UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Support

How can you make a difference?

Reporting to the Chief wellbeing, and as a part of a dedicated team in the Division of People and Culture (DPC), the Wellbeing Officer (P-2) is expected to provide support to the HQ and global staff counselling team in their role in fostering the wellbeing and good mental health of UNICEF staff, their families and UNICEF teams and offices around the world. 

The Wellbeing Officer (P-2) will work in close coordination with one P4 Staff Counsellor in Copenhagen, two P3 Staff Counsellors, one in New York and the other in Istanbul, and the P5 Chief of Staff Wellbeing in Istanbul. They will also collaborate with colleagues in UNICEF’s global staff counselling team in support of the accomplishment of outcomes set according to the UNICEF global wellbeing priorities 

The Wellbeing Officer (P-2) will contribute towards the development of up-to-date wellbeing resources, the oversight of the Staff Wellbeing SharePoint site, Viva Engage community and AGORA learning platform, the coordination of wellbeing global communication, the administrative coordination of the global Peer Support Volunteers (PSV) Programme and transition to the Wellness Advocates (WA) Programme, Mental Health First Aid trainings, Psychosocial Risk Management roll out,  coordination of the global Deployment Briefing System, management of the staff wellbeing data reporting system, knowledge management and coordination of regular meetings within the staff wellbeing team  and in assisting with other logistical and administrative tasks. 

1. Supporting the Staff Wellbeing Team through the research, conceptualization, and development, maintenance, socialization and accessibility of global wellbeing resources: 

a) Assessing emerging needs of specific staff groups 

b) Engaging in discussions with staff counsellors on their requirements for new resources 

c) Conducting research and reporting on the latest mental health best practices to inform relevant and updated resource development 

d) Proactively identify gaps in resources and programmes, and actively highlighting this to the team 

e) Coordinating the development of resources in consultation with staff counsellors e.g., videos, guides, podcasts, fact sheets, articles 

2. Proactively developing and managing the Staff Wellbeing SharePoint site, Viva Engage community and AGORA learning platform  

a) Regularly seeking feedback from staff on wellbeing sites and platforms to inform improvements 

b) Ongoing discussions with staff counsellors on their requirements for new resources on the sites 

c) Keeping the sites up to date with new resources and proactive community engagement 

3. Coordinating wellbeing communication globally and organizing and promoting wellbeing events/initiatives: 

a) Participating in the Values in Action Group for ensuring alignment of staff wellbeing initiatives with broader organizational trends 

b) Driving the World Mental Health Day campaign in UNICEF by gathering input from wider UN network, giving feedback to Staff Counsellors of proposed course of action, and seeing this materialize 

b) Engage with the DPC Communication Focal Point and Internal Communications Team to effectively promote other global wellbeing events/initiatives 

4. Providing administrative coordination and support of the global PSV Programme, and driving the ongoing enhancements of the programme to transition to the Wellness Advocate (WA) Programme, Mental Health First Aid trainings and Psychosocial Risk Management roll out under the guidance of the supervisor: 

a) Overseeing and maintenance of the PSV and WA training and resource materials, the MHFA training coordination and any tasks related to the Psychosocial Risk Management roll out 

b) Keeping the monitoring and distribution lists and materials up to date 

c) Co-ordinating necessary meetings and project goals that may arise in the continued development of the mentioned programmes 

d) Supporting the communication around the transition of the mentioned programmes within the organisation 

5. Coordination of the global Deployment Briefing System: 

a) Coordinating and monitoring briefing requests sent to the global staff counselling team 

b) Overseeing and maintenance of the Booking Scheduling Sheet 

6. Managing the staff wellbeing data reporting system and generating statistical reports under the guidance of the supervisor and /or Chief Staff Wellbeing 

7. Managing Knowledge via the maintenance of the staff wellbeing Teams resources library: 

a) Keeping abreast of the resources in the library 

b) Actively seeking out staff counsellors to include their new resources in the library 

8. Assisting with logistical and administrative tasks as needed e.g., Supporting the organization of regular team meetings, planning of annual global staff Counsellor meetings; Reimbursement of Clinical Supervision, issuing of Vendor or consultant contracts, reviewing of services for payments, ensuring annual subscription and licenses maintenance 

9. Any other duties, as assigned by the supervisor. 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD - Wellbeing Officer_P2_Istanbul

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in Psychology or other psychosocial related area.
• Work Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in mental health related programming, project management and administrative support in an international organization and/or large corporation is required.
• Skills: Demonstrated ability to work with ambiguity and to change track according to emerging and competing priorities. Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other counsellors and strategic partners and be a good team player.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
• Competent in SharePoint, and Microsoft programmes including PowerPoint and Excel. Proficiency in using an online graphic design tool e.g., CANVA, as well as SAP would be an asset. Communications background is an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.