Job Description

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0 UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1 Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2 UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With presence in 170 countries and territories, UNDP endeavors to help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships and institutions so they can sustain their progress. UNDP personnel are united by a common purpose: to help countries and communities across the world; and pursue peaceful, prosperous lives, lived in harmony with the planet.

Within BMS/OHR, the People Performance Unit (PPU) exists to provide substantive leadership to the development and implementation of the UNDP-wide approaches and strategies aimed at creating a positive employee experience and maintaining a safe, respectful and enabling working environment that enables personnel engagement, productivity and performance. More specifically, the team leads and provides advice on matters related to employee experience and engagement, staff relations and respect in the workplace, duty of care with a focus on health and well-being, dealing with sexual misconduct in the workplace, and individual performance management and its linkages with the broader organizational performance.

To increase its capacity to respond to the psychosocial and mental health care needs of its personnel and foster a healthy working environment, UNDP is looking for a Staff Counsellor.

Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will report to the HR Specialist - Mental Health and Wellbeing Team Lead BMS/OHR/PPU.

Psychological Support, Crisis Intervention, and Critical Incident Management for RBAP UNDP Personnel:

• Provide psychological support to individual personnel working in different geographic locations through tele-counselling services and/or in person.
• Deliver crisis intervention and organizational psychological support across RBAP, in close coordination with Security Advisers, HR Business Partners, and Country Office management, within complex, high‑stress and high‑risk operational environments across the region.
• Ensure appropriate clinical supervision, professional oversight, coordinated response, and ethical accountability in the management of critical incidents affecting UNDP personnel, including exposure to extreme operational conditions that may result in acute trauma, severe psychological distress, or other stress‑related mental health outcomes.d) In case of emergency/crises, lead coordination with Critical Incident Stress Management Section (CISMS) and local/regional staff counsellors/services to ensure appropriate crisis intervention, and participate in missions and crisis deployments if requested by the Bureau/CO.

Proactive Organizational Well-being Advocacy and Capacity Building for a Psychologically Healthy Workplace

• Proactively monitor environmental factors that could lead to stress/burnout, with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents including emergency and crisis situations.
• Provide advice and psychosocial support to managers to help them ensure a psychologically healthy workplace. In this regard develop policies and guidelines, as well as information / booklets to increase awareness about issues related to mental health and well-being; develop promotional materials on key topics.
• Design and deliver workshops, trainings, and information sessions on a wide range of topics (e.g. stress management, domestic violence, mental health promotion etc.) to ensure that staff regularly receive relevant information and are aware of sources where to find information or assistance. Deliver group sessions for offices and teams on issues of common concern.

Analytical Reporting, Strategic Planning of Counselling Services and Related Administrative Support and Oversight

• Analyze records, prepare comprehensive reports, and plan and implement other staff counselling activities to ensure the provision of cohesive counselling services.

Lead knowledge and knowledge sharing

• Proactively identify and pursue opportunities for the documentation and communication of best practices, programme results, and lessons learned.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Competencies

Core

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-functional & Technical Competencies

HR - Duty of Care

• Psychosocial support to personnel: Ability and certified qualification to provide psychological counselling services to teams and individual personnel

Business Direction & Strategy

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Development

• Human-centered Design: Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process; Knowledge and understanding of human centred design principles and practices

Business Management

• Communication: Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience; Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
• Risk Management: Identify and organize action around reducing, mitigating and proactively managing risks

Legal

• Managing Client Relations: Ability to interact with different levels of management and across different agencies and offices to obtain information, develop legal approaches and resolve issues, this skill includes liaison with counterparts and determining the best sequence in which to pursue an issue, where information, particularly for UNDP, may be across different independent UN agencies

HR Talent Management

• Employee Engagement: Knowledge of theories and models of human motivation and engagement including the predictors of employee engagement; knowledge of and ability to guide application of tools, techniques, and processes to increase employee engagement; knowledge of tools and methodologies to measure employee engagement and to identify its specific drivers; knowledge of tools and methodologies to ensure regular engagement with personnel on key workplace matters, with a view to identifying the most pressing workplace issues
  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Clinical Psychology, Counselling, Social Work or Psychiatry required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields of study, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) and 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of working experience and expertise in individual and group counselling- remotely and in person is required.

Required skills:

• Demonstrated experience working independently with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating data and identifying relevant findings.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and executing training.

Desired skills:

• Experience in providing counselling in the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) and/or other field locations is desired.
• Experience and familiarity with the UN system and procedures is desired.
• Additional certification in trauma intervention, substance abuse counselling, cross-cultural communication is an advantage.
• Experience in designing and leading new programming/training is an asset.
• Experience in providing counselling in a crisis context is an advantage.

Required Languages:

• Fluency in English and Thai is required.
• Working knowledge of a second UN language is an asset.

Professional Certificates:

• Registration/License as a mental health professional in the country of origin or elsewhere is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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