Contract Duration: 8.5 months
Working arrangement: Office-based
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.
For every child, the right to care
How can you make a difference?
Under the technical leadership of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), through the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), support the refinement, revision, updating, validation and finalization of the Government of Lebanon’s National MHPSS Sub-Strategy for Children, Adolescents and Caregivers, aligned with Lebanon’s National Mental Health Strategy 2024–2030. This government-requested assignment will build on preparatory analysis and draft materials already developed and will be guided and validated through a government-led Steering Committee convened by NMHP. The Steering Committee will approve the workplan and structure, review deliverables at agreed milestones, consolidate feedback and validate the final package. UNICEF, as the contracting entity, will manage the contract, monitor delivery and process payments against deliverables validated through the agreed government-led governance mechanism.
The Sub-Strategy will define strategic priorities, roles and responsibilities, governance and coordination arrangements, referral linkages and an implementation roadmap across health, child protection, education and social sectors. It will include a life-course Theory of Change, Results Framework, a costed Operational Plan, and a results and MEAL Framework with SMART indicators.
The comprehensive costing of the Sub-Strategy will be undertaken by a separately engaged institution with specialized costing expertise, working in close coordination with the individual consultant throughout the assignment. The individual consultant will be responsible for ensuring that the strategic priorities, proposed interventions, implementation modalities, targets and resource requirements are sufficiently defined to inform the costing exercise, including compiling available unit costs and relevant financial information.
If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: External ToR TMC0007060.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...
Minimum requirements:
- Education:
- Master’s degree or equivalent advanced university degree in psychology, psychiatry, public mental health, public health with a mental health focus, social work, or another relevant mental health/MHPSS-related discipline.
- Work Experience:
- Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in child and adolescent mental health and psychosocial support, including demonstrated experience developing or leading government mental health/MHPSS policies or strategies, Theory of Change and results frameworks, operational plans and implementation arrangements.
- Language Requirements:
- Strong writing and communication skills in English; proficiency in Arabic and/or French is an asset.
- Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
- Proven experience in government-led strategy development, situation analysis, Theory of Change, and results/MEAL frameworks with SMART indicators, and participatory stakeholder consultation, including engagement with senior government officials and technical staff across relevant ministries and public institutions.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
- Desirables:
- Familiarity with WHO, UNICEF, IASC and other relevant standards and technical approaches for child and adolescent mental health and psychosocial support; prior experience working with government-led multisectoral processes in Lebanon or a comparable context is an asset.
- Familiarity with costing methodologies and processes, including the identification of resource requirements, compilation of unit costs and provision of technical inputs to inform the costing of multisectoral strategies and operational plans, is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
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 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.
Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):
- An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
- Cover letter
- A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal TMC0007060.docx
- A detailed technical proposal: Applicants should submit a proposed methodology and workplan, a CV demonstrating relevant qualifications and experience, and examples of comparable assignments or relevant written work.
Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable 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
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.
