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

Contract Duration: 11.5 months

Working arrangement: remote

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.

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. While most individuals demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity, many experience significant psychological distress or longer-term mental health conditions following exposure to severe stressors. Mental health challenges can affect functioning across multiple domains, including learning, relationships, caregiving, social participation, and livelihoods. Yet access to quality mental health care remains limited globally due to significant workforce shortages and insufficient integration of MHPSS services across systems and sectors. Expanding access to quality MHPSS therefore requires strengthening the capacity and competency of a diverse workforce across sectors including health, education, and child protection. With appropriate training, supervision, and systems support, professionals and non-specialists can effectively deliver evidence-informed MHPSS interventions and contribute to more accessible and sustainable systems of care.

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA), Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional grouping for the multisectoral mental health and psychosocial support (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 including implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, and ongoing humanitarian crises across the region have heightened the need for strengthened MHPSS responses and systems. In addition, political momentum and investment opportunities for child and adolescent mental health have increased substantially, including growing attention from governments, European institutions, and private-sector partners. UNICEF is increasingly requested to provide strategic technical support to strengthen national systems and services. These evolving demands underscore the need for stronger regional coordination, technical assistance, knowledge exchange, and workforce strengthening mechanisms.

Leveraging UNICEF's convening role and technical leadership, the Mental Health Leadership Team (MHLT) seeks to support system-level strengthening through multisectoral approaches that modernize MHPSS within health, child protection, education, and social service 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.

To support these priorities, 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.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  TMC0005015 ToR.pdf

• Education: Masters’ Degree in Psychology, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Clinical Social Work, Neurosciences and other relevant fields of work.
• Work Experience:
  • Minimum A minimum of 8 years’ experience in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for children and families is required.
  • Experience providing MHPSS technical support in Europe and Central Asia context is required.
• Language requirement: Fluency in English is required.

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

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 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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal  TMC0005015 Financial Proposal Template.xlsx

Remarks:  If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here

Advertised: 18 Aug 2026 Jordan Standard Time
Applications close: 24 Aug 2026 Jordan Standard Time

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