Project Manager (M/F) For the participatory design of a training program to increase surgical capacities in the CAR At Doctors Without Borders

Médecins Sans Frontières, an international humanitarian medical association created in 1971, provides medical assistance to populations whose lives are threatened: mainly in the event of armed conflict, but also epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters or exclusion from care. The French section is present in around thirty countries.

We are looking for a:

Project Manager (M/F)

For the participatory design of a training program to increase surgical capacities in the CAR

Job Context
The Central African Republic (CAR), with a population of approximately 6 million and an area of ​​623,000 km², faces major health challenges: with only 14 surgeons and 18 qualified obstetrician-gynecologists in the capital, peripheral regions remain without adequate access to surgical care.

MSF OCP (Paris Operational Centre) and its partner, the University of British Columbia (UBC), plan to partner with Central African health authorities and universities to address the shortage of surgical staff in CAR through surgical task sharing (which involves the acquisition of surgical skills by general practitioners). To do this, the partners will build on the Vital Surgery (VitalSurg) training programme, which they have delivered twice as part of an MSF OCP project in Aweil, South Sudan, which enabled four general practitioners to acquire surgical skills.

The evaluation of the Aweil program revealed significant challenges that the new project in CAR aims to improve, including: the retention of trained general practitioners, the role of local health authorities, the focus on improving the quality of care without significant impact on strengthening the health system. It will also involve adapting the training program to the challenges and the Central African context, in a participatory construction process.

Project objectives and expected results:

The general objective of this “incubator” project is to guarantee the construction, in a collaborative approach, of a large-scale training project with a view to submitting it for financing from TIC (Transformational investment capacity, an internal financing mechanism at MSF aimed at supporting projects that are particularly innovative in their approach).

Within the framework of the incubator project, the following activities are planned, and results expected:

1. Strengthen collaboration between all stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health at different levels, the University of Bangui, the Ministry of Civil Service and other local actors, in order to build a solid and well-integrated project.

• Conduct a situation analysis to update our knowledge of the existing surgical offer in CAR and the assessment of needs. This will involve finalizing the consultation methodology, and conducting consultations (individual interviews and/or focus groups) with different contributors, in Bangui and in the provinces.
• Facilitate discussions between key stakeholders to promote local ownership of the project, in particular through the formation of a Technical Committee.
• Organize 2 to 3 plenary meetings (launch, intermediate and final) as well as bilateral and/or working group meetings to define all the modalities of the project in a participatory manner and with all the relevant actors involved.

2. Carry out a comparative analysis of existing training models in terms of sharing/delegation of tasks in similar contexts, and identify lessons learned.

• Engage with existing program developers (COSECSA, WACS, Capacare and AfriSurg) to understand their offering and identify other potential partnership options.
• The results of these consultations will help identify the most effective and efficient approach, and inform the design of our program.

3. Refine the design of the training program based on the results of the collaborative work:

• Review the proposed methodology to improve cost-effectiveness and increase trainees’ exposure to surgical practice at provincial sites.
• Ensure that all teams contributing to the smooth running of the operating theatre (operating theatre nurses, anesthetists, etc.) and not just doctors are properly taken into account in the future project.
• Agree with local stakeholders on the modules covered by the training programme and start launching the translation of the first modules into French.

4. Evaluate the scaling up of the project, particularly around critical points:

• Commitment of public actors: Ensure the effective integration of trainees into the public service, with an assignment to targeted hospitals
• Incentive system: Exploring measures to improve retention of trainees in destination hospitals
• Involvement of Central African surgeons: Involve all relevant surgeons in the design of the project, particularly in the approval of the program, the recruitment criteria for trainees, the evaluation and preparation of sites.

5. Preparation of destination hospitals to ensure that these establishments have the necessary infrastructure and personnel to accommodate trainees at the end of the training :

• Coordinate (in parallel with the situation analysis mentioned in point 1) an assessment of the surgical capacities of provincial hospitals, identifying infrastructure and personnel needs, with the support of the MSF mission in CAR and the partner UBC.
• Analyze the situation of nurse anesthetists trained by the MSF Academy in CAR and propose solutions for their integration into the public health system/destination hospitals.
• Based on identified needs, collaborate with the MSF Academy to establish a training program for operating room teams
• Discuss with key donors or technical partners of the CAR to identify synergies with existing programs (e.g. the “Support and Strengthening of the Health System – SENI” program supported by the World Bank).

6. Prepare a new submission of a large-scale ICT proposal and the first steps of project launch:

• Develop a revised large-scale project proposal (including drafting of the project plan, roles and responsibilities, budget and other annexes) for resubmission to TIC in mid-2025.
• Secure the commitment of CAR and MSF stakeholders, in a form that remains to be determined (e.g. letter of agreement, draft memorandum of understanding, etc.) but which will be a prerequisite for the submission of a large-scale project.
• The final proposal will be reviewed at the last plenary meeting before validation by the MSF-UBC Steering Committee and submission to the TIC.

Main responsibilities and functions

Under the hierarchical responsibility of the Steering Committee (for programmatic aspects), and under the authority of the MSF France Head of Mission in CAR (for administrative, security and external relations aspects), the Project Manager interacts with the teams of MSF, the Ministry of Health, the University of Bangui and UBC. He/she is responsible for clarifying the feasibility of the project and identifying potential risks for the next steps. He/she is responsible for coordinating the actors with a view to formulating the project on a large scale.

He/She is notably responsible for:

• Establish an action plan for the “incubator” phase, in compliance with the guidelines provided in the validated project document (concept note) and the planned timeline
• Implement the activities listed in the project document (listed above) through the organization of working meetings and workshops, interviews, evaluation visits to provincial hospitals, etc.
• Coordinate the project reporting of the incubator phase, as well as the development of a new proposal for the large-scale project
• Lead the Technical Committee in Bangui with various representatives from MSF, UBC, the Ministry of Health and the University of Bangui (to be confirmed).
• Implement the guidelines set by the Steering Committee at the Paris level between MSF, UBC, representatives of other MSF sections present in the CAR and the Surgical Working Group. This Steering Committee will oversee the progress of the project, its members all being involved from the beginning.

Profile sought:

Training:

• University degree, Master’s degree in the field of project management, international cooperation or health.

Experience and skills required:

• Minimum two years of international experience in project management in partnership, in the humanitarian field with MSF or one or more NGOs
• Mastery of project management tools and workshop facilitation techniques

Languages: fluency in English and French (C1) is required.

Required qualities:

• Ability to negotiate and convince
• Ability to write structured and concise reports
• Ability to anticipate and plan
• Organizational skills, solution-oriented thinking, initiative and good communication skills
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment with maturity, patience and understanding

Terms :

• 6-month fixed-term salaried contract based in Bangui, CAR (possibility of extension if the large-scale project is approved, and subject to approval by the Steering Committee).
• Level 12 of the MSF field grid based on seniority and experience
• Transportation and accommodation costs covered by MSF
• Per diem of 343,500 XAF – 523.36 euros/month
• One week’s leave after 3 months of mission (MSF contribution of 570,000 XAF – 868.46 euros) according to the break policy in force at MSF OCP in the CAR.

Position to be filled: as soon as possible.