MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OFFICER

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 DEPARTMENT OFFICER

Department: Medical

Direct Manager: Medical Director

Functional Manager: Medical 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

Mission

The Medical Department Officer (MDO) plays a pivotal role in the organisation, management and internal coordination of the MSF WaCA medical department. He/she ensures consistency in internal dynamics, the smooth flow of information and the organisation of collective work. By delegation, he/she also supports the Medical Technical Manager in monitoring certain strategic files and may act as a functional representative in the event of the latter's absence or unavailability.

Main responsibilities

1.        Coordination and leadership of the medical department

•          Planning, monitoring and leading weekly meetings of the medical department.

•          Monitor collective action plans and inter-team commitments.

•          Coordinate briefings, debriefings and integration measures for new department members.

•          Oversee the logistical and thematic organisation of major departmental events.

2.        Management of internal management and communication tools

•          Maintain and structure planning and management tools.

•          Monitor absences, leave and HR movements to streamline the workload.

•          Ensure that job profiles in the medical department are kept up to date.

•          Supervise the preparation of internal newsletters, periodic reports, medical sitreps, etc.

3.        Cross-functional support and interdepartmental coordination

•          Participate in the preparation of annual reviews and mid-term reviews with Operations.

•          Liaise with the HR, Logistics, Communications, Finance and IT departments.

•          Facilitate the escalation of reinforcement, recruitment and training needs to HR/L&D.

4.        Act as deputy to the Medical Technical Manager (MTN) on certain files

•          Represent the medical department in certain internal coordination meetings.

•          Co-facilitate strategic brainstorming sessions or cross-functional consultations with the MTM.

•          Contribute to the preparation of medical positions and the consolidation of strategic deliverables.

•          Coordinate internal working groups on technical or organisational issues on an ad hoc basis.

5.        Quality, innovation and continuous improvement support

•          Participate in the formalisation and monitoring of continuous improvement processes.

•          Follow up on internal medical audit recommendations.

•          Propose initiatives for documentation, capitalisation or organisational innovation.

Education

•          Healthcare degree (medicine, nursing, midwifery) or Master's degree in public health/health project management.

Competencies

•          Excellent organisational skills, rigour and autonomy.

•          Collaborative leadership and diplomatic skills.

•          Good writing skills and ability to summarise.

•          Good understanding of medical and operational dynamics.

•          Proficiency in collaborative tools (MS Office, SharePoint, Teams).

Professional experience required

•          At least 5 years' experience in a complex humanitarian or medical environment. MSF experience (mission or headquarters) strongly desired.

•           Experience in team coordination, leading meetings or managing cross-functional projects.

Languages Skills

·       Working proficiency in English and French (Written and Spoken)

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.