Emergency Health Manager

The Emergency Support Department (ESD) is part of the Operations department and plays a fundamental role in responding to humanitarian emergencies. The ESD conducts exploratory and assessment missions; initiates and manages large scale emergency interventions; supports emergency interventions managed by regular desks; provides support to the organisation and existing missions in promoting and guarding emergency response capacity; and supports the management of operations in highly insecure environments. The ESD consists of a headquarters-based Emergency Desk (Edesk) with 7 permanent staff and several associated advisors, and an Emergency Team for deployment in the field (currently 22 positions). 

At MSF, we are committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our employees. We encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, nationalities, races, religions, beliefs, disability status, and all other diversity characteristics.     

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

Emergency Health Manager Based in Amsterdam (NL)

The overall objective of the position is strategy development and overall management andleadership of public health and medical programming in emergencies.The Emergency Health Manager, formerly the Medical Emergency Manager, willberesponsible for safeguarding and enhancing OCA’s organizational emergency responsecapacity. The postholder willinitiate reflection,learning and development of relevant medical and public health topics especially related to emergency response and preparedness.

Position within the organisation

• Reports hierarchically to the Head of the ESD

• Works in tandem with the HoESD and Emergency Managers for countries management

• Collaborates closely with the secondEmergency Health ManagerCollaborates closelywithother OST members (logistics, WatSan, HR, finance, advocacy, comms,MSSOs etc)

• Functionally manages the Medical Coordinators for each country

• Functionally manages medical Emergency Team members

• Leads country specific Medical Support Teams (MSTs) and other teams of relevant medical advisors to coordinate input to country health programs

• Collaboratesclosely with the PHD 

• Functionally co-operates with the Medical Director (& Deps), Health Program Managers, Health Advisors, as well as Operational Managers, Heads of Missions, Medical coordinators, other portfolio OSTs, support departments (eg, supply/APU, HR, etc)

Job overview

• You work in tandem with the Emergency Manager and HoESD to lead emergency response programmes (either within an existing country program as a stand-alone intervention or by managing the full country programming including any pre-existing non-emergency projects). You assume the operational management responsibilities of a country or emergency program, when required.  

• You define emergency intervention strategies, set priorities, monitor activities, provide strategic guidance and maintain strategic oversight.

• You lead country specific Medical Support Teams and other teams of relevant specialist advisors to coordinate input to emergency response programs.

• You collaborate with and provide specific guidance to OST members on emergency response and public health topics (in tandem with the HoESD or Emergency Manager). You lead OSTs when required.

• You ensure that emergency response programmes  address core humanitarian and health needs, in line with the OCA strategic plan and priorities. You safeguard MSF’s values, principles and policies.

• You contribute to building and maintaining and capacity in the organization to ensure the ability to execute timely and effective emergency responses.

• You develop and utilize systems to actively monitor and analyze potential emergency interventions globally, including situations of political unrest, conflict, natural disasters, displacement, food insecurity, outbreaks, etc.

• You collaborate with other MSF sections and external actors for the coordination of emergency response interventions.

• You foster collaboration with external actors to promote achievement towards objectives in emergency response. 

• You actively participate in health and other platforms within the MSF movement to share successes, challenges and dilemmas to leverage institutional knowledge and contribute to innovations in support of emergency programming.

• You are expected to visit emergency programmeson short notice as required.  You are expected, in certain periods, to work long and irregular hours.

Main accountabilities

• Design, set-up and management of medical and public health (and sometimes operational) strategies for the countries or programs under the Emergency Support Department (ESD) – including control cycle documents, country strategies and ad hoc proposals. 

• Mentoring medical coordinators, Emergency Team members and other health related staff.

• Leadership of Medical Support Teams (groups of specialist and advisors) to ensure coordinated support to health programmes

• Monitoring and analysis of emergencies globally including political unrest, conflict, natural disasters, displacement, food insecurity, outbreaks, etc.

• Contribution to a timely launch of emergency responses (and/or support) in accordance with the needs and complexity of situation

• Contribution to emergency response strategies/policies within the organization as well as sharing of successes and challenges in organizational forums

• Ensure quality of emergency response including defining medical-operational strategies, advocacy and communication strategies, developing policies, and ensuring compliance with values, principles and policies of MSF OCA

• Oversight of quality assurance, patient safety objectives, conformance with medical ethical policies and standards in emergency programmes.

• Oversight of medical budget lines for countries under ESD management

• Work between departments (ESD, PHD, Operations, logistics, OSCAR) to make improvements to the organization's capability to prepare and respond to emergencies, including development and facilitation of training modules. 

• Innovation, research and advocacy initiatives to improve (health) programming in emergencies

• Contribution to the strategies, policies and medical protocols of the organization, especially those related to emergencies and emergency responses

• Responsible for ensuring that the medical component of OCA’s central emergency preparedness plan and central emergency stocks strategy is developed and maintained. 

• Support to MSF-NL/OCA fundraising and communication activities as required

Your Profile

Required

• Registered medical/paramedical/public health professional. BSc / MSc in a PhD related domain;

• Broad knowledge of medical and public health management, clinical governance, health information systems, medical ethical frameworks, medical supply management, security management, policy formulation, financial and human resource management, humanitarian response, emergency response, operations management;

• Specific response experience – outbreaks, conflict, natural disasters, displacement, malnutrition;

• 8+ years' experience in humanitarian aid, plus senior management experience; 

• Proven ability to provide strong leadership, strategy and vision in program management;

• Proven analytical skills in health programming;

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills (oral and written);

• Capable of coaching and managing people and programs at a distance (i.e. phone, email);

• Knowledge and experience in the humanitarian world; commitment and passion for the goals and work of MSF;

• Knowledge of MSF policies and procedures;

• Demonstrated involvement inmanagement of severalemergency responses;

• Ability to provide direct emergency support to field programs for up to 4 weeks at a time at short notice (i.e.48hrs).Up to 40% of the time may be in the field. Willingness to travel to unstable and conflict settings;

• Willingness to work irregular and long hours;

• Based in Amsterdam, working fromthe MSF Amsterdam office. Remote working for shortperiods possible;

• Flexible attitude, stress resistant; problem solving attitude and “can-do” mentality;

• Fluency in English.

• Either you are already based in The Netherlands or are willing to re-locate to The Netherlands

Preferred

• Knowledge and experience in the field of epidemiology, and/or a relevant clinical specialty (e.g. tropical medicine, emergency medicine, infectious diseases, pediatrics);

• Experience with MSF inan operational leadership role (head of mission/country manager, project coordinator);

• French (and/or Arabic and/or Spanish)