Accountability Unit Consultant

Location: Any MSF office*
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 4 to 5 months
Starting date: asap

*By default, the successful candidate will be offered a contract in the MSF office of their country of residence at the time of application.

I. MSF INTERNATIONAL
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural disasters. MSF offers assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

MSF International is the legal entity that binds MSF’s 24 sections, 25 associations and other offices together. Registered in Switzerland, MSF International provides coordination, information and support to the MSF Movement, as well as implements international projects and initiatives as requested.

II. POSITION BACKGROUND

MSF International’s International Muti-year Plan reconfirms Accountability as a core strategic role of the International Office. This Strategic Role is continuously evolving and expanding as we improve our understanding of the IO’s role as stewards of data, knowledge, and accountability.

In this sense, the IO has a substantive responsibility to ensure timely and transparent exchange of information and intentions. It currently does so through regular reviews of and reporting on execution of international agreements and frameworks, and through other tools, like combination exercises that enable better informed decision-making, while contributing to better capitalisation and learning among Institutional Members of MSF International.
In order to further develop the concept of (mutual) accountability, the IO’s Secretary General will create an Accountability Unit within the IO.

The aim of this position is to propose the precise framing and scope of the Accountability Unit. As part of the initial perimeter, the Accountability unit of the IO will coordinate, support and guide accountability efforts across the movement, such as performance measurement and program monitoring, will guide analysis and reporting of performance data, including its presentation in internal and external reports and key documents, and will coordinate, support and expand current accountability processes such as the Mutual Accountability and Typology reports, the Field Financial Accountability initiative, the assessment of program effectiveness and impact, the reporting on the execution of the MSFWWTB and the outcomes of the evolving accountability analysis.

The Accountability unit will also coordinate the IO’s participation and leadership in other accountability related initiatives, programs and mandated reports across the Movement.

Finally, the Accountability unit, in cooperation with the relevant platforms and project teams, will contribute to the strengthening of the international accountability mechanisms and practices by reviewing our mutual accountability tools in order to optimize their impact on critical discussions and strategic choices, by connecting accountability tools with the support of adequate technology in order to gain timeliness, comprehensiveness, understanding and flexibility of use of international data, by defining Movement minimum standards of accountability with a focus on programme activities and by improving our analytical capacities and leverage data to inform movement-wide decisions.

III. PLACE IN THE ORGANISATION

The Accountability Unit Consultant is part of the Secretary General’s office within MSF International. They report to the secretary General and works closely with International Coordinators and other key staff in the IO and relevant Sections and OCs.

IV. OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION

The purpose of the consultancy is to propose a blueprint for the creation of an Accountability Unit, along the lines described above.
This includes:

• The definition of the objectives, goals and scope of the IO’s Accountability Unit
• Propose how the Accountability unit will use the existing accountability tools that we have in the movement in combination, to optimise the use of what we already have
• A detailed description (TORs) of Accountability Unit’s structure, including staffing needs, resources, dependencies and interactions

V. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Critical review of existing accountability documentation and processes
• Develop an initial accountability framework, identifying both existing accountability processes and future, to-be designed accountability moments, processes and tools
• Develop a risk and opportunities matrix
• Building on the above and after consulting key stakeholders across the movement, propose to the SG an initial structure of the IO’s Accountability Unit, including timelines, positions (with related Job Descriptions), management and reporting lines, needed resources
• develop a presentation of the proposal for approval by the Full ExCom, which the consultant may also be asked to present their findings at different meetings (ExCom, IB, etc)

VI. PROFILE REQUIREMENTS

The post-holder is expected to have high-level understanding of the structure of MSF, enabling independence, autonomy and diplomatic communication skills in order to engage with internal stakeholders across the movement.

• Experience (more than 5 years) in senior leadership / governance positions in the humanitarian/private sector at international/national level.
• MSF or humanitarian experience
• Project management, team management
• Level of planning: strategic, priority setting for self or other
• Communication skills: eg. public speaking
• Networking
• Capacity for autonomy
• Language proficiency
• IT literacy
• Mobility requirements