Head of Mission M/F – NIGERIA 379 views0 applications

MSF is one of the largest independent medical humanitarian organizations in the world, with projects located in 71 countries worldwide. MSF’s work is based on the humanitarian principles of medical ethics; the goal of MSF is to provide emergency care to people who are affected by armed conflicts, epidemics and natural or man-made disasters.

MSF is looking for a :

Head of Mission M/F – NIGERIA

Nigeria generally has very poor health indicators in terms of vaccination coverage, pediatric and nutritional support as well as access to quality maternal health care. It is prone to regular epidemics such as measles, cholera (now occurring throughout the year), yellow fever, meningitis, Lassa fever, and monkey pox. With a population approaching 190 million people and generally poor hygiene and sanitation conditions, each epidemic can rapidly become a major crisis.

Maternal mortality is very high with 576 deaths/100,000 live births (NDHS 2013) and it is estimated that over 200,000 women live with vesico-vaginal fistula (12,000 new cases every year). Healthcare coverage in rural areas is extremely poor and even basic services are mostly not provided free of charge and therefore remain unaffordable to the poor.

Since 2013, more than 2 million people are displaced due to the increasing conflict between Boko Haram and Nigerian Army. The main proportion of displaced people is accommodated by the community and the rest lives in camps. While Borno features the largest presence of humanitarian actors in Nigeria, this sadly does not translate into a high-quality response to the widespread needs, which continues to leave important gaps uncovered, causes aid duplication elsewhere and suffers from poor coordination and the absence of experienced staff in field locations.

MSF OCP permanently present in the country since 1996; today, running 5 projects with 1 re-established country coordination team based in Abuja:

• Jahun/Jigawa State: maternity and fistula surgery project (151 beds), opened in 2008
• Port Harcourt/Rivers State: sexual violence project (2 clinics), opened in 2015
• Maiduguri/Borno State: pediatric hospital (80 to 150 beds) with large intensive care unit, opened in 2017 (first operations of OCP in Borno started in 2014).
• Bama/Borno State: pediatric hospital (30 to 45 beds), opened August 2018
• Emergency Preparedness and Response team responding to multiple emergencies in the country, since 2006

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

The Head of Mission (HOM) is responsible for MSF’s operational response in the Country/Mission. He defines the mission operational strategy in collaboration with the Operational cell. He implements, plans and coordinates MSF programs in the mission, including identification of new humanitarian challenges.

The HOM represents and defends MSF’s interests before third parties, according to the organization’s charter, policies, and ethics as well as international and national laws and regulations, in order to develop and effectively implement all the programs and projects in the mission.

His responsibilities include:

· Initiating and leading the mission-wide operational strategy; including country policy, annual plan, budget and policy frameworks. Leading the management team translating the strategic objectives into operational activities. Monitoring developments in MSF’s general policies and strategies and adapting the annual plan of the mission accordingly.

· Monitoring and analyzing the political, humanitarian and medical situation in the country and in the region. Identifying potential fields of intervention and determining response strategies.

· Representing MSF towards external actors (national authorities, NGO’s, donors, military organizations, media, etc.) to create commitment and negotiate terms and conditions for field operations.

• Integrating an internal and external communication policy for the mission to advocate for change.

· Leading the implementation of medical-humanitarian activities in the mission.

• Coordinating with other MSF sections to initiate, coordinate and develop short- and long-term strategies in-country.
• Evaluating the progress and outcomes of activities to ensure that objectives are achieved and reporting to Headquarters

· Being responsible for the planning and coordination of all human, material and financial resources to ensure the overall performance of the mission

· Leading the mission and its staff, providing a clear vision for the direction of the mission and bringing staff together across functional and geographical lines to achieve the mission’s objectives

• Managing, coaching and developing direct reports in line with human resource policies
• Implementing Human Resources-policy and ensuring that MSF acts as a responsible employer in terms of working conditions and reduction of security and health risks.
• Ensuring staff and management team are aware of mission strategies, ambitions and implementation plans
• Ensuring the associative character of MSF is reflected in the briefing of all MSF staff.

· Ensuring the internal and external flow of information.

• Keeping staff and HQ informed and updated of context and security related issues.
• Producing all required planning and program performance reports in line with the HQ reporting cycle.

· Being responsible for all security aspects of the mission.

• Defining and ensuring the implementation of the security framework in the country, in order to ensure safety of staff and visitors across the mission.
• Ensuring the implementation of the Inter-operational directorate Security Agreement (ISA) in the mission, both in spirit and letter, promoting a culture of pro-active information sharing and collaboration.”

PROFILE/REQUIREMENTS:

Experience

Minimum of two years in management positions at coordination level with MSF (PC or other coordination positions).

Or relevant experience with other international INGOs on HOM/Country Directors positions (or equivalent) with previous MSF field experience.

Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to identify operational priorities and to translate them into relevant and adapted missions, projects or activities.
• Ability to perform assessments/evaluations in any kind of context and formulate consistent proposals.
• Strong leadership and organizational skills.
• Negotiation, communication and reporting skills.
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to train, mobilize and manage both international and national staff.
• Quality and results-based orientation.
• Analytical skill and strategic vision.

Languages Fluency in spoken and written English essential (C1-C2 required)

Terms of Employment

§ Field-based position with visits to HQ in Paris and Dakar

§ Fixed-term and full-time contract (24 months, 100%) with possible extension

§ Gross monthly salary: according to MSF salary grid

§ Social Benefits: health insurance and living costs in the countries of intervention and in HQ, paid according to internal regulations

§ Long Term assignments benefits: extra paid leaves, additional return tickets, home child allowance according to family status

§ Family posting: the dependents of the international staff member are allowed to accompany him/her on assignment and will beneficiate from the family package. Package includes individual housing in quiet estate including access to leisure facilities, travel expenses and 50% perdiem for dependents, school fees for children and allowance for break-tickets.

§ Home leave ticket (1x year) covered by MSF for the international staff member and his/her dependents

Ideal starting date: ASAP / March 2019