Your job as a Head of Mission for Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF)
As a Head of Mission (HoM) you will bear
ultimate responsibility for all of MSF's projects in a country or
region. You will be responsible for the development and
implementation of MSF's country policy, annual plan and project
proposals, and their respective budgets. You will be responsible
for managing the security of the entire MSF mission in the country
or region. General human resources management in the mission and
advocacy work, as well as continuous analysis of the country's
context (specifically the internal situation and international
relations), will be among your primary duties. As our main
representative in the country, you will represent MSF towards
national authorities, donors, the media and other organizations.
You will lead the management team and will be based in the capital
with frequent field visits.
Requirements for HoMs/country managers with MSF
- At least 3 years’ relevant humanitarian work
experience abroad, with at least 2 years’ experience in a senior
management position
- Extensive managerial experience, including of
staff policy as well as project and budget management
- Experience of public health programmes,
international policy, context analysis and complicated security
situations in unstable or conflict areas
- Experience in dealing with national
authorities and national and international organizations
- Excellent negotiation and communication
skills
- Ability to deal with unforeseen, often
stressful and difficult situations
- A good command of the English language
- Availability of at least 24 months
Assets
- As our teams predominantly work in areas
affected by war and violent conflict, we are looking for recruits
with previous field experience in a humanitarian aid organization,
as well as specific training and experience in public health,
international relations, refugee or international law, development
studies and/or anthropology. Our projects’ official language is
English, but the ability to speak an additional language such as
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian or Arabic is an asset.
What MSF offers you
- A contract for the duration of the mission,
along with an international insurance package, a pension scheme and
other benefits depending on applicable regulations and labour
law
- 5 weeks’ holiday per year
- A preparation course before departure and
continued career development opportunities within the
organization
- Career guidance and training
opportunities
May 2012