APPLY HERE: https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1687154409731328

Even though this is a volunteering position, UN Volunteers enjoy numerous benefits, such as monthly/entry/exit payments, annual leave, medical insurance, and access to learning resources.

Assignment Country: Slovakia

Sustainable Development Goal: 3. Good health and well-being

Volunteer Category: National UN Volunteer Specialist

Host Organization: WHO Slovakia

Number of Assignments: 1

Eligibility: The candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.

Age: 27 - 80

MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

The WHO Country Office in Slovakia was established in 1994 in Bratislava to support WHO’s work in the country and provide leadership in advocacy, partnership and representation, policy development, and technical cooperation. The Office is the focal point for WHO activities in Slovakia and consists of two staff members. In 2013, Slovakia successfully reduced the tuberculosis rate to 6.4 cases per 100 000 population and is entering the elimination phase.

CONTEXT

In the context of the WHO Health Emergencies incident management system, at the country level, the incumbent will provide mental health and psychosocial services through the implementation of contextually and culturally relevant stress management programmes to staff members and consultants in the WHO country offices. The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (“The Programme”) is to help countries, and to coordinate international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies. In the context of the WHO Health Emergencies Incident Management System (IMS), at the country level, the incumbent will provide technical advice for all WHO strategic categories and related public health programmes.

TASK DESCRIPTION

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Regional Staff Counsellor or his/her designated mandated representative(s), and under the overall guidance of the Incident Manager, the WHO Representative, the UN Volunteer will:

Perform ongoing psychosocial status and needs assessments to identify the major stressors experienced by WHO staff members and consultants during their deployment;
Provide culturally sensitive psychosocial support through individual and group counseling for Staff Members and their immediate family members;
Provide preventative and mitigating stress and crisis management training during the three phases of the mission: pre-deployment, during deployment, and post-deployment;
Travel regularly to the field sites of the WHO in order to promote, plan and implement preventative and mitigating stress management activities;
Facilitate team building and cohesion through formal and informal interventions;
Enhance social or peer support networks and assist with training and capacity building activities;
Respond to critical and security incidents by conducting an assessment on the impact of the event, developing appropriate interventions, and making recommendations for follow-up or referral purposes;
Advice management on stress mitigating strategies and activities to enhance the welfare of staff members and consultants;
Maintain detailed records of activities and provide comprehensive reports on a monthly basis to the HQ and regional office;
Support the Regional Staff Counsellor and perform any other incident-specific related duties, as required by the functional supervisor;
During deployment, the duty station may change, and duties may be modified, based upon the technical needs of the Programme.

Results/Expected outputs:

The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to help countries, and to coordinate international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies;
The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring, and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment;
A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

REQUIREMENTS

Required experience

3 years of experience in the area of mental health and psychosocial support services; some of which gained in outbreak and health emergencies context, is required;
Additional training or experience in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, critical incident stress, and cross-cultural communication;
Prior relevant work experience in WHO/UN system, health cluster partners, relevant nongovernmental or humanitarian organizations, is desirable;
Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Functional Knowledge and Skills:

Good knowledge of MHPSS during emergency situations;
Proven ability to accurately assess psychosocial or mental health needs, risks, and protective factors;
Advance knowledge in the provision of psychosocial support and counseling services in a professional and confidential manner;
Demonstrated knowledge in designing and delivering contextually and culturally appropriate training and information sessions on a wide range of stress-related issues;
Ability to manage crisis situations involving diverse actors and stakeholders;
Ability to effectively work in multi-cultural environments under stressful conditions.

Area(s) of expertise

Health

Driving license

n/a

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required
Slovak, Level: Fluent, Required
Ukrainian, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable
Russian, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in counseling psychology, clinical psychology, psychiatry, clinical/psychiatric social work or other mental health-related degree, from an accredited and recognized academic institution, is required. Advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in one of the above-mentioned disciplines, is desirable.

Competencies and values

Communication
Teamwork
Moving forward in a changing environment
Promoting innovation and organizational learning
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

OTHER INFORMATION

UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances

Volunteers bring inspiration, enthusiasm, and rich diversity to projects in terms of experience, knowledge, and culture. On the other hand, working on a project for a UN agency brings valuable experience of being a part of an international team that seeks to achieve a common goal, which is usually rewarding and enriching exposure.

Apart from that, UN Volunteers enjoy numerous benefits, including entry payment to cover pre-assignment expenses and a monthly allowance that is comparable to what other organizations would offer in salaries. Volunteers on assignment have access to learning resources, and medical insurance, and can take 2.5 days of monthly leave.

The financial allowance for a UN Volunteer (both national and refugee) is as below:

Monthly Living Allowance (Per Month): USD 1026 (EUR 954.82)

Entry lump sum (One Time Payment); USD 400

Relocation (Travel) costs: USD 200

Exit allowance (After 6 months): USD 513.34

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy.

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