Health Specialist - Adolescent and Mental Health (P-4), (TA) – 364 Days, ECARO o/p Istanbul - Turkiye

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 136,000 USD and 175,344 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, survival

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for adolescents, caregivers and health/education facilities supporting them is an institutional priority that builds upon programming in development and humanitarian settings through health, child protection, and education sectors. Under Goal Area 1, promoting and caring for the mental health and well-being of children, adolescents and their caregivers is a key result in UNICEF’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan (RA5 Indicator 1.5.1: Number of countries integrating child and adolescent mental health services in primary health care, schools, and digital platforms).

Mental health and wellbeing are gaining attention in the region, and they are an integral part of the health agenda both in regular and emergency programmes aiming to support children in reaching their full potential. While there is a diffuse tendency to overmedicalize mental health, capacity in countries is very limited to provide support to children, adolescents, their families, and the institutions (schools, health facilities) that cater for them. At the same time, initiatives at community level and in social programmes can fail to establish functional links to available health services for cases in need for referral and more intense support. UNICEF will engage with governments, other UN agencies (such as WHO), professional bodies and other partners to support efforts in improving capacity and approaches to mental health and wellbeing for children and adolescents.

In 2021 UNICEF and the Z Zurich Foundation launched a global partnership aimed at promoting mental well-being and preventing mental disorders among adolescents. Over the next 3 years, the partnership intents to combine global best-practices with evidence and learning from locally tested approaches in 8 countries across LACRO, ROSA and EAPRO to develop caregiver support and adolescent psychosocial intervention tools that can be used across a variety of cultural contexts, adolescent sub population groups, and delivery platforms such as school, community, and digital. In 2022, additional funding was mobilized through the partnership to support mid/long term programming in ECARO on adolescent mental health and well-being, also as part of UNICEF’s response to Ukraine’s unfolding crisis.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Regional Health Advisor, Regional Adolescent Development Advisor, and in close collaboration with Regional MHPSS Specialist (CP), the incumbent will support UNICEF ECAR in the planning and implementation of programming on child and adolescent mental health and well-being in select countries. The incumbent will provide technical support to country teams and avail technical guidance at regional level to advance the adolescent mental health and well-being agenda, including to the Ukrainian refugee population and their host communities. The incumbent will work based in Geneva, with frequent trips to COs as needed.

How can you make a difference?

This TA will avail technical support to advance regionally driven strategy and coordinated support to country programming around adolescent mental health and well-being, with a focus on the Ukrainian refugee population and their host communities. Under the guidance and supervision of the Regional Health Advisor, Regional Adolescent Development Advisor, and in close collaboration with Regional MHPSS Specialist (CP), the individual contractor will support UNICEF ECAR in the planning and implementation of programming on adolescent mental health and well-being in select countries. The consultant will work based at their home, with frequent trips to COs and the RO as needed.

Develop a support implementation of a strategic adolescent and mental health agenda in ECAR

• Lead a regional mapping of partners, existing intervention tools, and delivery platforms for reaching 10 to 19 year-old and their caregivers with MHPSS, especially in deprived groups and people on the move (e.g. refugees)
• Carry out a stakeholder consultation in selected countries (key partners including government counterparts, providers/professionals working with adolescents)
• Develop strategies for capacity building on MHPSS among health professionals in the region (with a special focus on solutions for refugees and hosting groups)
• Coordinate adaptation of tools, including training materials and measurement tools for facilitators, adolescents, and caregivers of adolescents and mental and adolescent health
• Develop and implement quality assurance mechanisms for online platforms providing counselling to adolescents

Influence policies, plans and priorities

• Development of investment cases for adolescents and mental health including online platforms and referral systems
• Support and guide UNICEF Country Offices for the development of national adolescents and mental health
• Support data-driven country program planning and monitoring of the state of adolescents and mental health services in Europe and Central Asia region as part of the monitoring of health sector performance
• Collaborate with adolescent section to develop joint strategies, guidance and implementation efforts, to help develop and implement health policies and programmes that integrate adolescents and mental health approaches.
• Support efforts to advocate for and to leverage resources for adolescents and mental health

