Programme Specialist, Child Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
UNICEF
Posted
Mar 13, 2026
Location
UK
Type
Full-time
Mission
What you will drive
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Contract type
Temporary Appointment
Locations
Europe and Central Asia Region
- Ukraine
Functional Area
Programme
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Health
-
Programme Management
Position level
- P-4
Programme Specialist (MHPSS), P4, Temporary Appointment (364 days), Kyiv, Ukraine, #129892
Apply now
Job no: 591647
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Duty Station: Kyiv
Level: P-4
Location: Ukraine
Categories: Health, Programme Management
Join UNICEF in Advancing Child Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
UNICEF Ukraine
Welcome to UNICEF Ukraine - YouTube
*For every child, the right to the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing ***
This role will be part of the Deputy Representative Programme’s Office. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision and overall guidance of the Deputy Representative Programmes and will collaborate closely with all Programme sections, including dedicated MHPSS specialists or focal points in Health, Child Protection, ADAP, and Education at national level and subnational level, to provide strategic and technical guidance to support the MHPSS intersectoral agenda and related thought leadership across UNICEF programme areas, including its leadership areas in the Ukraine Country Programme 2025-2029 ( Better Start, Better Care, and Better Learning and Skills). The incumbent will also engage key partners ( government counterparts, WHO, UNHCR, other UN agencies, CSOs, subject matter experts, academic research institutions, to assist in ensuring that quality MHPSS services are developed, monitored and effectively scaled up and integrated for children, adolescents, and caregivers.
While this position is Kyiv-based, the incumbent should expect to travel to field locations throughout Ukraine as per programmatic needs and in coordination with UNICEF field teams and partners.
How can you make a difference?
Join UNICEF in Advancing Child Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
As UNICEF drives cross-sectoral progress in the development, monitoring, and roll-out of targeted MHPSS interventions, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape the integration of these critical programs across the UNICEF Ukraine programme. You will contribute to creating evidence-based MHPSS interventions, tools, and training materials, supporting their implementation and evaluation in diverse settings. Key responsibilities include providing technical guidance and support to ensuring quality and sustainability in MHPSS initiatives and promoting UNICEF’s leadership across various sectors in the field of MHPSS and offers the chance to make a meaningful impact on the well-being of children and families in Ukraine.
The role involves extensive program coordination, planning, and management, with a focus on enhancing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for children and families in humanitarian and recovery interventions. Specially, the role will entail the following tasks:
-
Support coordination across sectors in relation to the implementation of the existing MHPSS Strategy across UNICEF programmes as related to UNICEF Ukraine leadership areas (Better Start, Better Care, Better Learning and Skills)
-
In collaboration with Partnerships, Communication and Advocacy teams, Provide Support on high-level advocacy opportunities related to MHPS. Represent UNICEF in high-level or technical forums to elevate the organization’s technical leadership in MHPSS for children and families. Support resource mobilization efforts for MHPSS; and formulation of joint work plans with other UN agencies/ partners as relevant.
-
Coordinate and technically support the rollout and scaling up of MHPSS interventions, ensuring they incorporate the latest scientific and practice-based evidence. This includes work on interventions like mhGAP for mental health in primary healthcare settings and EASE. Lead innovation and knowledge management efforts, collating evidence on their effectiveness, and ensuring that knowledge is shared and used to improve practice at national and subnational levels.
-
Provide technical assistance across UNICEF programmes, including support to partners, on MHPSS programming, driving a cross-sectoral agenda. Work closely with the Health, Education/ECD, Adolescents, Child Protection and Planning sections at in the CO (inclusive of FO colleagues) to ensure that key tiers of service delivery, partnerships, and capacity building across progamme sectors address MHPSS needs of children and young people.
-
Contribute to existing partnerships and initiatives on MHPSS supported by UNICEF Ukraine , and identify opportunities for new and strengthened strategic partnerships through networking and advocacy with governments (national and subnational level), UN agencies, CSOs, inter-governmental bodies, donors, internationally recognized institutions, NGOs, research institutes and private sector to advance initiatives aimed at scaling up and scaling deep mental health and psychosocial programming focusing on children and young people in Ukraine.
-
Serve as a resource person to provide technical advice, support and guidance for the development and dissemination of best practices on addressing mental health and psychosocial needs of children, adolescents, caregivers, and families, internal and external (including UNICEF partners at national and subnational level). Support evidence generation, lessons learned and programmatic evaluation exercises therein.
-
Serve as a resource person, provide technical guidance and support for UCO capacity building interventions on MHPSS programming across UNICEF programmes, including those lead by programme sections such as Education, child protection, ADAP, Health and SBC.
-
Other tasks as assigned.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education:
- An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: child psychology or psychiatry, clinical psychology or psychiatry, social work or, or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience:
-
A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in mental health, psychosocial support, child psychology, MHPSS and/other related areas.
-
Experience in programme design, development, planning and monitoring required.
-
Experience in working in international organizations, and in humanitarian and recovery contexts.
Skills Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English is required.
Desirables:
-
*Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. *
-
Experience in intervention development, research and evaluation, developing comprehensive training and professional development plans for intervention delivery, and knowledge management experience are desirable assets.
-
Knowledge of additional UN Language or local language is considered as an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustain...
