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.
Mission France is seeking a Social Work Supervisor for its project 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 ensures medical, psychological, legal and social support for people excluded from healthcare and advocates for access to care for vulnerable foreign nationals, 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 running 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. This is complemented by a mobile clinic run by a team of volunteers.
– 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 displaced persons rescued from shipwrecks, and in winter, emergency shelter for the most vulnerable.
– In Dunkirk. The project aims to address the growing needs of women, girls, and families in exile living in extremely precarious conditions on the Dunkirk coastline. In close partnership with the Refugee Women’s Centre, it focuses on providing women’s healthcare (gynecology, pregnancy monitoring, sexual and reproductive health), mental health care, emergency shelter for single women, strengthening the detection and response to sexual violence, and a documentation and advocacy component addressing violence and the lack of essential services in the area. The communication and advocacy component is central to this mission, which operates in a country with the resources to provide dignified reception but which deliberately neglects migrant populations.
But principal :
Participate in the planning, supervision, implementation and monitoring of social work activities in accordance with MSF protocols, standards and procedures, taking into account the social determinants of health, in order to promote a holistic approach to people’s needs and to preserve the well-being, safety, autonomy and dignity of MSF patients.
Responsibilities:
- Contribute to the design and implementation of the overall social work strategy.
- Supervise and support the staff under their responsibility, by planning and organizing their work, developing their technical and transversal skills, and ensuring their well-being.
- Collaborate and coordinate regularly with MSF teams, promoting multidisciplinary work for holistic and person-centered care.
- Contribute to the identification of recurring vulnerabilities and issues (critical needs, protection, security risks) and proactively report them to the manager/coordinator.
- To propose adjustments and improvements to social work activities/strategy, based on the monitoring and evaluation of activities at individual, institutional and community levels.
- Ensure that data, statistics and records are collected in a timely manner and stored in accordance with the data protection policy, MSF ethical guidelines and legal standards.
- Consolidate data relating to social work activities and contribute to the preparation of regular reports on these activities and on the protection of persons.
- Develop/adapt social work processes, tools and resources to the project’s needs, in collaboration with the relevant coordinator/referent. • In close collaboration with the human resources department, participate in associated HR processes (recruitment, training, integration, evaluation, talent identification, support, development and internal communication).
- Responsibilities are organized below according to the “pillars/levels” of social work (individual, structure, and community). “MSF section/context-specific responsibilities”: to be adapted according to the project strategy, which may prioritize one or two pillars, or even all three.
1/ Case management (individual)
- In collaboration with the PMR and the multidisciplinary team, and taking into account patient feedback, contribute to the establishment and maintenance of a functional service mapping and referral pathway system, in particular through participation in group meetings and networking with other stakeholders, community organizations and government social services.
- Provide ongoing training to other team members on case management, protection issues, tactful interviewing techniques, internal and external referrals while respecting confidentiality and security, and beyond, depending on identified gaps in social work and protection.
- Assist partners (where appropriate) in identifying, assessing and responding to patients’ social and protection needs.
- Intervene directly in the management of complex cases (e.g., high risk of recidivism of violence, unaccompanied minor, etc.) according to the context.
2/ Social support within MSF structures
- Contribute to the establishment of a safe, dignified and confidential care environment within the MSF structure, by promoting patient information, rights and participation, as well as access to feedback and complaint mechanisms, in accordance with the protection efforts of each OC.
- Ensure that informed consent is obtained from patients at each stage of their journey, including for referrals to other facilities and the possible use or transfer of their personal information.
- Ensure that patients’ care needs are assessed and taken into account by social workers.
- Collect comments and feedback from patients and caregivers reported by the social worker, analyze them, and forward them to management (social work activity manager, medical advisor, project coordinator) to ensure they receive a response and are taken into account.
3/ Community support (community)
- Ensure the contribution of the social work team to multidisciplinary community activities and to the monitoring of specific vulnerabilities, social and critical needs of the community, with an emphasis on protection issues (in collaboration with the HPCE and/or humanitarian affairs teams).
