Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Division for Management (DM) of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). Administratively, the incumbent reports to the Chief, Human Resources Management Service (HRMS), DM/UNOV For more information on UNOV, please visit the website www.unov.org

Responsibilities

The Staff Counsellor leads the design, implementation, and delivery of comprehensive staff well-being and mental health programmes for UNOV/UNODC staff and affiliate personnel. S/he focuses on prevention, awareness-raising, and the promotion of a healthy, inclusive, and respectful work environment, in line with the UN Mental Health and Well-being Strategy. The role encompasses both individual support and organization-wide initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience, enhancing productivity, and fostering a culture of care and psychological safety. Specifically, the incumbent will be responsible for the following specific duties:

• Monitor trends and emerging psychosocial risks affecting staff well-being and performance across Headquarters and Field Offices; design and implement preventive and responsive programmes to promote mental health, resilience, and organizational well-being.
• Lead the implementation of the UN Mental Health and Well-being Strategy within UNOV/UNODC, coordinating Secretariat-wide initiatives, including the Mental Health and Well-being Scorecard, Health Intelligence surveys, and risk assessments.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive annual learning and awareness programme on mental health, resilience, and well-being, in collaboration with HRMS/TDT, including psychoeducational workshops, preventive initiatives, and regular contributions to internal communications such as the HRMS Newsletter.
• Design and deliver tailored learning and training sessions for staff and managers on self-care, stress management and prevention, and creating respectful and supportive workplaces.
• Provide individual counselling and psychological support, as needed, to staff and affiliate personnel experiencing personal or work-related difficulties, ensuring a confidential, safe, and professional environment.
• Assess needs and provide referrals to appropriate mental health professionals, maintaining active referral networks and close links with external community resources.
• Advise and support managers in addressing workplace stressors, strengthening team cohesion, and resolving interpersonal or performance-related challenges.
• Provide confidential support pursuant to the provisions of ST/SGB/2019/8 on addressing discrimination, harassment, including sexual harassment, and abuse of authority, including during informal and formal processes.
• Work with the United Nations Security and Safety Services during and after critical incidents; conduct psychological screening to support authorization decisions for carrying firearms and other use-of-force equipment, as part of the assessment of new recruits and the ongoing evaluation of serving security personnel.
• Contribute to policy and strategy development on mental health and well-being, providing inputs and drafting materials to increase awareness and support institutional alignment with UN system standards.
• Conduct managerial consultations and prepare analyses and reports highlighting trends, risks, and recommendations to senior management.
• Maintain accurate and confidential counselling and activity records, ensuring regular reporting and accountability for programme results.
• Perform any other work-related duties as required. Competencies Professionalism: Has expert knowledge in the field of counselling, counselling methods as well as treatment and assistance methods. Has proven ability to provide counselling services to effectively assist with crisis or difficult situations which involve diverse actors and stakeholders and to treat sensitive and confidential information appropriately. Is able to coordinate and consult with other relevant specialist services in the Organization involved with staff assistance matters including staff administration, human resources management as well as Medical Services in respect of emergencies, support and conflict resolution issues. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be clients and 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 of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. Education An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in clinical psychology, counselling psychology, psychiatry, social work or related area is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of relevant qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Job – Specific Qualification Additional training or certification in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse; stress management, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution and psychological screening is desirable. Work Experience A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in counselling, psychiatry, psychology, social work, social welfare or related area in an international setting is required. Work experience in the design and delivery of counselling sessions, workshops, trainings, and information sessions, including on stress counselling is required. Experience working in the United Nations system or other similar international organization is desirable. Experience working in a multicultural environment as a team member is desirable. Previous work experience in humanitarian field or emergency settings is desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French and Spanish are desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details). Required Languages Language Reading Writing Listening Speaking English UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II Desirable Languages Language Reading Writing Listening Speaking French UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II Spanish UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special Notice This temporary position is available for six months. Actual filling of this position and actual duration of the assignment is subject to availability of funding. If the selected candidate is an internal staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection may be administered as a temporary assignment. While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new…