National MHPSS consultant, Ukraine, 7 months, (Remote/Work from home)

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, hope

UNICEF Ukraine

How can you make a difference? 

Background:

MHPSS continues to be a key priority of the Government of Ukraine and an office-wide cross-sectoral priority for UNICEF both in humanitarian as well as recovery programming. To achieve the deliverables for MHPSS under Child Protection, as well as through support to Health, Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) and Education as part of a broader MHPSS programme within UNICEF, a technical specialist with MHPSS background is required. Moreover, a national consultant is needed with contextual knowledge of the MHPSS landscape in Ukraine, and for the provision of technical guidance and operational support to local partners. This is particularly pertinent for support to the MHPSS components of the Government’s initiative on resilience centers and services, which UNICEF has committed to support.

Purpose of assignment:

The consultant will support the Country Office in the following areas of work and tasks in line with the Better Care agenda and Child Protection Humanitarian response:  

1. Provide technical guidance and operational support to the Child Protection section, other sections (SBC, Health, Education, ADAP) and relevant field offices:
   • Provide technical guidance on MHPSS to relevant partners and programmes, including those related to University and NGO partnerships, as well as Government actors providing community-based MHPSS
   • Provide dedicated technical guidance and support to the MHPSS components of resilience centers and resilience services, as well as trauma-informed approaches under the Better Care agenda
   • Review MHPSS content and programmes from all sections for technical backstopping and quality assurance.
2. Support to programme development, planning, and monitoring
   • Participate in strategic programme discussions on the planning of child protection programmes with a specific focus on MHPSS and trauma-informed care.
   • Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss strategies and methodologies, and to determine priorities and competencies to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable results under MHPSS Programmes
   • Plan and collaborate with colleagues and external partners to establish monitoring benchmarks, performance indicators, other UNICEF/UN system indicators and measurements, to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results with specific focus on MHPSS and trauma-informed approaches
   • Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises and reviews with the sub-national and local government and other counterparts to assess progress and to determine required actions and interventions to achieve results
   • Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths and/or weaknesses in programme management. Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals of child protection programme with specific focus on MHPSS and trauma-informed approaches.
3. Facilitate networking and partnership building
1. Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with relevant counterparts at sub-national and local levels, CSOs, Universities, social (including child protection), education and health institutions through networking, advocacy and effective communication – to build capacity, exchange knowledge and expertise, and to reinforce cooperation to achieve sustainable and broad results in Ukraine.
2. Participate in appropriate discussions and planning on child welfare issues (related to MHPSS) in Ukraine. Ensure organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the humanitarian, recovery and development programmes.
4. Provide support to other MHPSS activities, in consultation with the Supervisor and staff engaged in the implementation from different sectors.

 

Work assignment overview:

Deliverable	Deadline	# of w/days
Inception Report and workplan	30 June 2024	10
Report on delivery of technical guidance, review and quality assurance of MHPSS content and programmes across sections including Child Protection (at least 3 materials), Education (2 materials), SBC (2 materials), ADAP (2 materials)	28 July 2024	20
Report on programme support to MHPSS Government, NGO, and University partnerships, including 5 technical and operational guidance notes to partners Review and guidance on at least 6 technical documents (SOPs, training materials, etc.) related to MHPSS components of the Government’s roll-out of resilience centers and services, and trauma-informed approaches	30 October 2024	40
Reports on monitoring and quality assurance activities conducted for MHPSS programmes Support to at least 3 monitoring missions to assess progress and quality assurance of NGO partners Support to at least 2 University partners Support missions to at least 5 resilience centers for assessing and supporting MHPSS components	31 October 2024	30
Report on delivery of 5 capacity-building activities on MHPSS, including capacity-building of specific partners, such as NGOs and local Government (at least 5 partners, at national and field office levels)	30 November 2024	15
Report on technical inputs and contribution to reporting, including: PD drafts (3), donor reports (2), monthly sitreps (7).	31 December 2024	20
Final handover report	15 December 2024	5
Sub-total:		140

Travel plan: Upon request 4 round trips within Ukraine (15 days).

Please provide an all-inclusive financial proposal including travels to carry out the deliverables listed above.

 

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

Education: An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields: psychology, social sciences, human rights, sociology, international relations, international development, or other related disciplines. Degree in psychology a strong advantage.

Professional experience: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in mental health and psychosocial support at national or subnational level is required. Experience working in war-affected regions of Ukraine is an asset. Relevant experience in child protection or related areas, program/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset. Experience in both humanitarian and development contexts is an added advantage.

Languages: 

• Ukrainian: Advanced [C1] ;
• English: Upper-Intermediate [B2].

Skills and competencies:

• Good analytical skills;
• Good communication skills;
• Support to programme/project development and planning;
• Networking and partnership building;
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building;
• Impact of Results.

 

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

 Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

 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 include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.