Frontliner Wellbeing Consultant

1. CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION
   1. CONTEXT

Lebanon’s health system has been severely weakened by pronged crisis over recent years, including economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut port explosion and the recent crisis with Israil, which damaged health infrastructure and accelerated workforce attrition. These compounded shocks have placed extraordinary pressure on frontline health workers, who report among the highest levels of psychological distress and burnout in the region. National surveys indicate that moderate-to-high burnout affects over 80% of health care workers, with nearly 60% of frontliners at high risk of acute distress, alongside elevated emotional, mental, and physical work fatigue linked to long working hours, high threat exposure, insufficient rest, low pay, and stressful life events (WHO; national workforce studies). In this context, frontline wellbeing initiatives are critical to sustain workforce capacity, prevent burnout-related attrition, and maintain quality of care. Investing in mental health literacy, stress management, and workplace psychosocial protections—aligned with Lebanon’s National Charter for Mental Health in the Workplace—represents a strategic measure to preserve health system resilience and ensure continuity of essential services during ongoing emergencies.

1. 2. RATIONAL AND OVERALL OBJECTIVES

Under the EU -NDICI funded program, PUI seeks to strengthen the mental health, psychosocial wellbeing, and resilience of frontline healthcare workers and humanitarian staff operating in high-pressure, crisis-affected contexts in Lebanon, where prolonged exposure to chronic stress, secondary trauma, and burnout undermines staff wellbeing, service quality, and workforce retention. To address these risks, PUI will engage a Frontliners Wellbeing Consultant to design and implement evidence-based, ethical, and sustainable staff care and MHPSS interventions aligned with WHO workplace mental health guidelines and national mental health program. The overall objective is to enhance frontline workers’ psychological wellbeing, coping capacity, and resilience, while strengthening organizational sustainability, improving quality of care, and reducing burnout-related attrition across health and humanitarian services.

2. CONSULTANCY SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

While the primary objective of this assignment is to equip frontline healthcare providers with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools needed to protect and enhance their wellbeing in both personal and professional contexts.

Specific objectives include:

• Assessing psychosocial risks, burnout levels, and well-being needs among frontline workers
• Designing and implementing context-appropriate group and/or individual staff wellbeing interventions, including interactive sessions on mental health, emotional resilience, mindfulness, stress management, and self-care
• Strengthening PHCCs’ capacity to establish sustainable staff care programming and institutionalize wellbeing practices, fostering a positive organizational culture that enhances employee satisfaction, performance, and productivity.

1. METHODOLOGY
   1. Key Responsibilities
2. Assessment, Analysis & Strategy Development

• Conduct staff wellbeing and burnout assessments among healthcare workers and humanitarian staff in PUI-supported facilities
• Map psychosocial risks, organizational stressors (within both PUI-supported PHCCs and PUI staff structures), as well as existing protective factors
• Develop a staff wellbeing strategy and action plan aligned with the national mental health programmed and organizational objectives, outlining concrete measures to sustain and protect frontline healthcare providers’ wellbeing

2. Design & Implementation of Wellbeing Interventions

• Design and deliver structured wellbeing and resilience interventions that could include:
  • Stress management and emotional regulation
  • Burnout and compassion fatigue prevention
  • Trauma-informed self-care
  • Peer support and groups
• Develop suggestions to integrate staff well-being principles and actions into HR, duty of care, and operational policies for PHCCs.

3. Capacity Building & Coaching

• Aligned with NMHP approach, develop and deliver training modules for frontline health staff, supervisors, and managers on:

• Secondary trauma and burnout
• Supportive leadership and staff care
• Provide coaching with HR in PHCCs and supervisors on managing staff wellbeing and psychological safety.
• Build internal capacity within PUI to sustain wellbeing initiatives beyond the consultancy.

1. Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning

• Develop monitoring tools, booklet/material/handbook for reference and for the staff to keep with themselves and wellbeing indicators aligned with global standards and frameworks.
• Track participation, outcomes, and qualitative impact of wellbeing interventions.
• Produce technical progress and final reports, lessons learned, and donor-relevant documentation.
• Contribute to PUI internal learning, policy refinement, and sustainability planning.

4. AREA OF INTERVENTION

• Field-based with travel to PUI-supported health facilities in Lebanon; including Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North, Akkar, Tripoli, Nabatiyeh, Beqaa, and the South
• Flexible scheduling to align with frontline health staff availability

5. DURATION

• 6-9 months with possibility of extension depending on funding

6. FUNCTIONAL LINKS

• The Consultant will be working directly under the overall supervision of PUI MHPSS and protection coordinator, deputy coordinator, and MHPSS specialist with close collaboration of MHPSS and protection program managers at the field and PHCCs including NMHP.  

7. EXPECTED DELIVERABLE

• Frontliner health workers wellbeing and burnout assessment detailing psychological risks and stressors including mapping of protective factors
• Frontliner health workers wellbeing strategy and action Plan aligned with the NMHP and PUI organizational objectives with detailed monitoring framework and indicators including Internal capacity strengthening plan to sustain staff wellbeing initiatives beyond consultancy
• Implemented group wellbeing activities with 110-120 participants and as needed individual support for critical cases
  1. FINAL REPORT

Consultant will submit:

• One assessment report
• Frontliners wellbeing strategy and action Plan with monitoring plan
• Reports and lessons on the implementation of group/individual wellbeing activities for 110-120 individuals  

8. PREREQUISITE QUALIFICATIONS
   1. Education
      • • Advanced degrees in Psychology, clinical psychology, Psychiatry, Counselling, Social Work, Public Mental Health, or related field
   2. Professional experience

• Proven experience, at least 5 years in designing and delivering training sessions on employee wellbeing, mental health, or related topics.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in MHPSS, staff wellbeing, or mental health programming
• Demonstrated experience working with healthcare workers or humanitarian staff
• Experience in emergency, displacement, or fragile contexts, preferably Lebanon or MENA
• Proven track record in burnout prevention, trauma-informed care, and resilience programming
• Strong understanding of workplace dynamics and employee wellbeing strategies.
  3. Competencies and knowledge
• Strong knowledge of IASC MHPSS Guidelines, WHO policy guidelines on workplace wellbeing etc
• Experience in training, facilitation, and coaching
• Strong analytical, reporting, and donor communication skills
• Ability to work with sensitive content ethically and confidentially
• Cultural sensitivity, adaptability, and strong interpersonal skills
  4. Languages
• Fluency in Arabic and English

9. SELECTION CRITERIA
   1. Administrative Evaluation:

• All documents under 8.1 and 8.2 must be submitted to meet the administrative requirements and qualify for the technical evaluation. Failure to submit these documents will result in disqualification from the consultancy process.

1. 2. Technical evaluation:

Evaluation criteria are the following:

• Candidates profile (CV)
• Relevance and quality of the proposed methodology and structure of the implementation
• Experience and relevant technical references

Only the technical offers reaching at least 70% of the score will be declared technically valid and selected for the next phase of evaluation.  

9.3 Financial evaluation:

• Only the financial offers from the candidates with at least 70% of the technical evaluation score will be considered.

9.4 Finale evaluation

• The final evaluation will combine both prior evaluations, technical offer, financial offer and presentation with qualified shortlisted candidates. The candidate who will have the higher score will be selected.
• The financial offer will be analyzed and possibly negotiated with the candidate within the limit of the available budget.  
• The shortlisted consultant should prepare a presentation of up to 8 slides to the committee explaining the proposal, questions will be asked by the committee to make the final selection as per PUI memo.