Regional Staff Counsellor, LACRO, Panama city

World Food Programme•Panama City, FL

About The Position

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 staff. As a part of a multidisciplinary team, the Staff Wellness Unit is committed to the promotion of psychological and physical health in the broadest sense so staff can continue to function at high levels to meet the mandate of the organization. We do this by identifying and addressing psychological risk factors in the workplace, and through the provision of counselling services to staff members and their dependents. WFP is looking for a highly qualified Staff Counsellor to join the Staff Wellness Unit based in Panama City, covering the country offices in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Staff Counsellor will administratively and technically report to the Chief of Staff Counselling in Rome, as part of the Global Headquarters team. A key requirement of the position will be the ability to summarize data and trends to develop programmes and initiatives that are designed to support staff. Travel may be required from the Staff Counsellor to support the country offices, at times on short notice based on operational needs, and also at times to remote and difficult locations to provide support to staff.

Requirements

Education: Advanced university degree (Doctorate, Masters or equivalent) in Clinical or Counselling Psychology, Psychiatry or demonstrably equivalent studies from a recognized institution. Registration as a mental health professional in the country of origin is required. Additional 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..
Experience: At least 8 years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience relevant to the field is required.
Knowledge & Skills: Broad 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 coordinate services and create a trusted environment in which others can talk confidentially. Ability to coordinate and manage crisis situations which involve diverse actors and stakeholders. Ability to strategically plan and deliver counselling services. Strong initiative-taker and demonstrated ability to take independent decisions.

Nice To Haves

Experience either working in a hardship location or providing counselling services to staff working under very difficult and insecure environments is an asset.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the development of the Wellness Strategy 2025-2030 and implement the psychosocial wellbeing strategy for the region, reflecting global projects and adapting to the specific needs of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Provide active psychological support and advice on strategic developments in the region involving 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 culturally sensitive counselling services to WFP staff and, if requested, to their dependents on a broad range of issues, including stress management, work-life balance, trauma, and conflict resolution.
Develop and deliver tailored training sessions and workshops on relevant topics to enhance workplace morale and team dynamics.
Provide pre and post-deployment briefings to staff being deployed to emergency or hardship duty stations;
Partner with other functions within WFP and also with institutions outside to address psychological risks at the individual, unit and organizational level and to ensure a 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.
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.
Support and maintain the WFP Wellness Support Volunteer Regional network (WSV) through training and supervision; disseminate training materials and related protocols.
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.
Provide guidance and leadership to the country-based Staff Counsellors in the region to enable high performance levels.
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.
Complete administrative duties such as maintaining statistics or activities and completing reporting requirements as per the requirement of RBP Management and Staff Wellness Division.
Participate and collaborate in UNSSCG, CISMU activities, and working groups.
Other as required.
DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT: • Psychosocial support provided on demand and during emergency operations, critical incidents, and office rightsizing. • Regular reports on trends in the support needed, successful interventions, examples of staff cases handled, and suggested improvements for future responses. • Implementation of the psychosocial wellbeing strategy across the region. • Summary and materials of all training sessions and workshops conducted, along with feedback and evaluations from participants.