MHPSS in ECA Technical Support Consultant, UNICEF Global Programme Division, Health, Mental Health Leadership Team, Amman COE, Jordan, 11.5 months (remote) #595161

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.

About the role

UNICEF seeks a consultant to provide technical assistance and strategic support to Country Offices (COs) and Refugee Response Offices (RROs) across Europe and Central Asia, with a focus on humanitarian contexts, systems strengthening, regional learning, and scalable MHPSS initiatives.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) is an institutional priority for the UN and for UNICEF. The UNICEF Strategic Plan 2026-2029 identifies MHPSS as a cross-sectoral priority area, building upon existing programming through child protection, education, and health. Globally, conflict, forced displacement, violence, poverty, and other adversities continue to increase MHPSS needs among children, adolescents, caregivers, and communities.

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional grouping for the multisectoral MHPSS programme under UNICEF’s Mental Health Leadership Team (MHLT) engages a large number of Country Offices with diverse needs and contexts. Across ECA, UNICEF is responding to increasing demand from governments and Country Offices for technical support on child and adolescent mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. The extension of the Ukraine emergency continues to generate substantial MHPSS needs among children and families remaining in Ukraine and displaced populations across neighboring countries. Simultaneously, mixed migration flows, evolving regional policy contexts, and ongoing humanitarian crises have heightened the need for strengthened MHPSS responses and systems.

UNICEF is uniquely positioned to foster partnerships, support policy reform, strengthen workforce capacity, generate evidence, and facilitate multicountry and multisectoral learning to improve equitable and sustainable access to quality MHPSS services.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance and strategic support to Country Offices (COs) and Refugee Response Offices (RROs) across Europe and Central Asia.
• Support system-level strengthening through multisectoral approaches that modernize MHPSS within health, child protection, education, and social service systems.
• Strengthen regional coordination, technical assistance, knowledge exchange, and workforce strengthening mechanisms.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Psychology, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Clinical Social Work, Neurosciences, or other relevant fields.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for children and families.
• Experience providing MHPSS technical support in the Europe and Central Asia context.
• Fluency in English.

Desired Qualifications

• Relevant experience in technical MHPSS programme development and implementation within UNICEF.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian emergency contexts.
• Experience supporting the integration of MHPSS across sectors, conducting multisectoral coordination, and facilitating multisectoral initiatives.

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do.