- To contribute, through the project, to the understanding of risk and protection factors within the community.
Responsibilities specific to the France mission:
The social work supervisor will have the following specific responsibilities:
Management of protection activities:
- Ensures that the development of protection activities is integrated into the multidisciplinary strategy of the project.
- Contributes to the implementation of protection, emergency accommodation and social support activities for patients and collaboration with associations on the Dunkirk coast (Secours Catholique, U56, Refugee Woman Center, among others).
- In collaboration with the Protection Manager and the Project Coordinator and other actors or partners, they participate in monitoring the context in order to propose the adaptation of activities according to developments.
- Ensures the link with the other members (especially medical) of the Dunkirk team and the associative partners of the seasonal programs (Secours Catholique, Utopia 56, Refugee Woman Center …).
- Develops and implements protocols related to social and protection activities.
- Is responsible for integrating and following the safeguarding protocol in activities.
- Proposes and implements technical support to partners on social care and complex cases in collaboration with the protection manager.
Social support for patients:
- Identifies, in coordination with our medical teams, patients in need of social support and manages the link with local partners, including Refugee Woman Center.
- Proposes and implements technical support from partners on social or legal care (reporting, request for protection, etc.) for patients or cases referred to the MAB.
- Supports partners in the management of highly complex social and legal cases with the support of the protection officer and ensures direct follow-up of cases under their responsibility.
Activity monitoring and reporting:
- Participates in writing SitReps and other project activity reports.
- Ensures the proper use of the MANO database for monitoring protection cases and proposes impact indicators and quality monitoring.
- Ensure proper administrative, HR and logistical management of activities in collaboration with the Project Logistics and Admin Manager.
Representation:
- In close collaboration with the Project Coordinator and the Advocacy and Communication Officers of the mission, they ensure the monitoring of data collection and testimonies in order to prepare advocacy and communication actions.
- Participates in communication and advocacy activities in his area
- Working closely with the Project Coordinator, he/she represents MSF to authorities, associations, and the media to integrate social and protection activities into the local context and improve awareness among target populations and the general public.
Desired profile:
Education: State diploma in social work: minimum 3 years of theoretical and practical training at the bachelor’s level. Or another diploma, attesting to strong skills in managing complex social cases, such as law, anthropology, sociology or psychology, may be accepted or constitute an asset.
Experience: Minimum 2 years of professional experience in managing social work programs or similar fields (protection, psychosocial support, sexual and gender-based violence, etc.). Highly desirable experience: professional experience in the fields of health, humanitarian aid, protection, and/or migration. Proven experience in social/protection management within a migration context is required. Knowledge of MSF would be an asset.
Knowledge: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; knowledge of the French social security system; valid driver’s license (category B) required.
SKILLS :
- Orientation towards the service
- People-centered approach
- Behavioral flexibility
- Networking and networking
- Teamwork and cooperation
- Analytical skills
- Results and quality orientation
- Staff management and development
- Cultural sensitivity and flexibility
Languages: Essential: French and English. Tigrinya, Amharic, Arabic, Somali would be an asset.
Employment conditions:
Status: 6-month fixed-term contract with possibility of renewal. Full-time, 39 hours/week. Position based in Dunkirk with possible travel to other projects within the French mission. No remote work.
Compensation and benefits:
- €3,164.34 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 €11.00 (60% covered by MSF).
- Coverage of 50% of public transport subscription (weekly, monthly or annual) or bicycle kilometers.
Position available: June 15, 2026
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 May 18, 2026, inclusive , with the following reference in the subject line: SUP TS_DUNKERQUE_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME
to msff-france-recrutement@paris.msf.org
Only candidates whose applications have been selected will be contacted.
Link to the MSF website job posting: Mission France – Social Work Supervisor in Dunkirk (M/F) | Doctors Without Borders