COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Médecins Sans Frontières, founded in 1971, is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides emergency medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from health care. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of medical professionals, logistics, administrative and various other professions, all guided by our medical ethics and our principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality.

MSF WaCA, created in 2019, is the first MSF headquarters in Africa, and responds to the desire to reinvent the MSF movement after 50 years of humanitarian actions in the world, for more access to care, more reactivity and proactivity for greater medical coverage of affected populations in the world.

Why join us?

You are preparing to become a member of the MSF family, with over 50 years of emergency medical action that earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

We are an inclusive organization that considers social and professional well-being a right for all and provides an environment that considers the diversity of each member.

MSF WaCA claims an African anchorage that considers the local expertise with which it contributes to the implementation of its activities and makes each member, a key actor of the new dynamics of the humanitarian action in the world.

Diversity, Inclusion & Safe Recruitment

MSF offers equal recruitment and development opportunities without any form of discrimination based on gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, geographical origin, physical disability or any other discriminatory ground.

Female candidates who meet the requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.

MSF is committed to applying Safe Recruitment principles, ensuring transparent, fair, and respectful recruitment processes that protect candidates, the organization, and its beneficiaries.

We Are Looking for: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Department: Operations

Direct Manager: Director of Operations

Functional Manager: Director of Operations

Working %: 100%

Position Based in: Abidjan, HQ

Mobility: All WaCA’s Interventions Zones

Type of Contract: Fixed-Term Contract under Ivorian law; Renewable

Position to be filled: As Soon As Possible

Objectives

As a member of the Operations Management Team, the Community Engagement Manager provides strategic and visionary leadership to institutionalize community-centered approaches across all MSF WaCA interventions.

He/she is mandated to make community engagement a cornerstone of medico-operational excellence and social accountability within the organization.

Through inclusive, participatory, and evidence-based strategies, he/she strengthens the legitimacy, acceptance, and impact of MSF’s humanitarian actions, while enabling communities to become genuine partners and co-actors in humanitarian response.

Main responsibilities

1.        Strategic leadership and vision

§  Define and promote the institutional vision of community engagement in line with MSF WaCA's strategic plan and medical-operational priorities.

§  Advise the Director of Operations and senior management on the systematic integration of community perspectives into policies, strategies and action plans.

§  Ensure the consistency and quality of community engagement approaches across all missions.

§  Position MSF WaCA as an influential actor in the transformation of community-centred humanitarian practices.

2.        Technical guidance and evaluation of community engagement

§  Provide high-level strategic and technical guidance on the design and implementation of community engagement strategies.

§  Oversee the definition of frameworks, indicators and tools to measure community participation, trust and accountability.

§  Promote a culture of continuous learning through documentation, operational research and capitalisation of experiences.

§  Support missions in analysing community dynamics and designing strategies tailored to each context.

3.        Representation, partnerships and influence

§  In collaboration with the Operational Research Manager, identify and conduct operational research activities to document gaps in community engagement in our various programmes.

§  Collaborate with the Head of Healthcare Quality Improvement to integrate relevant knowledge into community engagement strategies.

§  Actively advocate for the recognition of communities as essential partners and legitimate sources of knowledge in humanitarian action.

§  Build networks and relationships with departments, operational centres and intersectional al actors to achieve community engagement objectives.

§  Design and implement a structured framework for the involvement of associate members as active partners in community engagement, in line with the vision of MSF WaCA’s Asso-Ops model.

§  Promote the recognition of associate members as co-creators of engagement strategies, bridging the operational and associative dimensions of MSF WaCA.

4.        Capacity building and innovation

§  Lead, mentor and inspire community engagement teams at headquarters and in the field, promoting cohesion, collaboration and accountability.

§  Develop and implement a capacity building strategy on community engagement, tailored to the needs of the missions.

§  Establish an inter-mission community of practice to promote experience sharing, innovation and knowledge sharing.

Education

§  Master's degree in social sciences or any other relevant field.

Competencies

§  Strategic leadership: ability to inspire, influence and mobilise others around a shared vision.

§  Analytical and strategic thinking: ability to link community dynamics to medical and operational priorities.

§  Change management: proven experience in driving organisational change and transforming practices.

§  Intercultural communication : excellent interpersonal skills, diplomacy and active listening.

§  Innovation and learning: creativity, intellectual curiosity and ability to drive collective thinking dynamics.

Professional experience required

§  Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in community leadership, including at least 2 years in a coordinating role.

§  Proven experience in designing and implementing community engagement strategies.

§  Proven experience in managing multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.

§  Previous experience with MSF or in an international humanitarian environment is a major asset.

Languages Skills( Required)

§  Working proficiency in English and French

§  Knowledge of other local or regional languages relevant to MSF WaCA's areas of intervention would be an asset.

Computer Skills

§  MS Office suite (mainly MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint)

§  Ability to utilise digital collaboration and knowledge management tools to manage networks or communities of practice (Teams, Zoom, SharePoint, Mural, etc.). 

§  Proficiency in qualitative analysis tools (NVIVO and others)

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N.B.: This job description provides a framework for the main responsibilities and primary activities of the position. It is not exhaustive. Therefore, the responsibilities and activities of the position may differ from those described in this job description due to organizational and operational needs.

Deadline: 29th January 2026 18:00 GMT
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.