Part-time home-based consultancy for UNICEF ECARO: Coordinator, Expert Network on Implementation of Digital Mental Health solutions for Children, Adolescents and Youth

Part-time based consultancy for UNICEF ECARO: Coordinator, Expert Network on Implementation of Digital Mental Health solutions for Children, Adolescents and Youth | UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund

Part-time based consultancy for UNICEF ECARO: Coordinator, Expert Network on Implementation of Digital Mental Health solutions for Children, Adolescents and Youth

UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund Remote | Geneva Both national and international Consultant - Contractors Agreement level Speaks English

Application deadline: March 22, 2026

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Summary by Impactpool

UNICEF ECARO is seeking a part-time consultant to coordinate the International Network of Experts on Implementation of Digital Mental Health solutions for Children, Adolescents, and Youth. The role involves supporting the eMH Expert Network’s Secretariat, fostering partnerships, and advocating for effective digital mental health solutions. The consultant will manage knowledge generated from expert discussions and contribute to documentation and analysis of digital mental health implementations. This position is based with potential travel and spans 34 working days over six months.

Candidate Requirements:

Master’s degree in social sciences, international development, health or related fields

At least 7 years of experience in international development work

Familiarity with adolescent health and e-MH concepts

Experience coordinating expert networks

Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills in English

Fluency in other UN languages is an asset

UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia is looking for a consultant to support the UNICEF in coordinating the UNICEF International Network of Experts on Implementation of Digital Mental Health solutions for Children, Adolescents and Youth. Support the eMH Expert Network’s Secretariat; support partnerships-building; advocacy and sharing of knowledge and expertise on policy, programming, technical guidance, best practices and lessons learnt re: implementation of digital MH.

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 health  

Globally, one in seven 10-19 year olds is experiencing a mental health disorder. Most of the adult MH disorders have their onset in adolescence and MH conditions are a major cause of illness and disability in young people. The repercussions of mental health conditions expand beyond health and affect a child’s ability to learn, develop and engage with family, peers and communities. Responding to the mental health crisis affecting children, adolescents and youth is a strategic priority for UNICEF. Across Regions there is a strong need to improve access to quality mental health and psychosocial support services for children, adolescents and their caregivers. Even in the richest countries, the gap between needs and access to prevention, care and support services is huge. Increasingly, young people are turning online to seek information, care and support. At the same time, many governments are facing pressures to adapt and introduce digitalization into existing health care systems.

Technology, including AI, continues to advance rapidly, often more quickly than policies and governance mechanisms in countries. UNICEF’s Policy on AI for Children ( UNICEF-Global-Insight-policy-guidance-AI-children-2.0-2021.pdf ) raises questions around key areas related to AI such as privacy and data protection, information security, and ethics in evidence generation. The opportunities that technologies and AI bring for advancing the global mental health agenda are enormous, yet there are also critical dilemmas and risks that need to be addressed. Safe and effective digital mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) solutions will only be built through thorough incremental learning and exchanges of practical experiences among users and practitioners implementing and consuming digital and AI-powered mental health solutions.

There is a strong case for UNICEF to take the lead on supporting countries in policy development and implementation of safe and effective digital MHPSS solutions for children, adolescents and youth. This is why the UNICEF ECARO office established the Network of Experts on the Implementation of Digital Mental Health Solutions for Children, Adolescents and Youth. The Network was established in October 2023 with the aim of bringing together experts and MH practitioners from governments, academia, private sector, professional and youth organizations (including youth with lived experiences), to discuss, exchange experiences, build consensus, problem-solve and help provide policy guidance and technical support for the implementation of digital and AI-powered solutions designed to enhance the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of children, adolescents and youth, and of their caregivers.

The Network is tasked with providing advice to key partners, including UNICEF supported programs, on various issues such as legal and policy frameworks, design, development, regulation, management, oversight, governance, implementation, rollout and monitoring & evaluation of digital mental health solutions for children and young people. The Network brings together experts from across countries and works in close cooperation with e-MHIC, the Mental Health International Collaborative (eMHIC), WHO, the Brain Health Institute as well as youth networks supporting MH and psychosocial wellbeing of children and youth. Since its inception, there has been a yearly meeting in 2024 and 2025 as well as a number of virtual “deep dives” where experts from the Network discussed and provided key recommendations around various practical implementation issues affecting digital MH programming serving children, adolescents and youth. The Network has also fielded experts to provide advice and support to countries when needed.

In addition, the Expert Network has served as a “sounding board” and a source of technical advice for UNICEF ECARO for the development of uSupport . The ECARO team has been investing in the development of uSupport , a youth-centered, on-line, on-demand mental health platform designed with and for young people. The uSupport initiative is not some simple “app” – it is a platform supporting direct service provision and it provides a broader framework that helps governments integrate eMH solutions within existing systems of MHPSS care in a country, including through health, education and protection systems. As an increasing number of countries begin to rollout uSupport , it will be important for countries to continue to have access to advice, support and expertise of eMH Expert Network members. It will also be critical to document and share the advances, challenges and learnings from the implementation of uSupport.

How can you make a difference?  

• Support the Secretariat function for the UNICEF eMH Expert Network . Tasks & deliverables: adaptation and fine-tuning of TORs for sharing/approval; finalization of key reports, supporting a roster of experts; supporting the organization of additional deep-dive webinar style expert discussions on selected e-MH implementation topics; drafting of invitations, agenda for the deep dives, communication with partners – including eMHIC, Brain Health Institute, WHO and experts.

• Support the coordination function including coordination among experts from the Network, segmenting of expertise, coordination with other key UNICEF and partners’ initiatives related to child & youth mental health and development of digital solutions.

• Support Knowledge management generated through deep dives, webinars, from the deep-dive expert discussions. This will be delivered through drafting and/or reviewing of expert deep dive summary reports on selected aspects of supporting e-MH solutions for children, adolescents and youth.

• Support Analysis and Drafting of summary documentation around lessons learnt from the implementation and rollout of specific digital MH solutions (including uSupport) in countries: undertake analysis of key intervention, in collaboration with Expert Network, and support preparation of documentation and PPT slides around implementation of selected digital MH solutions, including uSupport; preparation of case-study and/or manuscripts for submission into scientific and other publications. Participation in discussions around implementation challenges in implementing uSupport and other digital MH solutions for children, adolescents, youth and caregivers.

Support the UNICEF team on additional tasks as required

Work modality: 

Based with possible travel to countries or international meetings, if needed. Duration: 34 working days over the 6 months period (April to September). 

Work Assignment Overview Deliverables/Outputs Delivery deadline (in weeks/months) and input days to complete deliverable

1.Support the Secretariat function for the UNICEF Expert Network on the Implementation of e-MH Solutions for children, adolescents and young people. Tasks & deliverables: adaptation and fine-tuning of TORs for sharing/approval; finalization of key reports, supporting a roster of experts; supporting the organization of additional deep-dive webinar style expert discussions on selected e-MH implementation topics; drafting of invitations, agenda for the deep dives, communication with partners – including eMHIC, Brain Health Institute, WHO and experts. Terms of Reference for the Expert Network revised, discussed, updated, shared and agreed Key reports from previous meetings and deep dives finalized & shared. List of Network Experts completed with bios and

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