The role involves extensive program coordination, planning, and management, with a focus on enhancing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for children and families in humanitarian and recovery interventions.
Responsibilities:
Support coordination across sectors in relation to the implementation of the existing MHPSS Strategy across UNICEF programmes as related to UNICEF Ukraine leadership areas (Better Start, Better Care, Better Learning and Skills)
In collaboration with Partnerships, Communication and Advocacy teams, Provide Support on high-level advocacy opportunities related to MHPS.
Represent UNICEF in high-level or technical forums to elevate the organization’s technical leadership in MHPSS for children and families.
Support resource mobilization efforts for MHPSS; and formulation of joint work plans with other UN agencies/ partners as relevant.
Coordinate and technically support the rollout and scaling up of MHPSS interventions, ensuring they incorporate the latest scientific and practice-based evidence.
This includes work on interventions like mhGAP for mental health in primary healthcare settings and EASE. Lead innovation and knowledge management efforts, collating evidence on their effectiveness, and ensuring that knowledge is shared and used to improve practice at national and subnational levels.
Provide technical assistance across UNICEF programmes, including support to partners, on MHPSS programming, driving a cross-sectoral agenda. Work closely with the Health, Education/ECD, Adolescents, Child Protection and Planning sections at in the CO (inclusive of FO colleagues) to ensure that key tiers of service delivery, partnerships, and capacity building across progamme sectors address MHPSS needs of children and young people.
Contribute to existing partnerships and initiatives on MHPSS supported by UNICEF Ukraine , and identify opportunities for new and strengthened strategic partnerships through networking and advocacy with governments (national and subnational level), UN agencies, CSOs, inter-governmental bodies, donors, internationally recognized institutions, NGOs, research institutes and private sector to advance initiatives aimed at scaling up and scaling deep mental health and psychosocial programming focusing on children and young people in Ukraine.
Serve as a resource person to provide technical advice, support and guidance for the development and dissemination of best practices on addressing mental health and psychosocial needs of children, adolescents, caregivers, and families, internal and external (including UNICEF partners at national and subnational level). Support evidence generation, lessons learned and programmatic evaluation exercises therein.
Serve as a resource person, provide technical guidance and support for UCO capacity building interventions on MHPSS programming across UNICEF programmes, including those lead by programme sections such as Education, child protection, ADAP, Health and SBC.
Other tasks as assigned.
Education:
An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: child psychology or psychiatry, clinical psychology or psychiatry, social work or, or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience:
A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in mental health, psychosocial support, child psychology, MHPSS and/other related areas.
Experience in programme design, development, planning and monitoring required.
Experience in working in international organizations, and in humanitarian and recovery contexts.
