Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian medical association created in 1971, provides medical assistance to populations whose lives are threatened: mainly in cases of armed conflict, but also epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters or exclusion from care.
The France mission is looking for an: Intercultural Mediator – Based in Dunkirk.
CONTEXT
MSF’s France Mission provides assistance to migrants in situations of great social, medical and/or psychological vulnerability in France and conducts advocacy work to facilitate their access to common law.
Since December 2017, Mission France has been providing assistance to migrants.
It provides medical, psychological, legal and social support to people excluded from healthcare and advocates for access to care for vulnerable foreign people, particularly women living in camps in the Dunkirk area.
Mission France currently has three projects:
- In the Île-de-France region. The project has been open since December 2017. Initially focused on providing medical, psychological, social, and legal support to unaccompanied minors undergoing appeals (day care and accommodation), it has evolved significantly by specializing in young women seeking recognition of their minority status. A mobile clinic, staffed by a team of volunteers, is also part of the program.
- In Calais and along the North Coast. Opening in summer 2023. Day center for unaccompanied minors offering respite and activities; mobile clinics for the general public (adults, families, minors), including mental health services. Seasonal activities complement these, with coastal outreach programs from spring to autumn for shipwrecked migrants and refugees, and in winter, emergency shelter for the most vulnerable.
- In Dunkirk. The project aims to meet the growing needs of exiled women, girls, and families living in extremely precarious conditions on the Dunkirk coastline. In close partnership with the Refugee Women’s Centre, it focuses on providing medical care for women (gynecology, pregnancy monitoring, sexual and reproductive health), mental health support, emergency shelter for single women, strengthening the detection and management of sexual violence, as well as a documentation and advocacy component on violence and the lack of essential services in the area.
The communication and advocacy aspect is central to this mission, which takes place in a country that has the means to welcome people with dignity but willfully neglects migrant populations.
Mission
Supporting communication and interaction between beneficiaries (migrants and refugees) and the multidisciplinary team, addressing the consequences of language barriers, socio-cultural differences and discrimination, following MSF protocols and procedures, in order to improve access to quality healthcare and other relevant services and to enable a better understanding of local socio-cultural determinants.
Responsibilities
Facilitating the relationship between patients and healthcare providers involved in medical consultations, somatic and mental healthcare, as well as between patients and the support provided by the socio-legal team:
- Provide high-quality interpreting between the multidisciplinary team and patients in their native language, taking into account intercultural considerations, sensitivity, and clarity of communication between all parties.
Support the multidisciplinary team and patients in addressing the negative consequences of sociocultural differences and identify and report obstacles that hinder equity and equality in access to services. - Accompany and follow patients towards referral structures (health and social care establishments) if necessary.
- Supporting the therapeutic/social intervention by sharing relevant aspects of the patient’s cultural context with the multidisciplinary team, acting as a cultural intermediary.
- Participate in multidisciplinary meetings.
- In collaboration with other members of the project team, provide information to patients on the functioning of the healthcare system and other support services (shelter, food, transport, legal support) provided by MSF and other actors, with the aim of promoting patient empowerment and autonomy.
To contribute to understanding the context and collecting data on medical and socio-legal issues, paying particular attention to vulnerabilities, in order to provide reliable information for operational decision-making:
- To ensure high-quality linguistic and intercultural translation when collecting testimonies for advocacy and communication purposes.
- Provide support for the implementation of assessments or surveys, as appropriate.
- Report all important information expressed by patients and communities, while guaranteeing confidentiality at all times.
- To provide support for media analysis and content creation for communication purposes.
Mission-specific responsibilities in France
Under the supervision of the Dunkirk Project Coordinator and in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, the intercultural mediator:
- Participates in the reflection and adaptation of outreach activities implemented by MSF on the North coast, as well as more specifically sexual and reproductive health activities in the Dunkirk area.
- Accompanies the various professionals (caregivers, psychologists, social workers) as a linguistic and intercultural intermediary to ensure live interpretation during consultations, external activities, mobile clinics, discussion groups, awareness-raising, training, outreach, out-of-home activities and other situations as appropriate, and enables collaborators to offer a quality of care and/or psychosocial support that meets the association’s standards.
- Raise awareness among the rest of the team about cultural codes that could be a barrier to accessing services.
- Provides support in activities to identify needs expressed during activities.
- Participating in women’s health education and the promotion of sexual and reproductive health services
- To test, distribute and facilitate health awareness and education materials and activities within communities.
- Provides support in the development of linguistic and communication tools to support activities for the people being supported, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
- Participate in the development of community awareness and mobilization plans.
- Contribute to the identification of target groups and appropriate communication channels.
- Facilitating awareness sessions, educational talks and community campaigns.
- Promote good health practices within communities.
- Measure the level of understanding and adoption of key messages.
- Document feedback, difficulties and good practices observed.
- Participates in the training of partner teams and/or individuals supported within the framework of activities on the northern coast and in particular in the Dunkirk area.
- Contributes to the collection of testimonies and aligns with MSF’s approach in terms of communication and advocacy regarding humanitarian issues.
- Participates in the collection and capitalization of individual data for monitoring the medical, psychological and social situations of the people encountered.
- Participates in multidisciplinary meetings. • Participates in communication and appropriate coordination with other deployed or consulted organizations and institutions.
- Supports other activities of the Calais and North Coast projects in the event of a prolonged absence of needs in the Dunkirk area.
Desired profile
Education :
- Secondary education required, diploma in social sciences, social communication or teaching preferred.
- Training in intercultural mediation or interpreting is an asset.
- Knowledge of social protection, child protection, and the systems for receiving and caring for unaccompanied minors is desirable.
- Knowledge of migration dynamics and the affected population is desirable.
Experience :
- Experience in translation and/or cultural mediation preferred
- Experience working with vulnerable populations, adolescents, or young adults is desirable.
Knowledge and skills:
- Category B driving licence strongly preferred
- Teamwork & Cooperation
- Flexibility
- Stress management and ability to work in a challenging environment
- Sense of service
- Understanding the issues related to the care of survivors of gender-based and sexual violence and human trafficking
- Adherence to MSF principles
- Proficiency in computer tools (Word, Excel, etc.)
LANGUAGES :
- Fluent in French and English.
- Knowledge of one of the following languages is required: Tigrinya, Amharic or Somali.
- Knowledge of Arabic is an asset: Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish-Sorani, German.
Employment conditions
Status: 3-month fixed-term contract, full-time (39 hours/week). Position based in Dunkirk with possible travel to the northern coast (Dunkirk). No remote work.
Remuneration:
- €2,767.75 gross monthly salary over 13 months.
- 22 days of paid time off per year. Supplementary health insurance fully covered by Doctors Without Borders.
- Meal vouchers with a face value of €12.00 (60% covered by MSF).
- 50% reimbursement of public transport pass or bicycle kilometers.
Position available: as soon as possible
Due to administrative constraints related to the duration of the contract, candidates must already have a work permit in France (citizen of the European Union) or a residence permit allowing them to work on French soil.
How to apply
Please send your application (CV + cover letter + diplomas) by email by October 7, 2026, inclusive , with the following reference in the subject line: MEDIATEUR.ICE DUNKERQUE_LITTORAL NORD_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME to msff-france-recrutement@paris.msf.org