Strategic and technical guidance and support

• Provide guidance to country offices on advocacy and partnerships building for the development of context responsive national and sub-national adolescents and mental health policies and programs, particularly for deprived and vulnerable groups (e.g., refugees).
• Provide in-country technical and guidance on adolescents and mental health. Undertake field visits and periodic programme reviews with UNICEF teams and their partners for monitoring frontline implementation.
• Support identification and analysis of to health services delivery relating to the availability and use of adolescents and mental health services.
• Support and guide the harmonization and alignment of adolescents and mental health efforts and donor coordination mechanisms for health at country level.

Strengthen adolescent and mental health partnerships at regional level

• Support the RHA in maintaining highest level of contacts and active collaboration with regionally active partners, including WHO, UNHCR and other key operational partners to coordinate activities in leveraging technical and financial resources for adolescent and mental health
• Engage actively with existing mechanisms, public and private sector partners, to advance adolescent and mental health best practices
• Advocate, during strategic discussions with Ministries of Health and other key decision makers and stakeholders, including UNICEF COs, to influence agenda setting in favor of mental health and wellbeing of children, women and young people

Knowledge management

• Document and disseminate lessons learned from regional and national efforts in adolescent and mental health and the efforts to improve partnerships for sustainable and integrated delivery systems for mental health.
• Develop and implement country-specific national capacity building strategies
• Provide technical leadership and coordination of relevant operational research, thus contributing to the knowledge base in adolescent and mental health
• Disseminate relevant academic research findings, publications, presentations, and reports
• Collaborate with Monitoring and Evaluation officers at regional and country offices for timely, efficiently, rigorously, and transparently monitoring, evaluation and reporting on adolescent and mental health initiatives.
• Collaborate with WHO and other UN agencies and implementing partners to support country-level technical assistance on adolescent and mental health.

Other related duties

• Represent UNICEF perspectives in relevant meetings at global, regional, and national levels and in relevant strategies and frameworks related to adolescent and mental health.
• Explore areas and opportunities for country office staff development, including training and opportunities for cross fertilization with UNICEF staff from countries in other UNICEF regions.
• Inform and upskill health staff in the region on adolescent and mental health.

• Carry out any other duties that may be assigned by the Regional Health Adviser from time to time including guiding, training, and coaching staff, interns, and consultants, as needed.

  To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master's) in Medicine, public health, mental health with MSc, MSW, RN, Ph.D., MD, MS. Ed or equivalent degree (e.g. background psychiatry, psychology) or directly related field is required.

• A minimum of eight (8) years of clinical and/or programming experience in adolescent and mental health, MHPSS programs with either the UN, International Organizations, EU, and/or NGOs is required.
• Experience in development and/or humanitarian emergencies leading MHPSS service delivery and response through health, child protection, or education programs and systems is required.
• Experience in child and adolescent or family focused MHPSS is desirable.
• Experience in capacity building, coaching and staff care, strengthening various duty bearers’ understanding and implementation of MHPSS, including training in clinical psychological skills is desirable.
• Experience in overseeing program quality and development is an asset.
• Experience of working with and supporting local partners is required.
• Prior field experience and demonstrated professional achievements in the region or in a similar context is required.
• Prior hands-on experience in middle and or high-income contexts is desirable.
• Familiarity with humanitarian principles, policies and response actions is desirable.
• Demonstrated skills to deliver in a stressful emergency environment, with tight deadlines and ability to establish harmonious and effective working relationships with partners is desirable.
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and deliver under pressure is a requisite.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a diverse organization tailoring language, tone, style, and format to match audience.
• Ability and willingness to travel to emergencies countries if necessary.
• Proficiency in English, written and verbal, is required. Working knowledge of another official UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) and/or regional language as needed to perform the role is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are:

Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1) Works Collaboratively with others (1) Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1) Innovates and Embraces Change (1) Thinks and Acts Strategically (1) Drive to achieve impactful results (1) Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.