using highest ethical standards and adhering to the UN standard of Conduct and Wellness Division Code of Ethics, provide empirically supported and culturally sensitive counselling services to UN Employees and if requested their dependents; this may include case management and referrals to other resources as required. Deliver counselling
2. Using the UN Mental Health and WFP Wellness strategies, work closely with partners including PCC team to develop a broad range of wellness initiatives that fit the context and needs of the operations of different UN agencies.
3. Provide counselling services to individuals and/or groups during emergencies; provide services in a timely and sensitive manner to employees and dependents after critical incidents and ensure follow up support for employees and dependents following critical events.
4. Identify and liaise with high quality local and regional mental health resources that can be used for referrals or in times of crisis including Regional staff counsellors for specific UN agencies.
5. Complete administrative duties such as maintain statistics on activities and completing reporting requirements as per the requirement in the PCC/WFP Staff Wellness services.
6. Work closely with the Regional Staff Counsellor in Johannesburg to coordinate on Wellness initiatives and provide support as required.
7. Perform other duties as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: University degree in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry, or demonstrably equivalent studies from a recognized institution. The candidate must hold active licence/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 added advantage.Language: Fluency (level C) in English language and local language.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• 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.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• 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.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: COMMON STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR

Leads by Example with   Integrity	Drives Results and   Delivers on   Commitments	Fosters Inclusive and Collaborative Teamwork	Applies Strategic Thinking	Builds and   Maintains   Sustainable   Partnerships
Demonstrates and encourages others to uphold the WFP values, principles and standards	Identifies and aligns objectives to the required outcomes, holding self and/or others accountable for the delivery of results for maximum impact	Promotes inclusive teamwork and psychological safety by encouraging colleagues to collaborate by sharing ideas and openly raising issues	Communicates and fulfils WFP’s vision and operational outcomes to deliver meaningful solutions	Initiates and builds partnerships by identifying and promoting opportunities for mutual areas of interest and benefit
Values diversity using respectful and inclusive language, and encourages others to do the same	Delegates responsibly and provides appropriate support empowering others to deliver results	Supports development for others by giving timely and constructive feedback	Demonstrates curiosity, designs and implements new ways of doing things when relevant	Collaborates with partners to deliver common objectives by sharing information and cocreating innovative solutions with beneficiaries when appropriate
Stays focused and calm when under pressure, encourages others to do the same, and offers guidance and support to manage difficult situations	Responds readily to change in different contexts and adapts accordingly	Seeks out, trusts and listens attentively to diverse views to capture, learn, build and share new perspectives	Gathers data and different perspectives, shares knowledge and uses evidence to inform decision making
Demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn and share knowledge, frequently seeking and acting on feedback, and pursuing opportunities to develop			Implements decisions, considering the risks and implications of actions for teams, projects and other initiatives

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for receiving applications is 17 June 2024

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 employmentWFP 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.