Improving Health Care at Médecins Sans Frontières en Suisse

Context

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent humanitarian organization providing medical aid to victims of man-made or natural disasters, epidemics and endemic diseases. In the MSF Operational Centre Geneva (OCG), the steering and implementation of field programmes is under the responsibility of an Operations Department, which includes direct medical support to field implementation ensuring fundamental medical standards are reached in all projects. The development of technical and/or strategic solutions adapted to complex medical challenges faced in the field, or to fulfill chosen medical ambitions, is under the responsibility of the Medical Department. Collaborative work between these two departments is considered a cornerstone for the organisation to improve the general quality of its projects and the level of care for patients.

The framework for medical support inside OCG emphasizes the Medical Department’s role in the following key areas:

· Being at the vanguard of evolving trends, new challenges and technologies in the field of medical practice and science and linked with external clinical, academic and research institutions

· Providing technical capacities to fulfil the medical ambitions of the 2020-2023 OCG Strategic Plan, in particular those in relation to the Operational Policy and Planetary Health

· Addressing the field support needs in their response to clinical and public health challenges, with flexibility and adaptation of priorities when facing emergencies or difficult conflict situations

· Creating an integrated work between Operations and the Medical department through collaborative work platforms, focusing on precise medical operational challenges, selection of standards and improvement of practices.

The role of the Medical Department also includes, in relation with other involved Departments, a critical role on knowledge transmission to field medical staff through adapted trainings and fast access to key reference documents/tools, as well as recruitment strategies.

Medical advisors will be working in the Medical Department.

Mission

The IHC Advisor supports MSF OCG’s medical and operations departments in all topics linked to Quality of Care (QoC) and Quality Improvement (QI), mapping the evolution of the situation internally and externally, planning future steps, and composing and executing such plans to enable field projects and medical and non-medical personnel to practice quality, safer, more effective, and more patient centred medical and public health care.

Your responsibility

True to the ambition of promoting a more comprehensive approach to care, Improvement of Health Care (IHC) shall remain a strategic focus for OCG in the coming period. The IHC Advisor is responsible for the planning and implementation of the activities related to this ambition.

During 2021:

· Lead the communication aspects linked to IHC with the HQ and the field in order to continue developing visibility of the program by all in OCG.

· Make sure all staff has access to knowledge about quality of care and quality improvement in OCG through e-learning and other tools or courses.

· Manage the development of courses according to the annual plan: quality of care and quality improvement e-learning, Healthcare related incidents management (Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies), Project cycle management course (Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies).

· Support the implementation of quality improvement initiatives in the field by organizing and supporting project workshops and implementation visits by the Flying specialist, in close collaboration with the field teams, the operations and any other specialist involved.

· Support the teams in the analysis and improvement of quality challenges (either in the field or online).

· Directly support the field for improvement aspects when needed, via online short workshops or trainings according to needs.

· Manage, develop (when required) and update the current or new tools and policies according to the international and organizational evolution.

· Manage the up scaling of the Patient Safety Incident reporting and learning system’s usage within OCG.

Continuous responsibilities:

· Act as a cross departmental focal point on improving health care through close collaboration with the operations department and operational cells, to ensure transversality of the different priority topics (ABR, L&D, P&P as P, etc…) within OCG and doing the advocacy for IHC.

· Manage the overview and overall support system for the PSI reporting system in place, support teams when needed, and future focal points.

· On a longer term, with the development of specific projects for IHC in the field, expand the IHC vision by developing internal communication regarding the lessons learned and tools developed, through adapted channels and in collaboration with the KM team (Communities of practice).

· Be the focal point for the Telemedicine team in MSF Canada to expand and promote access to the tool for the staff and teams, develop use in the field and analysis of the tool.

· Work closely with the different teams in the medical department and particularly with the health services team in Geneva and Berlin.

· Support the Flying specialist for IHC and ensure clear communication flow with other Departments and with the Field.

· Follow-up on the specific activities under the responsibility of the advisor, share experiences and develop concepts regarding:

• 1-2 field projects the advisor will support

• The tools for MMR/PSIs and Patient Satisfaction Survey (which allows focusing on Patient centeredness)

· Maintain and develop the Quality specialists’ network of interlocutors.

· Be part of and contribute to the intersectional Quality of Care contact group interactions.

· Carry out the annual evaluation with the IHC Flying specialist.

Your Profile

Education

· Medical, paramedical, or a health management related degree.

· Public health degree or Quality improvement diploma strongly preferred.

· Some other education profiles might be considered if extensive relevant experience is present.

Experience

· At least 3 years field and/or HQ experience with MSF or similar medical organization.

· Extensive experience in health care management in resource restrained settings.

Languages

· Fluent in English with good command of French (oral and written). Mandatory

Technical competencies

· Understanding of the technical and political dimension of the medical humanitarian work.

· Ability to work with large teams and organize productive discussion sessions.

· Ability to analyse medical and structural issues.

· Excellent writing skills. Track record of peer review publications is an asset.

Personal Qualities

· Good analytical and communication skills.

· Strong interpersonal skills, team spirit.

· Ability to solve complex organizational issues.

· Flexibility and open-mindedness.

· Rigorous way of working.

· Mobility.

Terms of Employment

· Open-ended Contract, 90%

· Based in Geneva

· Ideal starting date : 1^st July 2021

· Gross annual salary: from CHF 98’016.- to CHF 111’732.- (salary level according to seniority and internal salary grid)