Medical Polyvalent Responsible (Rmp) At Médecins Sans Frontières en Suisse

Decentralized post based in Dakar – 100% – Mandated position (3 years, renewable once, max 6 years)

Context & Mission

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 of 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 fundamentals 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 a Medical Department. Collaborative work between the 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 Desk is based in Dakar and this relocation should allow for better synergy between the different MSF operational centres (OC) and promote the sharing of knowledge and resources of the movement.

Decentralized Cell in Dakar, since 2019, in order to focus on the two main contexts of the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin.

This Desk is managing 4 countries/missions: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Madagascar, Niger and Nigeria.

This team is made up of 9 people covering all services (Operational, Medical, Financial, HR and Logistics).

In addition, since some years ago, OCG has been developing a regional support capacity in Dakar, which should encourage the strengthening and autonomy of missions in the region as varied as recruitment, training, medical platform, and pool management.

The Medical Polyvalent Responsible (RMP) will be working in the Operations Department.

As a member of a the desk’s multidisciplinary team and based on the propositions from the country coordination teams, the Medical Polyvalent Responsible (RMP) advises and provides support to the Program Responsible (RP) and to the Medical Coordinator (MedCo) in conceiving and developing medico-operational strategies in order to best achieve the project objectives.

Together with the RP, ARP and the MedCo, he/she :

• identifies the strategic medico-operational priorities in order to adapt the medical support.
• expresses the needs in terms of expertise to be developed by the Medical Department
• follows up and supports the monitoring of medical activities in the field.
• contributes to the consolidation of the intersection medical platform based in Dakar and also the monitoring of emergencies with the Unit in Geneva.
• ensures the medical fundamentals are reached in the frame of good practices and minimum standards’ implementation.

Responsibilities

Towards the coordination and the cell

• He/she contributes with his/her health and medical experience to the definition of objectives and intervention strategies, adapted to the project’s context, particularly through direct support to coordination (Medical Coordinator) ;
• He/she contributes with his/her health and medical experience to the definition of objectives and intervention strategies, adapted to the project’s context, particularly through direct support to coordination (MedCo) ;
• Provide medical technical support and sparring on medical operational strategies to the assigned portfolio, taking into account operational orientations and the input from support services ;
• Validates job profiles and skills and approves matching according to the matching process rules
• Participates in the process of approving a project through the consolidation of project documents and in decision making process within the operational cell (PoA, project committee, definition of objectives and indicators, adequate means and resources, logical framework and realistic timeframes), for regular, exploratory, and emergency missions ;
• He/she follows-up the monitoring of the medical activities and provides medical follow-up for projects through systematic analysis, feedback on sitreps, quarterly and annual reports and regular project visits ;
• Supervises field analysis of the epidemiological context of the countries under his/her charge ;
• Participates in the capitalising of field experiences and technical support needs (lessons learned), identifying the obstacles to good medical practices in the projects and promotes or puts forward proposals for innovative technical tools in order to facilitate medical work.
• Support the Medical Coordinators in the definition of the EPREP and ensure that in every Mission the EPREP is available and updated.
• Carry out technical briefings and debriefings of medical professionals in his/her cell, involving the Technical Referents of the Medical Department when needed, and identify individual training needs ;
• Ensures that medical teams receive technical and methodological information through briefings, specific sessions, coordinators’ weeks, technical publications, etc.

Answering to Medico-Operational needs

• He/she ensures that medical teams receive technical and methodological information through briefings, specific sessions, coordinators’ weeks, technical publications, etc.
• He/she ensures the medical fundamentals are reached and the medical support is contextualized in the frame of good practices and minimum standards implementation.
• Contributes through the process of consolidation and prioritisation of medical support needs, to the yearly PoA objectives and activities and the programming of additional support and expertise priorities. Matches them to the capacities of DMED depending on the specificity and required investment…
• Provides direct technical support and guidance to the Medical Coordinators and Medical Coordinators Deputy regarding all aspect of his/her function, through advice, coaching and transfer of knowledge and skills.
• Responsible for the adaptation of the tools and means to the needs, making sure it provides a benefit for operations
• Ensures that the Organizations medical principles, best practices, guidelines, and policies are properly implemented in the field, as well as the recommendations mentioned in the different medical evaluations.
• Ensures that the Medical Evacuation Plans are available and updated in every Mission

Towards the collaborative platforms and the Medical Department:

• He/she identifies the needs in terms of expertise to be developed by the Medical Department and contributes to the improvement of medical practices ;
• Participates and/or animates thematic forums/collaborative platforms and medical seminars, including the Medical Department PoA development ;
• Encourages and proposes the development of operational research projects: Informs and updates Medical Coordinators, identifies operational research needs, integration in operational objectives, follow-up, participation in the drafting of scientific articles linked to results obtained in the field ;
• Participates actively in the meetings and activities organised by the medical department in order to contribute to a regular and meaningful dialogue between departments in order to improve the support given to the field ;
• Manages the communication channels with the teams in the field and /or the Medical Department, for issues that affect assigned portfolio ;
• Together with the Inter-sectional Support Unit and medical platform based in Dakar, contribute to develop a medical strategic vision for the Cell’s portfolio;
• Proposes and discuss with the Missions those initiatives related to Medical Innovation and Research that can contribute to improve Operations.

Monitoring and management of medical supplies and reporting

• He/she ensure the correct monitoring of medical supplies and pharmacy management by the medical teams in the field, together with the Medical Coordinator.
• Ensures that all procedures followed for local purchases, and donations, of medical commodities ;
• Supervises the Medical Coordinator in terms of adequate monitoring of field pharmacy management (and kit management), the proper implementation of national staff health policies and the respect of medical supply rules ;
• Ensures the quality of medical interventions comply with MSF standards; through proper monitoring of medical reporting from the Field ;
• Ensures timely and accurate pharmacy reporting is submitted by missions; to analyse the fulfilment of operational and medical objectives, and feed medical-operational monitoring and analysis.

Your Profile

Education

• Medical doctor or nurse
• Diploma in Tropical Medicine or Public/International Health/Epidemiology.

Experience

• 4 years minimum professional experience in developing countries
• Experience at headquarters would be an asset
• Knowledge of recent developments in the field of humanitarian relief, international public health and tropical medicine.
• Successful experience in the field of humanitarian aid as an MSF Medical coordinator or Emergency Medical coordinator
• Expertise in the analysis and management of unstable contexts and crisis situations and experience and interest in medical, social, economic and political issues in countries undergoing humanitarian crises (one-off or long-term) or in the process of development are a plus.

Skills/ Technical competencies

• Understanding of medical humanitarian work with regards to the medical-technical and the political dimensions.
• Ability to analyse medical and structural issues.
• Program management

Languages

• Fluent in English and French (oral and written)
• A Language from the region is an advantage

Personal Abilities

• Team management and cooperation
• A capacity for conceiving and planning medical programmes, setting up a network, animating and motivating teams, organising roles and delegating tasks;
• Results and quality oriented
• Strategic planning, orientation and synthesis skills
• Dynamic and flexible; a capacity for taking the initiative and making decisions; a capacity for analysis and summarising; a sense of priorities; highly developed stress management skills; ease of communication and public speaking, participative management style
• High level representation and diplomatic skills; an aptitude for negotiation
• Ability to travel in some sensitive areas (BIC context and limited access).

Terms of Employment

• Full-time position 100%
• Mandated contract (3 years, renewable once, max 6 years)
• Working place: Dakar, Senegal
• Ideal start date: March 15th, 2024
• Salary Conditions: Level 16 of the MSF Senegal salary grid