Mental Health Technical Assistance Consultant, Programme Group, MHPSS, NYHQ, remote. Req# 588812

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines fordeveloping countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Consultancy: Mental Health Technical Assistance Consultant  

Duty Station: Programme Group - MHPSS

Duration: 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2026

Home/ Office Based: Remote

 

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

Hosted within the Health Centre of Excellence, the Mental Health (MH) Technical Assistance Consultant will be supervised by the Mental Health Policy and Advocacy Officer. The consultant serves as a core technical resource for multisectoral Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programming across high-income and upper-middle income country contexts, with an estimated 80 per cent level of effort devoted to dedicated technical assistance for National Committees for UNICEF (NatComs). The remaining level of effort will support broader learning, thought leadership on high-income country (HIC) typologies, and time-bound gap filling technical support to Country and Regional Offices in non-humanitarian contexts, as feasible and agreed.

The main function of this role is to provide technical guidance, capacity strengthening, and strategic coordination to NatComs to ensure UNICEF’s mental health programming is coherent, evidence-informed, and responsive to diverse country contexts. Support includes the formulation, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of advocacy and programming strategies related to mental health and child rights in high-income countries, in line with UNICEF’s Programme Guidance for PHICs and the global MHPSS portfolio. This ensures efficient and effective programme management and achievement of goals through advocacy, legal and policy development, and networking. The consultant will also advance multi-sectoral and system-strengthening approaches that promote equitable access to MHPSS, build community and institutional resilience, and improve coordination across UNICEF sectors, offices, and partners.

In collaboration with UNICEF Programme Group (PG) and Private Fundraising and Partnership (PFP) colleagues, the consultant will also support the field testing and capacity building associated with the Mental Health in High-Income Countries (HICs) Toolkit, and guide NatComs in applying its recommendations for effective policy advocacy, social and behavioral change (SBC), evidence generation and partnership engagement with key actors including local governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector (including with The Global Coalition on Mental Health, as it relates to engagement with NatComs). This includes supporting the development of Theories of Change (ToCs), facilitating knowledge exchange and learning platforms, and advising the integration of mental health priorities into NatComs’ strategic and joint partnership plans. The consultant will also support NatComs in the development and delivery of their mental health work across their Child Rights Schools, and Child Friendly Cities (CFCI) programmes, as well as provide guidance on how to meaningfully and safely engage children in the topic of MHPSS.

Ultimately, this consultancy ensures that UNICEF’s global MHPSS portfolio operates as a coherent and mutually reinforcing system, building stronger mental health foundations for children, caregivers, and communities worldwide.

Scope of Work:

Background:

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy, and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and 

excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop, and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence