Head of Emergency Team

Médecins sans frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization (NGO) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases.

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Define and lead MSF Ubuntu’s emergency preparedness and response strategy (applying a ‘disaster management cycle’ approach) in alignment with MSF Ubuntu principles and operational priorities.
• Ensure MSF Ubuntu’s emergency preparedness and responses incorporate a strong community involvement and people centeredness, and climate scanning and adaptation in all stages of emergency response.
• Ensure emergency preparedness and response policies, systems, tools are in place (including surveillance, anticipatory action, early warning and action protocols, contingency planning, and surge capacity etc).
• Define emergency scenario stocks and supplies required in close collaboration and working with the medical and logistics departments.
• Identify and lead building strong capacity on specific areas (for e.g. nutrition, vaccination, community WASH etc) benefitting MSF Ubuntu and MSF movement.
• Contribute towards wider development of MSF Ubuntu’s strategic planning through critical reflections and learning.
• In conjunction with the DirMed and DirOp, set up the e-team unit, hiring appropriate staff and developing MSF Ubuntu specific capacities.
• Promote interdepartmental collaborations and coherence including Safeguarding, DEI domains

Strategic Leadership and Emergency Preparedness

• Lead exploratory assignment in identified locations and support opening and closing programs (includes stable settings).
• Continuous scanning and monitoring of contexts and identify potential emergency intervention as per MSF Ubuntu’s strategic plan and priorities.
• Lead and coordinate responses to emergencies, epidemics, conflicts, and other crises.
• Provide strategic and technical guidance to emergency team members, country program teams during preparedness and response (including Emergency preparedness plans in country programs).
• Support decision-making on activation, scale-up, adaptation, or exit of emergency interventions closely working with DirOps and Med-Ops strategic circle.
• Develop a “vulnerability” approach to emergency response that leaves communities better prepared to future disasters, reducing their vulnerability to chronic, recurring crises in particular.

Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Management

• Ensure emergency responses meet MSF medical, operational, ethical, safeguarding standards.
• Promote integration of medical, logistical, human resources, and security considerations in emergency preparedness and during responses.
• Embed a strong learning culture as part of monitoring and evaluation of the responses via conducting AAR (After Action Reviews) and post intervention evaluations etc

Quality, Standards, and Medical-Operational Oversight

• Line-manage and support Emergency team members.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and learning within the team and other departments.
• Identify training and development needs related to emergency prevention, preparedness and response.
• Contribute to the development of emergency pool (an emergency roaster) and surge mechanisms emphasizing strengthening local and regional collaboration and capacities.
• Build a new way of working for MSF in the emergency team that recognises communities as first responders themselves and ensure their vulnerability to future, chronic and/or recurring crises are reduced.

Team Leadership and Capacity Building

• Coordinate closely with other MSF entities, operational centres, and departments.
• Represent MSF Ubuntu in internal emergency coordination platforms and, when appropriate, external humanitarian forums.
• Support alignment and collaboration with medical, operational, and support departments.

Coordination and Representation

• Promote systematic learning from emergency responses, including after-action reviews.
• Support evaluations, documentation, and dissemination of lessons learned.
• Encourage innovation and adaptation to improve emergency response effectiveness.

Learning, Evaluation, and Innovation

• Sits within the Ops Department, reporting directly to the DirOp.
• Ad hoc meetings and discussions with the MedOps Strategic Baraza may be requested.
• Ad hoc meetings with the MT and/or the Council may be requested.

Organisational Positioning

Qualifications

• A master’s degree in social or political sciences or public health, (or) in logistics, business administration, or similar field is desirable, but not essential.
• Fluency/excellent level of written and spoken English. Knowledge of French, Swahili and/or Arabic is an advantage.
• Excellent knowledge and experience in Policy formulation, security management, human resource and financial management, cross/multicultural communication and collaboration.

Education

• At least 8+ years of field/programs experience in medical humanitarian aid and working in senior management role.
• MSF experience as Emergency coordinator/Emergency Manager desirable
• Commitment to and experience of advancing multicultural collaboration, learning, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Experience

Competencies

• Excellent skills in Office Suite (advanced MS Excel and others)
• Solid knowledge of MSF tools (HR, Budgeting etc) is an asset.
• Excellent written and presentation skills across audiences of diverse backgrounds.

Technical Competencies

• Commitment to MSF’s Principles
• Cross-cultural Awareness
• Strategic Vision
• Results and Quality Orientation
• Service Orientation
• Planning and Organizing
• Initiative and Innovation
• Teamwork and Cooperation
• People Management and Development
• Networking and Building Relationships
• Security awareness and Management
• Willingness to be mobile, with more than 50% of the year expected to be travelling from their home base.