DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS7 May 2025-23:59-GMT+03:00 Arabian Standard Time (Aden)
WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.
ABOUT WFP
The World Food Programme is the worldโs largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.
WHY JOIN WFP?
WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).
General Information
Title of Post: Staff Counsellor
Grade: CST II
Supervisor: Deputy Country Director (Enabling Services)
Unit/Division: Staff Counselling Unit/ Wellness & Culture Division
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Sanaโa, Yemen Country Office
Duration of Contract: 11 monthsBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. The core policies and strategies that govern WFP activities are: save lives in emergency situations; improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people; and to help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through conditional food for work and training programmes.
The challenges of working in difficult conditions to bring much needed food and support to our recipients while inherently rewarding, can place a great deal of pressure and stress on WFP employees. As a part of a multidisciplinary team under the Wellness Service and through the implementation of the WFP Wellness Strategy 2025-2030, the Staff Counselling Unit is committed to the promotion of psychosocial and mental health in the broadest sense so employees can continue to function at high levels to meet the mandate of the organization.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
This role is based in one of the most complex WFP Country Office (CO), Yemen. The Staff Counsellor will be directly reporting to the Deputy Country Director (Enabling Services) and functionally to the Regional Staff Counsellor (Regional Office Cairo) and the Chief of Staff Counselling (Global HQ). The Staff Counsellor will be working closely with the Head of Human Resources and Medical Services. This role will require regular or on short notice travelling to the field where WFP is active in Yemen.
Being a part of a multidisciplinary team under the Staff Wellness division, the job holder will be required to exercise in-depth technical knowledge and experience required to identify, analyze and resolve complex work-related issues such as stress, interpersonal and cross-cultural dynamics, and impact of organizational realignments, as well as psychosocial coping in hazardous emergency contexts. S /he will be required to provide technical expertise, advice and solutions that support staff wellbeing and development of a healthy organization, demonstrating initiatives and formulating new strategies and technical approaches where appropriate. A large emphasis will be placed on extensive engagement with all levels of staff internally and with external partners to enhance psychosocial support and access to staff counselling services.
THE ROLE
To design and coordinate the delivery of counselling services across WFP in Yemen and provide professional and effective counselling and stress management services that enable staff to maintain positive health, performance and outlook as well as supporting organizational effectiveness.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
- Contribute to the development of the Global Wellness & Culture Division Strategic Plan and implement the psychosocial wellbeing strategy for the region/country reflecting the global psychosocial wellbeing projects.
- Provide active psychological support and advice on strategic developments in the country involving the major implications on staff (i.e. emergency operations, critical incidents, office rightsizing) to ensure continued staff well-being and that managers and staff are provided with the effective support to manage change.
- Provide pre and post deployment briefings to employees deployed to hardship duty stations through briefings, counselling sessions and other activities to ensure proactive support is extended to staff.
- Provide culturally sensitive counselling services to individuals, groups of staff and/or their immediate family members across a broad range of issues, to ensure staff wellness.
- Design, develop and roll-out a range of general and context specific trainings related to resilience, conflict resolution, team-building and adjustment to organizational realignment and rightsizing.
- Partner with all the functions within WFP and also with institutions outside to address psychological risks at the individual, unit and organizational level and to ensure psychologically healthy workplace. Identify and liaise with high quality local and regional mental health resources that can be used for referrals and/or during times of crisis.
- Collaborate with fellow Country based Staff Counsellors in the region on common wellness related activities, projects and initiatives.
- Lead initiatives to promote a healthy workplace including partnering with Staff Counsellors at other UN agencies and provide expert guidance to managers within the region on staff well-being issues.
- Refer to external mental health professionals and relevant services when needed.
- Contribute to building the content of WFP Wellbeing App (Country pages & general resources).
- Support and maintain the WFP Wellness Support Volunteer (WSV) Network through training and supervision; disseminate training materials and related protocols.
- Design and maintain the content for the Wellbeing App.
- Contribute to the development of policies and guidelines, as well as written and visual materials to increase awareness regarding important themes and topics related to Staff Wellness.
- Maintain at all times, high standard of professional ethics and confidentiality consistent with the Wellness Division Ethical Guidelines and Standards of Practice, actively engage with management and staff, listen to their concerns, and stay approachable.
- Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.
- Keep record of all the activities and interventions delivered.
- Report to WFP Regional Staff Counsellor on all activities.
- Other as required
STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Doctorate, Masters or equivalent) in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry, or demonstrably equivalent studies from a recognized institution.
- The candidate must be licensed/registered or equivalent with a governing body as a mental health professional, and maintain active in professional development & continuing education, in line with the United Nations Stress and Staff Counsellors Group (UNSSCG) guidelines for staff counsellors in the UN system.
- Training or certification in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, resilience, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, mediation, trauma etc. will be an advantage. Additional training or certification in psychosocial risk management and organizational change management is beneficial.
Experience:
- Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible professional post graduate experience relevant to the field is required
- Experience either working in a hardship location or providing counselling services to staff working under very difficult and insecure environments is desirable.
Languages:
- Fluency (level C) in English language and Arabic
Knowledge & Skills:
- Specialist expertise in the assessment of mental health needs and the assessment of risk.
- Broad knowledge of all facets of counselling services and demonstrated skills to create a trusted environment in which others can talk confidentially.
- Ability to manage crisis situations which involve diverse actors and stakeholders.
- Ability to identify clientsโ needs and suggest appropriate solutions.
- Excellent communication skills (oral, written and presentation).
- Conflict resolution and mediation skills.
- Ability to communicate effectively with people of both genders and diverse national and cultural backgrounds.
- Skills in designing and delivering trainings/information sessions on a number of subjects and ability to adapt those to different audiences.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- The applicant shouldn't be a Yemeni national.
- This position is required for a period of consecutive 11 months with a possibility of extension subject to operational needs and availability of funding in Yemen Country Office.
- Consultancy contracts will be subject to a mandatory break in service after a period of service of 11 continuous months.
- WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with WFP HR Manual.
- Applications must be submitted online with:
- Use English language only
- Indicate all your job TOR
- Indicate clear years of experience with each job (Month/Year)
- By submitting your application, you have read the Terms of Reference for this position and agree that any false, wrong or incomplete information might lead to your disqualification in this recruitment process.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org
NO FEE DISCLAIMER
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
- By submitting your application, you have read the Terms of Reference for this position and agree that any false, wrong or incomplete information might lead to your disqualification in this recruitment process.
- Fluency (level C) in English language and Arabic