Staff Counsellor

Job Posting Organization:
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build pathways to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impacts of climate change. Established in 1961, WFP operates in over 80 countries and employs thousands of staff members who are committed to its mission. The organization emphasizes diversity and inclusion, ensuring equal employment opportunities for all employees, regardless of race, gender, or background. WFP has been recognized for its efforts, notably being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, highlighting its commitment to humanitarian assistance and global security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security. WFP's vision for its workforce is to foster a diverse, skilled, and high-performing team that operates in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living by its core values of Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion. For more information, visit their website at https://www.wfp.org.

Job Overview:
The Staff Counsellor position is a critical role within the Staff Wellness Unit at WFP, based in Panama City. This position is responsible for designing and coordinating the delivery of counselling services across WFP, with a focus on maintaining the psychological and physical health of staff members. The role involves providing professional counselling and stress management services, ensuring that staff can maintain positive health and performance. The Staff Counsellor will engage extensively with all levels of staff and external partners to enhance psychosocial-support" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">psychosocial support and access to counselling services. The job requires a deep understanding of complex work-related issues such as stress management, interpersonal dynamics, and psychosocial coping strategies, particularly in challenging emergency contexts. The Staff Counsellor will also contribute to the development of the Global Wellness Division Strategic Plan and implement psychosocial wellbeing strategies tailored to the region, ensuring that staff are supported during critical incidents and emergency operations. This position is integral to fostering a supportive work environment and promoting overall staff wellness within WFP.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Staff Counsellor will have a wide range of responsibilities, including:

• Contributing to the development of the Global Wellness Division Strategic Plan and implementing psychosocial wellbeing strategies for the region.
• Providing active psychological support and advice on strategic developments affecting staff wellbeing, particularly during emergencies and critical incidents.
• Offering culturally sensitive counselling services to individuals and groups, addressing a variety of issues to promote staff wellness.
• Designing and delivering training sessions on resilience, conflict resolution, and team-building to enhance workplace morale and dynamics.
• Providing psychosocial support during emergencies and critical incidents, including pre and post-deployment briefings for staff.
• Collaborating with various functions within WFP and external institutions to address psychological risks and promote a healthy workplace.
• Leading initiatives to promote a healthy workplace and providing guidance to managers on staff wellbeing issues.
• Supporting the WFP Peer Support Volunteer Network through training and supervision.
• Maintaining high standards of professional ethics and confidentiality, actively engaging with staff to listen to their concerns. 1
• Completing administrative duties, including maintaining statistics and reporting requirements. 1
• Participating in UNSSCG activities and relevant working groups as required.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Doctorate or Masters) in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Clinical Social Work, psychiatric nursing, or equivalent studies from a recognized institution. Additionally, registration or licensure as a mental health professional with a relevant regulatory body is required. Further training or certification in related fields such as alcohol/substance abuse, resilience, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, and trauma is advantageous. Candidates should demonstrate broad specialist expertise in mental health assessment and counselling services, with the ability to create a trusted environment for confidential discussions.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree (Doctorate or Masters) in a relevant field such as Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Clinical Social Work, or psychiatric nursing. Candidates must also have registration or licensure as a mental health professional. Additional training or certifications in related areas will be considered an asset, enhancing the candidate's qualifications for the role.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional postgraduate experience relevant to the field, with at least three years of international experience. Experience working in hardship locations or providing counselling services in difficult and insecure environments is highly desirable. Familiarity with the Latin America region is also considered an asset, as it will enhance the candidate's ability to address the specific challenges faced by staff in this area.

Languages:
Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Spanish is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in French is desirable, and intermediate knowledge of an additional official UN language such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or Portuguese is considered an asset. This multilingual capability is essential for effective communication within the diverse WFP workforce and with external partners.

Additional Notes:
This position is classified as an International Professional role and is open to candidates of all nationalities. Mobility is a core contractual requirement, and the selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term rotational contract with a one-year probationary period. WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including a basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel allowances, 30 days of annual leave, and medical insurance. The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Panama City, Panama. WFP is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. All applications must be submitted through the online recruitment system, and candidates are advised to ensure their profiles are complete and accurate.