Staff Counselor UN Jobs

Job Title: Staff Counselor, P-4
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 29 Sep 2010
DATE OF ISSUANCE: 30 Aug 2010
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Field Missions Administered by DPKO
DUTY STATION: Multiple D/S
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 10-HRE-PMSS-424784-R-MULTIPLE D/S


United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the chief of mission support (CMS), in close cooperation with the medical officer and under the technical supervision and guidelines of Critical Incidents Stress Management Unit (UNDSS/CISMU), the Staff Counselor will be responsible for, but not limited to, the performance of the following duties: Provide adequate Counseling Services within the mission area (e.g. overall assessment of the psychosocial needs of the staff members, development of the services, etc.); Provide supervision, guidance and leadership to other members of the counseling team; Perform individual assessments in the case of individual staff members experiencing difficulty coping and/or presenting mental health-related symptoms or syndromes; Advise the Chief of Civilian Personnel and other Personnel Officers, as necessary, on individual and /or group cases where an identified problem is likely to have professional, vocational and/or counseling effect (e.g. work-related problem due to a psychological problem, conflict resolution, need-oriented medication, etc); Advise Chiefs of Section, as necessary, or upon request, with the aim at improving the working atmosphere in their Sections and resolving problems of a work-related or personal nature that adversely affect job performance and productivity; Perform Psychological first aid (e.g. individual and/or group) whenever and wherever there is a need for it; Assure in conjunction with the Medical Services, a continuum of services (referral, short-term supportive intervention) to those staff members suffering from serious or chronic diseases or illnesses or drug and alcohol use; Establish a link and liaise with the members of the Staff Welfare Committee and members in order to develop programmes designed to improve the quality of life of staff members within the mission area; Provide training sessions on stress and crisis management, conflict resolution and cultural sensitivity as needed; Monitor environmental factors that could lead to stress, with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents including emergency and crisis situations, with respect to civilian staff members of the mission; Develop, organize and implement a resilience building program for all staff. Liaise with National Mental health professionals and other Psych-medical resources

Competencies
Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be assessed against the following competencies: PROFESSIONALISM: Broad knowledge of all facets of the field of counseling and the ability to provide a confidential environment in which others can talk and act without fear or repercussions within a climate of established trust; Ability to effectively manage crisis situations which involve diverse actors and stakeholders. Coordinate and consult with other relevant specialist services in the Organization as per its cross-cutting functional scope which includes staff administration, Human Resources policy as well as Medical Services in respect of emergencies, support and related administrative functions; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of peace operations. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. CLIENT ORIENTATION: Seeks to see things from clients' point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed and meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. TEAMWORK: Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; places team agenda before personal agenda. JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.


QUALIFICATIONS

Education
An Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent) in Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry or Clinical Sociology. Additional training or certification in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, Traumatic stress, cross-cultural communication or conflict resolution is also required.

Work Experience
A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience is required, of which 5 years should be at the international level. Experience in Employees Assistance Programme or Organizational Intervention is an asset.

Languages
Fluency in spoken and written English and/or French is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset and may be a requirement.

Other Skills

The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

How to apply

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark.

Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to “My UN” page and check the status of your application by clicking on “View Application History”, and resubmit the application, if necessary.

To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password.

After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications.

In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed.

UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reports to the relevant HRO/PO via fax.

E-mail: staffing@un.org,

Fax: 1-212-963-2800