OCA Emergency Team – Humanitarian Affairs Manager

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Position description

The Emergency Support Department (ESD) is part of the operations department and plays a key role in responding to humanitarian emergencies. The ESD conducts exploratory assessments; initiates and manages large scale or complex interventions to support people in precarious situations. The ESD provides support to existing country programs and the wider organisation to promote and improve emergency preparedness and response capacity. The ESD consists of a headquarter based Emergency Desk (E Desk) of Emergency (Health) Managers, an Operational Support Team (OST) of advisors and specialists, and an Emergency Team of approx. 25 country programme based medical and non-medical profiles.

The ESD is accepting open applications at any time for any position. With immediate effect, the ESD is particularly looking for:

OCA Emergency Team

Humanitarian Affairs Manager

Emergency Team members spend about 90% of their workdays (excluding holidays) in country programme locations and approximately 10% at headquarters (or work from home) for briefing/debriefing/trainings/’desk work’.

Place within the organisation

• Overall: reports to an Emergency Manager.
• During country programme assignments reports to relevant Management Team (MT) member at the capital level, typically Head of Mission (HoM)/Emergency Coordinator (EmCo) with Functional line to the context-related Humanitarian Affairs Advisor at HQ

Main objectives of the role

• To provide humanitarian affairs support and advocacy management/coordination to emergency responses in the country programs.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of advocacy and humanitarian affairs strategies in emergency programs by supporting the Country Management Team in the analysis of context, security, humanitarian situation, overall response and implementation of advocacy activities, to improve the medical humanitarian and human rights situation among population. Can be asked to contribute to emergency support activities including: scanning, emergency preparation, guideline maintenance, and MSF trainings.
• Initiate and/or participate in (advocacy and comms) positioning discussions at country or HQ level as per the need.

Description of the role

Operational Support

• Perform data collection and research concerning local and international context, with regards to security, medical, nutritional and humanitarian issues, in order to provide reliable information for further decision-making and to improve the target population’s health conditions and humanitarian situation.
• Support the Head of Mission/Emergency Coordinator and project coordinators in the analysis of the data collected, in order to better orientate the programmes and projects, to provide an optimal response to population needs.
• Participates in the elaboration and updating of the country and local risk analysis.
• Collaborate with the HoM/EmCo, the Operational/Humanitarian Affairs Department at HQ and other relevant parties to develop a coherent global strategy, in order to address the humanitarian situation.
• Contributes to the development and implementation of training programs for emergency staff.

Advocacy Coordination & Humanitarian Affairs Management

• Defining, implementing and coordinating MSF advocacy activities, including responsibility for drafting advocacy strategies addressing medical-humanitarian priorities in relation to country progam/response needs.
• Ensure that advocacy objectives are included in operational strategies (as member of the Country Management Team); promotes and assists in the implementation of advocacy activities locally, nationally and internationally.
• Supervise the quality of country program-level data collection (under MSF ethical guidelines) for operational and advocacy purpose.
• Monitor and compile regular updates on humanitarian aid system dynamics to increase the leverage capacity and the national impact of MSF lobbying in line with operational plans, regular activities and medical-humanitarian advocacy objectives.
• Draft ad hoc engagement points and internal/external reports in relation to main medical-humanitarian concerns while strengthening the integration of humanitarian affairs (analysis, critical reflection, contextual understanding) and operational communications.
• Advises CMT and Head of Mission/Medical Coordinators on perception related to positioning and operational strategy with a particular view on increasing local/national visibility and ensuring good acceptance for MSF projects/presence.
• Drafts/Contributes to regular internal situation reports as well as reports or briefing papers for external use in line with the country programme advocacy strategy.
• If relevant and in collaboration with Humanitarian Affairs Advisor/Head of Mission/Medical Coordinator, advises on creating/opening humanitarian affairs positions in the country, and manages, supervises and develops staff under their direct responsibility.
• If relevant, define, implement and coordinate MSF protection activities, including responsibility for drafting protection strategy addressing needs of people presenting particular vulnerabilities, while implementing advocacy activities addressing protection gaps – in relation to project needs.

Data Collection – Analysis

• Design and support the implementation of data collection systems with regards to the country/programme context (linking local, national and international levels), and medical-humanitarian issues, in order to provide reliable information for operational and strategic decision-making.
• Provide data and discourse analysis in support of the HoM to inform MSF positioning in-country (project-level and at national level), particularly in terms of political / operational environment (regulation frameworks, donor/aid agreements, trade and economic developments).
• Propose improvements in the methodologies and tools used, and provide trainings to country programme teams as required
• Undertake actor mapping and stakeholders’ analysis, while providing guidance / support to teams
• Ensure safeguarding measures are in place in data collection process.

Representation – Communication

• Support networking needs by leading or participating in representation at project and national level locations (on delegation from the HoM/EMCO/PC), including with authorities, domestic civil society, professional groups (doctors’/nurses’ associations), and local academics/universities.
• Define, draft and review advocacy messages and targeting (including communications and dissemination strategies) to raise awareness of medical-humanitarian issues across MSF projects and at national level (transversal thematic).
• Link with other MSF sections in-country to develop inter-OC advocacy and/or communications initiatives
• Lead discussions, trainings, briefings, etc. on the country’s medical-humanitarian context, MSF principles, international humanitarian law, medical ethics, and advocacy activities/strategies to raise awareness of MSF staff on these topics.

Qualifications

Your Profile

Essential requirements:

• Degree in Law, Humanitarian affairs, Political or Social Sciences or related university degree
• Indicative 18 months country programme experience with one of the MSF sections in at least two different projects, of which at least one emergency project; external candidates with experience in similar settings (high security, volatile contexts) are welcome to apply
• Previous working experience of at least two years in research, analysis or advocacy
• ‘Can do mentality’, creative, and capacity to motivate others and lead a team into action
• Willingness to travel to any required area, frequently at short notice
• Proven organizational skills, diplomatic skills and experience with representation
• A flexible and solution-oriented mentality, and the ability to be decisive in chaotic circumstances
• Fluent in English language

Desirable requirements:

• Master’s degree in the above-mentioned studies
• Indicative 18 months country programme experience with one of the MSF sections in at least two different projects, of which at least one emergency project
• French/Arabic/Spanish/Swahili proficiency
• Experience in various emergency responses;
• Experience in high security and middle-income contexts;
• Knowledge and experience using OCA standard data tools;
• Knowledge of qualitative research methods and analysis

• A full-time appointment for 1 year with the intention to renew based on performance
• Salary depends on three main factors: domicile, level of responsibility, and experience on the job. Candidate’s domicile determines which MSF section will act as employer;
• 45 holidays per year
• Completion bonus of 1.5 month of extra salary after completion of every 12 months commitment
• Return travel costs to place of domicile between assignments
• Prioritization for trainings in MSF (external trainings additionally considered)
• A challenging position within a stimulating, professional working environment in a major international organization – plus great colleagues to work alongside!

Application instructions

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