Health Psychology Coordinator (Child Obesity):

Health Psychology Coordinator (Child Obesity)

Vacancy Notice: HPC_01_GR/24_12

Job title: Health Psychology Coordinator (Child Obesity)
Location:  Athens, Deployment to the Ministry of Health
Type of contract:  ICMC 
Starting date: 22 April 2024
Closing date for applications: 5 April 2024
Contract duration: 12 months

About ICMC

The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) is an international non-governmental organization, whose mission is to protect and serve children as well as uprooted people, including refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people, victims of human trafficking, and migrants – regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, or nationality.

ICMC started a partnership with UNICEF in Greece in order to deploy a highly qualified affiliated workforce to assist UNICEF Greece Country Office.

Scope of work

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programme, 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.

UNICEF became operational in Greece in early 2016 as an outposted team from the Regional Office of Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) to respond to the significant influx of refugee and migrant children and their families at that time. Following several years of engagement with national stakeholders, UNICEF and the Government of Greece made a decision in January 2020 to formalize the agency’s presence in the country as a full-fledged Country Office. The office falls under the auspices of the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia located in Geneva, which supports the work of 22 Country Offices within its geographical scope, reporting in turn to global headquarters in New York. Within the framework of a mandate for all children in Greece, UNICEF and Greece are now working to address the needs of all vulnerable, marginalized and left-behind children in the country.

The National Public Health Strategy is founded on the key policy vision of the overall strategy of the Ministry of Health for eradicating risk factors (socioeconomic, behavioural and environmental) to health, which reflects the importance the Ministry of Health places in promoting the policies on Disease Prevention, Health Protection and Health Promotion for the population. In this context, the Directorate of Public Health under the General Secretariat of Public Health of the Ministry of Health assumes a leading role in combating childhood obesity in Greece, having set the goal to “Reduce by way of priority, childhood obesity from 25% (2017) to at least 10% (EU average) by 2030”, as designated through the:

1. National Action Plan for Public Health 2021-2025

2. National Public Health Prevention Programme “Spyros Doxiadis”

In light of the above, UNICEF signed a programmatic agreement with the Ministry of Health in order to implement the ‘National Action to combat Child Obesity’ financed under the Recovery and Resilience Fund, in close coordination with the General Secretariat of Public Health.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical support to the Ministry of Health, in its efforts to implement programmatic interventions in the following pillars:

1. advancement of an enabling environment including strengthening regulations, policies, and strategies to promote healthy diets, practices, and services for the prevention of childhood obesity,
2. programmes that strengthen the primary prevention of child overweight and obesity, including actions to improve nutrition in infancy and early childhood, prevention intervention programs at the school and community/municipal level, as well as developing awareness raising campaigns for social and behavioural change,
3. interventions to enhance secondary and tertiary prevention and response programmes,
4. establishment of a European Regional Centre on Child Obesity as a platform to enable exchange of lessons learned, good practices, and proven effective approaches to address childhood obesity among and within EU member states,
5. development of strategies and programmes focusing on achieving social and behavioural change so that children and their caregivers across Greece make more informed lifestyle choices.

Technical support will enable the Greek authorities to have additional expertise on designing, implementing and monitoring any public health interventions under the National Action to combat Child Obesity, by using the field of psychology to promote healthy behaviours and improve healthcare systems.

In line with the EU Childs Right Strategy in the context of the right to healthcare, the National Action Plan and the UNICEF Global Nutrition Strategy, UNICEF will further support Greece in its efforts to achieve national agreed targets to reduce prevalence of child obesity, with a focus on vulnerable groups of children.

The expert will work closely with the UNICEF Programmes Team in Greece and the respective team members involved and in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders and partners.

Under the guidance of the Child Protection Officer, supervisor at the UNICEF Greece Country Office, the incumbent will provide support as deployed Staff to the Ministry of Health for the delivery of the technical support for the implementation of the relevant to public health psychology interventions in the fight against child obesity and promotion of healthy nutrition for children.

Responsibilities

The incumbent may be assigned contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following duties: 

1. Support in developing strategies for the promotion of healthy behaviors and social acceptability of policies pertaining to the advertising/marketing of healthy food and beverages to children, promotion of physical activities and nutrition at school level etc.
2. Collect primary/secondary data regarding the health-related behaviors under the multiple interventions/activities of the National Action to combat Child Obesity.
3. Develop and advise on the implementation of health promotion and nutrition education activities and reduce risky behavior.
4. Using psychological models and evidence-based interventions to address child obesity related behaviors at individual and community level.
5. Participate or guide the design and development of guidelines, scientific content and monitoring indicators for behavioral strategies under the National Action.
6. Support in scientific coordination among the Ministry of Health and all relevant stakeholders/partners under the National Action.
7. Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling and health promotion activities and provide recommendations for improvement.
8. Keep up to date with developments in health psychology and provide training and supervision where necessary.
9. Participate in the design, and oversight of public health promotion campaigns.

Requirements

1. Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: health psychology, public health, counselling or social work and any other related field of social sciences

2. Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional work experience providing technical support to policy implementation in any of the following fields is required: health psychology, public health, health counselling
• Experience of working in a health setting and/or government institution
• Familiarity with legal and policy frameworks relating to health and social care
• Experience in networking and coordination activities including public and civil society stakeholders is a plus.

3. Language requirements: Fluency in English and Greek is required.

4. Skills

• Excellent communication, facilitation and negotiation skills.
• Strong analytical and report writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team environment with strong communication, facilitation and negotiation skills
• Capacity to work independently and take initiative
• Demonstrated commitment to delivering timely and high-quality results

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit a detailed CV of maximum four pages in English, a motivation letter and two professional references with full and up to date contact details via email, to: Mr. Akis Papakonstantinou, ICMC HR Officer.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 05/04/2024.

The Vacancy Notice number HPC_01_GR/24_12 and the applicant’s full name must be quoted in the email subject line.

Applications will be evaluated upon reception and interviews with shortlisted candidates may be conducted before the closing date. Referees may be contacted prior to the interviewing stage.

Data protection

By submitting an application, you agree that ICMC collects and manages the information that you provide. You also agree that your data may be shared with UNICEF. Your personal information will be used for recruitment purposes only. Your application will be treated with strict confidentiality.

Owing to the volume of applications, ICMC regrets that only applicants short-listed for an interview will be notified.

ICMC is committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants. ICMC does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, national origin, religion, physical or mental ability, marital status and age. Applications will be treated with strict confidentiality.

ICMC is committed to a Zero-Tolerance Policy toward sexual exploitation, abuses and all forms of unlawful harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment. Screening of applications includes the vetting for records of prior misconduct and reference checking. By submitting your application, you declare your consent for your former employer to disclose any details concerning criminal convictions or misconduct.  ICMC can take other necessary measures to ensure that people involved in substantiated cases of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment are not recruited.