MEDICAL DIRECTOR

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.

We Are Looking for: MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Department: GENERAL DIRECTORATE

Direct Manager: GENERAL DIRECTOR

Functional Manager: GENERAL DIRECTOR

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 part of MSF WaCA's global strategy and reporting to the Managing Director, you will play a leading role in the association. You are at the heart of the social mission, working closely with operations and improving MSF's medical practices. You will be responsible for defining WaCA's medical strategy, translating it into policy and monitoring its implementation once it has been approved by the association's governing bodies. You are responsible for the medical quality of MSF's actions and provide the necessary expertise in the field.

Main responsibilities

1.        Define MSF WaCA's medical action strategy and policy:

•          Define WaCA's medical strategy and policy.

•          Co-define the strategic medico-operational plans with the Director of Operations.

•          Break down this medical strategy into major issues, set general and specific objectives for each medical field and translate them into annual plans for the department.

•          Co-define the operational research strategy (conducted with Epicentre and other institutions).

•          Validate the scientific quality of research projects piloted and supported by WaCA and be the privileged interlocutor with the MSF ERB.

•          Analyse and report on WaCA's medical activity.

•          Initiate, monitor and evaluate medical files:

•          Drive major projects and medical files and personally manage certain strategic files.

•          Drawing up the specifications for medical dossiers, monitoring their progress, controlling their execution and checking that they have been carried out correctly.

•          Reporting to senior management on the implementation of projects and their progress.

•          Communicating internally on the implementation of medical records.

•          Participating in the validation and monitoring of MSF research projects.

•          Liaise with other departments and the international movement.

2.        To guarantee medical quality and the adequacy of the medical response to operational needs:

•          Ensure the medical quality and the adequacy of the medical response to operational needs.

•          Ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the support and medical expertise provided in the field

•          Stimulate debate, identify, analyse, capitalise on and disseminate good medical practice.

3.        To be jointly responsible (with the human resources department) for the health care policies of national and international teams.

4.        Stimulating the development of medical advocacy and testimonial activities

5.        Contribute to the identification of topics for public speaking and the development of main messages.

6.        Contribute to MSF's visibility:

Contribute to the development of medical communication as part of the MSF-WaCA communication strategy.

7.        Represent and promote MSF WaCA's interests within the international movement (especially within the DirMed and MedOp platforms).

8.       Supervise employees under their hierarchical responsibility:

•          Supervising, advising, supporting, motivating and uniting his/her teams and developing the skills of his/her staff.

•          Sets guidelines, defines objectives and evaluates work.

•          Ensuring that the department contributes effectively to cross-departmental projects.

9.        Be responsible for defining the medical training policy and contribute to its implementation with the HR/L&D department and the other departments concerned.

10.     Be responsible for the department's budget

11.     Drawing up, managing and monitoring the budget

Education

•          A degree in medicine (or paramedicine with a Master’s in public health).

•          A Master's degree in public health, epidemiology or humanitarian studies would be an advantage.

Competencies

•          Skills in developing and implementing medical strategies/programmes.

•          Mastery of medical and epidemiological concepts and techniques.

•          Mastery of team management techniques.

•          Financial knowledge to draw up and monitor budgets.

Personal Qualities

•          Collaborative Leadership

•          Strong Sense of Responsibility

•          Strategic Foresight

•          Priority Setting

•          Decisiveness and Solution Orientation

•          Influencing and Persuasion Skills

Professional experience required

•          Minimum 10 Years of Medical-Humanitarian Field Experience (including MSF)

•          Proven HQ-Level Experience in a Medical Humanitarian Organization

•          Leadership and Strategic Oversight of Multidisciplinary Medical Teams

•          Experience in Complex Emergency and Humanitarian Contexts

•          Strong Operational Understanding of the MSF Movement and Its Principles

•          Capacity to Represent MSF Externally on Medical and Strategic Issues

Languages Skills

·       Working proficiency in English and French

Computer Skills

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

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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.

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: 05th August 2025 18:00 GMT
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.