Program Specialist – Mental Health Policy and Advocacy (P4), PGLT - MHPSS Team, New York HQ (Temporary Appointment 364days)

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 171,387 USD and 220,969 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.

The Global Burden on mental health problems in children & adolescents remains grave and unaddressed in our evolving world. Worldwide, 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders; half of all mental disorders begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s; mental and brain conditions are the leading cause of disability in young people in all regions; and 1 in 4 children is living with a parent who has a mental disorder. Suicide remains among the top 5 leading causes of adolescent deaths, with higher rates among adolescent girls. And lastly, postpartum depression is reported to occur in 15% of mothers shortly before or any time after childbirth.

The risk for mental health conditions and psychosocial problems among children and adolescents is exacerbated when they are exposed to poverty, violence, disease or humanitarian crises. This is particularly true in our current climate of pandemic response.

As the world contends with the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19, UNICEF has reasserted it leadership and understanding of field needs and priorities, in line with UNICEF’s Technical Note on MHPSS and UNICEF’s Global multisectoral operational framework | UNICEF , by placing integrated and holistic community-based mental health and psychosocial interventions at the heart of its strategic mission to protect every child, recognizing that mental health and wellbeing touch all sectors across the humanitarian-development context.

UNICEF’s mental health and psychosocial well-being programming encompasses the following activities:

• Strengthening governance, leadership and advocacy supporting positive mental health across the prevention, promotion and treatment continuum
• Strengthening service delivery and care systems
• Supporting promotion and prevention in mental health across sectors
• Generating evidence and research for child, adolescent and caregiver mental health and psychosocial well-being and development

Aligned with this approach and the broader MHPSS framework, in 2021 UNICEF launched a Global Advocacy Strategy on mental health, which focuses on securing action and investment to promote and protect child and adolescent mental health, and bringing an end to neglect, abuse and childhood traumas that drive poor mental health and life outcomes.

For every child, good mental health….

This role would lead on implementing the policy and advocacy pillars of the MHPSS Global Framework and UNICEF-WHO Joint Programme, in line with the Global Advocacy Priority on Mental Health (co-led by PG and GCA), and provide additional policy, advocacy and technical support across PG teams, COs, ROs and NatComs as required.

How can you make a difference?

This role, reporting to the Senior Mental Health Technical Advisor in PGLT, would help to strengthen UNICEF’s institutional mental health policy and advocacy capability, and lead on implementing the policy, advocacy and financing pillars of the UNICEF Global Framework and UNICEF/WHO Joint Programme, in line with the Global Advocacy Priority on Mental Health (co-led by PG and GCA).

Global Advocacy Priority

• Act as the PG focal point and co-lead of the Global Advocacy Priority on mental health 2021-2025, working with the PG and GCA sponsors, GCA co-lead, UNICEF HQ divisions and CO/RO and National Committees to implement, adapt and accelerate UNICEF’s advocacy agenda in alignment with UNICEF’s Global Multi-sectoral MHPSS Framework and the UNICEF/WHO Joint Programme. The role would report to the Senior MH Technical Advisor and form part of a core advocacy team across PG and GCA (including two co-sponsors and two co-leads).

Strategy development

• Lead on developing and implementing policy and advocacy strategy plans for UNICEF’s MHPSS Global Framework (Outcome 4) and UNICEF-WHO Joint Programme, in collaboration with UNICEF GF lead and UNICEF/WHO JP leads.
• Drafting UNICEF policy guidance on priority areas and emerging themes e.g. MHPSS and climate, gender, employment, adolescent parents
• Support OGIP, Innocenti and DAPM to ensure MHPSS research agenda supports our advocacy in global/regional fora and with national governments
• Work with GCA advocacy colleagues to maintain an up-to-date advocacy toolkit with case studies of national examples. Co-lead regular advocacy thinktank sessions with UNICEF offices and design/implement bespoke training opportunities for advocacy champion countries
• Work with global thought leaders and academic institutes and aid Global Mental Health Lead (supervisor) in ensuring child and adolescent mental health is well represented in research and evidence priorities to inform policy-making
• Aid the Global Mental Health Lead (supervisor) in efforts to position UNICEF as thought leader on policy relating to child and adolescent mental health, working with communications and other colleagues on UNICEF op-eds and articles, e.g. in the Lancet and other publications.

Policy, advocacy and financing global processes, engagement and milestones

• Develop annual policy and advocacy roadmap to support internal strategy-development and planning, in particular building up to the annual Global Mental Health Summits. Support senior engagement in high-level MH processes and milestones.
• Drive high-level global advocacy events, including Summits, panel events and bilateral meetings with Member States, and partners, ensuring senior staff engagement and strategic advocacy messaging.
• Financing – build support for MHPSS financing through engaging key global and regional champions and engaging with funds and institutions (World Bank, Global Fund) to leverage funds for UNICEF/WHO Joint Programme and MHPSS more broadly (in line with GF Outcome 4).

Stakeholder engagement

• Engage with civil society and public sector partners in New York, including Permanent Missions, Group of Friends, UN agencies to inform UN policy processes
• Lead relationship with United GMH and other global advocacy partners to implement key strands of GAP3
• Lead engagement with GCA, PPD and PFP to ensure mental health policy priorities are incorporated within G7 and G20 processes, and other global multi-stakeholder platforms like WEF.

UNICEF and external policy, advocacy and financing capacity building and support

• Provide policy and advocacy support for UNICEF COs/ROs and National Committees, and UNICEF-WHO JP countries, including advocacy capacity building, strategy development workshops and other training as required, in collaboration with GCA ACBI team, MHPSS technical specialist for HICs and regional MHPSS focal points. Support development and implementation of technical and operational tools to support policy, advocacy and financing efforts in UNICEF CO/Ros and National Committees.
• Provide technical and advocacy support and guidance for donors, including JML, and the Global Coalition for Youth Wellbeing, in conjunction with Multi-stakeholder Partnerships Communications and Advocacy Specialist PFP).

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in public health, policy and related field is required.
• A minimum of 8 (eight) years of progressive responsible in the development field, programming, legislative, policy, financing, and advocacy at the national and/or international levels is required.
• Experience in LMICs in particular is required.
• Direct field experience in applying legislative, policy, financing and advocacy skills to mental health and psychosocial systems and services is desired.
• Knowledge of the functioning of UNICEF MHPSS Operational Framework in particular is of great added value.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required, and Proficiency in French is highly desirable. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability (CRITA), and sustainability

Please click Here to view UNICEF's core values and Here to view our competency framework.

UNICEF competencies required for this post are.

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to including everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, 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 is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

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.

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.

“UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/”

For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page. If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online Salary Estimate Calculator

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