Background
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) provides life-saving emergency relief and longer-term medical care to some of the most vulnerable and excluded communities around the world. As an independent medical humanitarian organisation, we deliver care based only on need, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, religion or political affiliation. MSF relies on donations from private individuals and organisations for the majority of its income. This private funding gives MSF the freedom to respond where needs are greatest and to speak out publicly, free from any political interference.
MSF has around 67,000 local and international staff working in over 70 countries, in some of the most challenging places in the world. Our medical humanitarian projects are supported by offices in 44 countries, including the UK and Ireland. These teams recruit staff, organise fundraising, and raise awareness on the humanitarian crises our colleagues are witnessing, as well as running different and diverse support activities. MSF offices are spread across Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australasia.
Current Need
MSF generates global evidence and content, and we seek to use this to influence UK policymakers, media, donors, and public opinion. MSF UK requires advocacy expertise to help integration across our teams (medical, communications, advocacy, fundraising) and to develop a coherent approach on how to translate our operational insights into clear advocacy asks and actions.
Length of consultancy: 4 months
Objective
We need to develop a critical link between the organisation’s global work and the UK policy and political environment, ensuring that evidence and experiences from around our global operations inform UK political decision-making, public debate, and action. The role combines influencing change, narrative development, stakeholder engagement, and support to strategic communications.
Expected Results/Outcomes
- A process to ensure sustainable focus on priority transversal issues that cut across multiple contexts and specialities (medical, protection and humanitarian)
- Demonstrable advocacy engagement including translation of operational insights into clear, actionable outputs, including:
- advocacy briefs
- talking points
- policy submissions
- stakeholder messaging
- joint integrated actions with other teams (medical, communications, advocacy, fundraising)
- Clearly defined advocacy objectives and collaborative workstreams for 2027 designed to achieve this.
Deliverables and Deadlines
- MSF Wide UK Advocacy and Influencing Strategy.
- A clear UK advocacy plan for 2027 on how to deliver transversal advocacy linked to identified medical and operational priorities and clear deliverables
- Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Plans.
Profile of consultant
- Significant experience leading advocacy and influencing initiatives within an INGO in the humanitarian and global health sectors.
- First-hand experience of humanitarian operations through field-based roles or regular deployment to project locations.
- Demonstrated success influencing UK policy or decision-making processes.
- Experience translating complex international issues into compelling messages for policymakers and public audiences.
- Experience working with senior stakeholders, coalitions, and external partners.
- Experience developing advocacy strategies and campaigns.
- Deep understanding of the UK political and policy landscape.
- Ability to distil complex global evidence into concise, impactful advocacy messages.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills.
- Experience facilitating collaboration across teams.
- Understanding of international policy processes and multilateral institutions.
How to apply
To be submitted
In your proposal, we would ask you to submit:
- Your proposal
- Proposed methodology
- A high-level plan.
- What you see as being in/ out of scope
- Assumptions made, questions or areas of uncertainty.
- Examples of previous work- give a summary of similar work that you have developed and delivered before- what worked well? what lessons you learnt?
- CV.
- Total fee proposal
For further questions, please contact admin.mu@london.mfs.org