FLYING HUMANITARIAN ACCESS (Anglophone Contexts)

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 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: FLYING HUMANITARIAN ACCESS (Anglophone Contexts)

Department: Negotiation, Network & Context Analysis

Direct Manager: Head of Negotiation / Network & Context Analysis

Functional Manager:

Position Based in: Field

Mobility: Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Ethiopia and other Anglophone contexts as required

Type of Contract: IRP2 Contract (Fixed-Term Contract)

Position to be filled: As Soon As Possible

Context

Médecins Sans Frontières is a private, international, non-profit humanitarian organisation whose mission is to provide medical assistance to populations in crisis situations, without discrimination and regardless of race, religion, gender, belief or political affiliation.

Médecins Sans Frontières – West and Central Africa (MSF WaCA) is an operational center of the MSF movement that develops and implements medical and humanitarian interventions in West and Central Africa and beyond. In increasingly complex humanitarian environments, access to impartial medical care is under pressure due to political, administrative, security, and social barriers. MSF WaCA is operating in Nigeria, Liberia, and Ethiopia also planning to expand its intervention mostly Emergency in some countries where there are needs.

Objectives                                       

Flying Humanitarian Access is responsible for:

§   The Flying Humanitarian Access supports MSF WaCA operations in Anglophone contexts by strengthening contextual analysis, negotiation strategies, and access frameworks in sensitive or constrained environments.

§   The position provides technical advisory support to missions facing complex access challenges and contributes to strengthening MSF WaCA’s access approach in rapidly evolving contexts.

§   This is a flying position designed to support specific operational needs in sensitive or high-risk environments.

Main responsibilities

1.     Context & Access Analysis:

§   Conduct in-depth political, security, and stakeholder analysis.

§   Map formal and informal power structures.

§   Identify administrative, legal, and perception-based barriers affecting access.

§   Produce analytical notes and access risk assessments for missions.

§   Monitor emerging access constraints and advise accordingly.

2.     Access Strategy & Negotiation Support:

§   Support missions in developing contextualized access strategies.

§   Advice on negotiation approaches with:

o   Administrative authorities

o   Traditional/community leaders

o   Security actors

o   Non-state armed actors (when relevant and within MSF framework)

§   Support perception management and acceptance strategies.

§   Contribute to scenario planning in restricted environments.

3.     Capacity Strengthening

§   Design and deliveries on:

o   Humanitarian principles

o   Negotiation fundamentals

o   Stakeholder mapping

o   Access risk mitigation

§   Coach and mentor locally recruited staff in negotiation approaches.

§   Contribute to development of practical tools (mapping templates, access matrices, negotiation guidelines).

      4.     Operational Support During Sensitive Situations

§   Support missions during:

o   Access blockages

o   Administrative restrictions

o   Arrests or detentions

o   Perception crises

§   Contribute to structured incident analysis (in coordination with security and operations).

      5.     Internal Coordination & Reporting

§   Coordinate closely with:

o   Head of Negotiation

o   Security Focal Points

o   Operations department

§   Produce mission reports and structured recommendations.

§   Document lessons learned and good practices.

Education

§   Bachelor’s degree in political science, International Relations, Conflict Studies, Security Studies, Public Health or related field.

§   Master’s degree of any of the above profile is an asset

Professional experience required

§   Proven experience (3–5 years) experience in humanitarian settings, preferably in conflict-affected contexts.

§   Demonstrated experience in access negotiation, community liaison or stakeholder engagement.

§   Experience in multi-site or mobile support roles is an asset.

§   Proven experience in MSF association network experience is an added advantage.

§   Experience in Anglophone contexts is highly desirable.

Key Performance Indicators

§   Quality of access analysis delivered.

§   Relevance of access strategies supported.

§   Strengthened mission capacity in negotiation.

§   Improved documentation of access risks.

§   Positive feedback from supported missions.

Competencies                            

§   Strong political, security and Contextual analysis skills.

§   Humanitarian Negotiation & Access skills

§   Solid communication abilities.

§   High intercultural sensitivity.

§   Community Engagement & Networking

§   Ability to work independently during short deployments.

§   Strong analytical writing skills.

§   Flexibility and ability to adapt to volatile environments.

§   Cultural Competency & Adaptability

§   Training Development & Facilitation

Languages Skills

§   English (mandatory)

§   French (strong asset)

§   Knowledge of local languages is an advantage.

Computer Skills

§   MS Office suite (mainly MS Word, Excel and Power point)

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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: 05th May 2026 18:00 GMT

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.