HEAD OF EPIDEMIOLOGY/DATA/GIS

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:HEAD OF EPIDEMIOLOGY/DATA/GIS

Department: Medical

Direct Manager: Medical Director

Functional Manager: Medical Director

Title(s) of position(s) reporting to the holder:

•          GIS Referent

•          Epidemiology Referent (Field)

•          Operational Research Manager

•          Medical Data Referent

•          HIS Project Manager

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

Mission

The unit manager is responsible for leading the development of a strategic support unit designed to promote evidence-based decision-making within MSF WaCA. This role involves defining policy directions and epidemiological strategies, establishing effective data governance, and deploying a coherent GIS (Geographic Information System) strategy at both headquarters and in the missions.

He/She also provides advice and technical support to missions to strengthen their public health capacities.

To achieve these objectives, it relies on a multidisciplinary team of epidemiologists, health information system specialists and GIS experts. Together, they work to improve the use of routine data, epidemiological surveillance, health assessments and mapping.

The ultimate goal of this unit is to ensure that the experiences and analyses gained from MSF-WaCA operations are systematically documented, capitalised on and mobilised to influence policies and practices both within and outside MSF.

Main responsibilities

1.        Strategic management

•          Provides overall leadership and strategic vision for Epidemiology, HIS and GIS functions, in line with MSF-WaCA's medical and operational priorities.

•          Contributes to the development of policies, guidelines and cross-cutting strategies to strengthen the use of data in decision-making.

•          Oversee the unit's annual planning, monitoring and evaluation cycle, and reporting.

•          Represents MSF-WaCA in internal and external forums, including intersectional and international forums, and supports global health advocacy.

•          Advises on global strategic decisions with a significant impact on MSF's medical and operational directions.

2.        Team and resources management

•          Supervise teams of epidemiologists, HIS and GIS specialists, ensuring a collaborative and productive working environment.

•          Coordinates the work of the unit by ensuring planning, monitoring action plans and achieving objectives.

•          Promotes knowledge capitalisation, skills development and the dissemination of best practices.

3.        Epidemiology

•          Supports field epidemiologists and operational research officers by providing technical support to ensure MSF-WaCA's epidemiological activities (surveillance, alerts, investigations, studies/research) are carried out in line with mission requirements.

•          Contributes to the identification, coordination and dissemination of operational research projects in collaboration with Epicentre and other partners, such as LUXOR

•          Participates in scientific production (articles, protocols, summaries) and the sharing of contextual data for a strategic understanding of humanitarian issues.

4.        Health information system (HIS)

•          Supervise the team responsible for setting up and operating an integrated health information system, aligned with internal standards and mission needs.

•          Ensure that the system proposed by the HIS team is aligned with user needs and the strategic guidelines of the medical department and MSF.

5.        Geographic Information System (GIS)

•          Contribute to defining a GIS strategy for MSF-WaCA and aligning it with the organization's strategic guidelines (regional anchoring and link with MSF's GIS centre). 

•          Ensure that the potential of GIS is taken into account in the HIS and in epidemiological analyses 

•          Supervise GIS and assist in prioritising activities with a high impact on MSF operations

Education

•    Doctorate (PhD) in public health, specialising in epidemiology, OR a doctorate in medicine supplemented by a master's degree in epidemiology (mandatory).

Competencies

•          Proven medical leadership and demonstrated strategic management skills (mandatory).

  Professional experience required

  •          Proven experience in leading multidisciplinary teams of epidemiologists and other public health professionals (mandatory).

  •          Experience in investigating and managing epidemics and setting up surveillance systems for diseases with epidemic potential in Africa (mandatory).

  •          Previous experience as a coordinator/referent, in the field and/or at headquarters, or equivalent experience within medical organisations operating in humanitarian contexts.

  •          Excellent knowledge of medical issues and challenges in humanitarian contexts.

  •          Experience in collaborating with global health actors in Africa, including government, academic and professional institutions.

  •          Proven experience in developing, implementing and disseminating research protocols.

   

  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: 02nd September 2025 18:00 GMT
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.