Profile
What makes you a great fit
Search UNICEF
Search input
**
Vacancies
Current vacancies
Explore our current job opportunities
Filter results
Search using keywords
Search for jobs
Contract type
Temporary Appointment
Locations
Europe and Central Asia Region
- Ukraine
Functional Area
Programme
-
Health
-
Programme Management
Position level
- P-4
Programme Specialist (MHPSS), P4, Temporary Appointment (364 days), Kyiv, Ukraine, #129892
Apply now
Job no: 591647
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Duty Station: Kyiv
Level: P-4
Location: Ukraine
Categories: Health, Programme Management
Join UNICEF in Advancing Child Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
UNICEF Ukraine
Welcome to UNICEF Ukraine - YouTube
*For every child, the right to the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing ***
This role will be part of the Deputy Representative Programme’s Office. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision and overall guidance of the Deputy Representative Programmes and will collaborate closely with all Programme sections, including dedicated MHPSS specialists or focal points in Health, Child Protection, ADAP, and Education at national level and subnational level, to provide strategic and technical guidance to support the MHPSS intersectoral agenda and related thought leadership across UNICEF programme areas, including its leadership areas in the Ukraine Country Programme 2025-2029 ( Better Start, Better Care, and Better Learning and Skills). The incumbent will also engage key partners ( government counterparts, WHO, UNHCR, other UN agencies, CSOs, subject matter experts, academic research institutions, to assist in ensuring that quality MHPSS services are developed, monitored and effectively scaled up and integrated for children, adolescents, and caregivers.
While this position is Kyiv-based, the incumbent should expect to travel to field locations throughout Ukraine as per programmatic needs and in coordination with UNICEF field teams and partners.
How can you make a difference?
Join UNICEF in Advancing Child Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
As UNICEF drives cross-sectoral progress in the development, monitoring, and roll-out of targeted MHPSS interventions, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape the integration of these critical programs across the UNICEF Ukraine programme. You will contribute to creating evidence-based MHPSS interventions, tools, and training materials, supporting their implementation and evaluation in diverse settings. Key responsibilities include providing technical guidance and support to ensuring quality and sustainability in MHPSS initiatives and promoting UNICEF’s leadership across various sectors in the field of MHPSS and offers the chance to make a meaningful impact on the well-being of children and families in Ukraine.
The role involves extensive program coordination, planning, and management, with a focus on enhancing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for children and families in humanitarian and recovery interventions. Specially, the role will entail the following tasks:
-
Support coordination across sectors in relation to the implementation of the existing MHPSS Strategy across UNICEF programmes as related to UNICEF Ukraine leadership areas (Better Start, Better Care, Better Learning and Skills)
-
In collaboration with Partnerships, Communication and Advocacy teams, Provide Support on high-level advocacy opportunities related to MHPS. Represent UNICEF in high-level or technical forums to elevate the organization’s technical leadership in MHPSS for children and families. Support resource mobilization efforts for MHPSS; and formulation of joint work plans with other UN agencies/ partners as relevant.
-
Coordinate and technically support the rollout and scaling up of MHPSS interventions, ensuring they incorporate the latest scientific and practice-based evidence. This includes work on interventions like mhGAP for mental health in primary healthcare settings and EASE. Lead innovation and knowledge management efforts, collating evidence on their effectiveness, and ensuring that knowledge is shared and used to improve practice at national and subnational levels.
-
Provide technical assistance across UNICEF programmes, including support to partners, on MHPSS programming, driving a cross-sectoral agenda. Work closely with the Health, Education/ECD, Adolescents, Child Protection and Planning sections at in the CO (inclusive of FO colleagues) to ensure that key tiers of service delivery, partnerships, and capacity building across progamme sectors address MHPSS needs of children and young people.
-
Contribute to existing partnerships and initiatives on MHPSS supported by UNICEF Ukraine , and identify opportunities for new and strengthened strategic partnerships through networking and advocacy with governments (national and subnational level), UN agencies, CSOs, inter-governmental bodies, donors, internationally recognized institutions, NGOs, research institutes and private sector to advance initiatives aimed at scaling up and scaling deep mental health and psychosocial programming focusing on children and young people in Ukraine.
-
Serve as a resource person to provide technical advice, support and guidance for the development and dissemination of best practices on addressing mental health and psychosocial needs of children, adolescents, caregivers, and families, internal and external (including UNICEF partners at national and subnational level). Support evidence generation, lessons learned and programmatic evaluation exercises therein.
-
Serve as a resource person, provide technical guidance and support for UCO capacity building interventions on MHPSS programming across UNICEF programmes, including those lead by programme sections such as Education, child protection, ADAP, Health and SBC.
-
Other tasks as assigned.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education:
- An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: child psychology or psychiatry, clinical psychology or psychiatry, social work or, or another relevant technical field.
Work Experience:
-
A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in mental health, psychosocial support, child psychology, MHPSS and/other related areas.
-
Experience in programme design, development, planning and monitoring required.
-
Experience in working in international organizations, and in humanitarian and recovery contexts.
Skills Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English is required.
Desirables:
-
*Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. *
-
Experience in intervention development, research and evaluation, developing comprehensive training and professional development plans for intervention delivery, and knowledge management experience are desirable assets.
-
Knowledge of additional UN Language or local language is considered as an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustain...