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 seeking a Social Work Activities Manager for its project on the North Coast.
Context :
Doctors Without Borders works in France with exiled people facing the health, psychological, and social consequences of violence related to migration and the loss of protection. The France Mission combines care, protection, and testimony to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
Today, it focuses its efforts on the North Coast and the Île-de-France region, while maintaining a capacity for rapid response to emergencies. Supported by multidisciplinary teams, it develops medical, psychological, social, and advocacy activities within a constantly evolving context.
Your role:
Under the supervision of the Migration Coordinator, and in functional collaboration with the person responsible for protection within the migration unit, you will design, supervise, and monitor the social work activities of the project. You will mentor social workers, contribute to the protection strategy, and ensure the quality of the support provided.
This position combines strategic leadership, team management and direct intervention in the field: you will notably devote 30% of your time to social work activities, outreach and “going out to” people.
Main responsibilities:
To manage: Define and manage the social work and protection strategy
- Co-define and implement the project’s social work strategy, in line with MSF’s operational guidelines and social work framework.
- Develop activities around case management, social support for patients, frontline social connection and community interventions.
- Analyze the context and social determinants of health in order to identify recurring vulnerabilities, situations of violence, phenomena of displacement and exclusion, as well as critical needs for assistance and protection.
- Contribute to the definition of protection objectives and interventions, particularly in terms of reporting and risk prevention.
- Documenting restrictions on access to services and analyzing obstacles encountered in order to propose courses of action and advocacy in conjunction with the medical advisor on migration and the MSF France mission.
Ensuring quality social support and managing complex situations
- Supervise social support pathways: reception, needs assessment, development and implementation of the intervention plan, secure referral, monitoring and closure of situations.
- Ensure that critical social needs are met, within the scope of the project, through direct support or referral to appropriate services.
- Supporting teams in managing complex situations and intervening directly in sensitive cases, particularly when there is a high risk of violence or when an unaccompanied minor is involved.
- Organize regular consultation sessions around the situations being monitored, in order to share difficulties and develop appropriate responses with other disciplines.
- To empower the people being supported by giving them clear information about their rights, available services, access criteria and relevant procedures.
- To contribute to a safe, dignified and confidential care environment that respects patients’ rights and facilitates access to feedback and complaint mechanisms.
Developing community social work and partnerships
- Participate in outreach patrols and “go-to” activities to identify social needs, vulnerabilities and protection risks within communities.
- To develop, with medical, mental health and mediation teams, multidisciplinary interventions aimed at strengthening protective and resilience factors.
- To build and update a map of social services, associations, institutional partners and community initiatives present in the project area.
- Develop cooperative relationships with partners and monitor the accessibility, availability and quality of the services offered.
- Strengthen coordination and guidance of individuals towards appropriate services, paying particular attention to situations of violence, especially sexual violence, and to support options.
- Contribute to community monitoring and analysis of protection issues encountered in the field.
Manage, support and develop the team
- Supervise social workers and organize schedules according to the different activities: outreach, individual interviews and group activities.
- Develop the team’s skills through training, coaching, supervision and sharing of practices.
- Identify professional development needs and implement a skills development plan, in conjunction with the human resources department.
- Train and raise awareness among teams on issues of protection, case management, conducting interviews and referral.
- Contribute to the recruitment, training and evaluation processes of the teams concerned, in collaboration with HR.
- Ensure business continuity by providing operational support and, if necessary, replacing absent team members.
- To ensure the well-being of the team and to promote close cooperation with the other project departments.
Ensure, monitor activities, analyze data and guarantee quality
- Supervise the collection, recording and analysis of data relating to social work and protection activities.
- Monitor performance indicators and produce regular reporting to identify trends, emerging needs and difficulties in accessing services.
- Documenting protection situations and trends to inform MSF’s operational analysis and advocacy actions.
- Develop and adapt social work tools and processes to the needs of the project.
- Ensure compliance with MSF’s social work framework, confidentiality rules, data protection and legal and ethical requirements.
- Plan and coordinate the human, material and financial resources required for activities, in conjunction with support departments.
Desired profile
Education and experience:
- French or foreign diploma in social work, with at least three years of theoretical and practical training.
- At least three years of professional experience in managing social work programs or similar fields: protection, psychosocial support, sexual and gender-based violence, etc.
- Experience in team management.
- Experience in a health, humanitarian, protection or migration context is highly desirable.
- Proven experience in case management or protection in an emergency context is an asset.
Skills and qualities:
- Analytical skills and ability to transform field observations into appropriate responses.
- Sense of organization, results orientation and a commitment to quality.
- Ability to manage, support and develop a team.
- Team spirit, cooperation and ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment.
- A sense of service and a person-centered approach.
- Ability to develop partnerships and build relationships of trust.
- Stress management, flexibility and ability to adapt to changing and challenging environments.
- Driving licence (category B) preferred.
Languages and tools:
- Fluency in French is essential.
- Good command of spoken English.
- Knowledge of other languages is highly desirable.
- Proficiency in common computer tools: Word, Excel and Internet.
Employment conditions
Mobility required on the North Coast between Calais and Dunkirk
Non-managerial position: 12-month fixed-term contract, renewable
Compensation and benefits:
- €3,425.87 gross monthly salary over 13 months, 22 days of paid time off per year, 100% coverage of supplementary health insurance by MSF.
- Meal vouchers worth €12 (MSF subsidized at 60%)
- 50% reimbursement of public transport costs or kilometers traveled by bicycle.
Position available: January 4, 2027.
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
To apply
Please send your application, including your CV, cover letter, and copies of required diplomas, by November 20, 2026 , via email with the following reference in the subject line: HEAD OF SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES NORTH COAST_LAST_FIRST_LAST …
Only candidates whose application has been selected will be contacted.
Deadline for submission of applications: 20 November 2026