Regional Staff Counsellor at International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Context:

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Staff Welfare Officer at Headquarters (HQ), and the direct administrative supervision of the Senior Regional Resources Management Officer in the Regional Office, the Regional Staff Counsellor will be responsible and accountable for implementing staff welfare activities aimed at assessing and addressing the psychological needs of IOM’s staff in the Regional Office and in Country Offices in the Region.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

• Provide effective psychosocial support to Managers and individual staff in the Regional Office and Country Offices of the Region by prioritizing emergency operations locations with the aim of mitigating stress and increasing protective factors.
• Provide a safe and confidential environment where staff can address professional and personal problems, either individually or in groups (modality: assessment, short-term intervention, referral).
• Provide support and advice to the senior leadership in the Regional Office and Country Offices of the Region on healthy work practices and approaches on how to effectively support staff and encourage resilience. Recommend suitable staff support strategies to Managers in RO and Country Offices of the Region during and following emergencies and other crises.
• Deliver preventative psychoeducational programmes/training to address systemic issues and recurrent problems within teams and units/offices; develop and deliver tailored workshops and webinars for staff; raise awareness on common mental health themes and act as an advocate for anti-stigma programming, as it relates to mental health.
• Develop a creative system to build a network of external mental health providers in the  Region available to provide services to staff.
• Provide Critical Incident Stress Management support to groups and/or individual staff affected directly or indirectly in the Region following critical incidents. Ensure a holistic approach to Critical Incident Management is used, including (as applicable) services such as practical support, psychoeducation, psychological first aid, strategic advice to the leadership, family support and individual or group interventions, as well as referral where needed.
• Recommend and arrange for individual and/or group follow-up support to staff and their dependents in the Regional Office and the Country Offices of the Region following critical incidents or emergencies; facilitate appropriate traumatic stress interventions.
• Coordinate with UNDSS Counsellors, UN agency Counsellors to ensure the provision of adequate psychosocial support during emergencies.
• Develop tools for data collection, analysis, monitoring and reporting mechanisms at Regional and Country Office levels while maintaining records and producing regular reports. Provide, on a regular basis, statistics and trends on issues related to staff well-being, whilst maintaining confidentiality.
• Alert the Senior Staff Welfare Officer, and/or the Senior Regional Resources Management Officer and/or the Chiefs of Mission on trends that may be of concern in the Regional Office or Country Offices of the Region requiring targeted support or Managerial intervention.
• Undertake regular duty travels to the Country Offices in the Region as per the Regional Wellbeing Workplan and needs of the Country Offices.
• Capture lessons learnt and best practices for dissemination as appropriate; identify and recommend prevention measures for systemic issues and trends.
• Facilitate interface with the various services and resources of the organization.
• Participate in relevant Staff Counselling Team meetings, clinical supervision, training, capacity building and learning activities.
• Proactively engage in the implementation of the UN Mental Health and Workplace Health Strategy and participate to the UN Regional Staff Counselling network.
• Adhere to the professional standards of the United Nations Stress and Staff Counsellors Group (UNSSCG) as well as the Code of Ethics for UN Staff Counsellors.
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

•  Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, Counselling, Psychiatry or a related field from an accredited academic institution with five years of relevant professional experience; or,
•  University degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience.
•  Must possess an active license or certification, or demonstrate registered membership in a legitimate professional organization in the field most relevant to their degree, including psychiatry (medicine), psychology, psychotherapy, counseling, marriage and family therapy or social work.

Experience

•  Minimum of five years of relevant counseling experience post licensure/certification/registration;
•  Experience with counselling and psychosocial interventions;
•  Experience of working with UN Agencies, International Humanitarian Organizations or Employee Assistant Programmes is essential;
•  Demonstrated familiarity and experience with the impact of working conditions of humanitarian workers on their well-being; and,
•  Familiarity or previous working experience in the Region is desirable.

Skills

•  Excellent communication and writing skills;
•  Familiarity with diversity and its implementation;
•  Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite; and,
•  Readiness to travel and work in emergency contexts.

Languages

• IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.
• For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of French,
• Spanish and another UN language is an advantage.
• Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.