INTERIM TROPICAL DISEASES REFERENT (3 MONTHS CONTRACT – HOMEBASED OR BASED IN ANY MSF OCBA HUB)

POSITION BASED IN ANY MSF-OCBA HUB SUBJECTED TO FEASIBILITIES

GENERAL CONTEXT

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international independent medical-humanitarian organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

MSF is a civil society initiative that brings together individuals committed to the assistance of other human beings in crisis. As such MSF is by choice an association. Each individual working with MSF does it out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF.

The MSF movement is built around six operational directorates. MSF OCBA is one of those directorates. The operations are implemented by field teams and the mission coordination teams; together with the organizational units based in Barcelona and decentralized in Nairobi, Dakar and Amman. The field operations are guided and supported by 5 Operational Cells, the Emergency Unit and other departments supporting operations, including the Medical Department.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE AND CONTEXT

The MSF Medical Department of the Operational Centre Barcelona-Athens (MSF-OCBA) is composed of three units: the Health Services Unit, the Medical Specialities Unit and the Medical-Operational unit. Each of these units has a Head, and the head of the Medical-Operational Unit is also the Deputy Medical Director. The Medical Director is in charge of the overall management of the department with the support of the Heads of the three units and an Assistant. The Medical Director, the 3 Heads of Unit and the Department Assistant make up the Management Team of the Medical Department.

The main objective of the Tropical Disease Referent is to support the organisation when developing policies and to provide technical and strategic support for all projects to respond to Tropical Diseases (including Tropical Neglected Diseases) in the field. This general objective involves the following core areas:

1. Malaria Protocols, Policy and Strategies (following MSF Malaria Policy: Preventive, Curative and Emergency Response Strategies).

2. Neglected Tropical Diseases Protocols, Policy and Strategies linked with Access Campaign and DNDi strategies (Advocacy, Operational Research and Clinical Trials).

3. Clinical management of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers, Meningitis (in adults) and other diseases with epidemic potential both emerging and remerging, in close collaboration with the Emergency Care and Internal Medicine advisor.

4. Contribution to transversal topics where these diseases are relevant.

The successful applicant will be based at one of the MSF OCBA hubs. This job will be carried out in the framework of the Strategic Plan 2020-2023, OCBA Annual Plans and Medical Department Multiyear Plan, working in close collaboration with other technical advisors in the Department and health advisors in Operations (Tesacos) to contribute to a more transversal, integrated and holistic support to MSF OCBA interventions.

PLACEMENT WITHIN THE ORGANISATION

The Referent will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the Head of Medical Specialties Unit, together with other referents. She/he will support MSF medical activities and programs through a close collaboration with operational health advisors (TESACO/Desk HQ), Medical Coordinators (missions) and Project Medical Referents (projects), as the rest of Medical department referents.

While in the field, he/she works under the regular hierarchical and functional structures of the missions, while keeping communication with the Medical Department.

MAIN RESPONSABILITIES, FUNCTIONS AND TASKS

• S/he contributes to developing MSF International guidelines and policies for tropical diseases together with the International Working Groups (currently the Malaria Contact Group and the NTDs Working Group).
• To increase the internal capacity of the organisation for implementing programmes / projects / components ensuring quality management of Tropical Diseases.
• To support the medical field teams, directly or through operational health advisors, in the definition and monitoring of programs and projects related with Tropical Diseases.
• To maintain an updated knowledge on the above-mentioned diseases and a coordinated relation with counterparts in the other MSF sections (ex. via the MSF Working Groups).
• Implement or provide technical support to operational research linked to Tropical Diseases.
• To produce periodical information on achievements and challenges in the Tropical Diseases dossier.
• S/he is the person the rest of the Sections, the Access Campaign and the DNDi should refer to when dealing with issues related to Tropical Diseases in MSF-OCBA.
• S/he is responsible for developing the necessary tools in MSF-OCBA to achieve the objectives set in the OCBA Strategic Plan and Medical Department Multiyear Plan relating to Tropical Diseases and transversal topics where Tropical Disease are relevant.
• S/he creates and maintains a documentation system including all relevant issues developed in the past so as to preserve the institutional background history about Tropical Diseases.
• S/he conveys information about new developments in the field of Tropical Diseases to headquarters and the field and trains MSF expatriates.
• S/he represents the Medical Department, at the request of the Medical Director or Head of Unit when dealing with issues related to Tropical Diseases (i.e. interviews, paper writing; participation in conferences etc.).
• S/he formalizes and further develops if needed the networks of external experts and scientific institutions and organisations working in the field of Tropical Diseases.
• S/he acts as focal point for Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers, Meningitis (in adults) and other diseases with epidemic potential both emerging and remerging, which includes the following responsibilities: technical support on clinical management, channeling field visits requested, leading research and evaluation initiatives and representing MSF OCBA.
• S/he supports and advises when recruiting, preparing and retaining, including briefing and debriefing, the staff in the projects in which tropical pathologies are especially relevant.

Medical Department development:

• Coordination and collaboration in activities with other Referents of the Medical Department.
• Participating in all activities organized by the Medical department.
• Providing proposals concerning the enhancement of the quality and relevance of medical services.
• Promote the development of Malaria and NTDs programs within MSF OCBA, identifying key priorities issues which need to be invested in (operational research, key questions).
• Regular contact with key actors related to Malaria and NTDs (academics, researchers, institution developing programs or policies) to exchange on recent / ongoing developments in and outside of MSF.
• Contact with other MSF bodies (e.g. Access Campaign, Epicentre) and external actors (WHO, other NGOs…) to follow up and support initiatives of interest to MSF OCBA.
• Participate in the roster of Medical Guardia.
• Collaborate with other OCBA Departments on transversal projects.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Education, Experience and desired attributes:

• Medical doctor, with specific training in Tropical Diseases and/ or Public Health.
• A minimum of 2-years’ experience in different MSF projects (different contexts) or with relevant medical organization working in low income countries and/or humanitarian settings.
• Experience in managing programmes or projects including or dedicated to malaria, sleeping sickness, visceral leishmaniasis, snakebites, or any other tropical disease components.
• Experience in managing patients of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers, Meningitis and/or emergent/remerging infectious diseases, will be an asset.
• Experience in programmes including an important staff-training component will be an asset.
• Knowledge of and/or proven interest in research.
• Fluent in English. Good knowledge of French is an asset (and eager to learn up to B2 level).
• Knowledge of another language (Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese) is an asset.
• Tech savvy: Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

COMPETENCIES

• Commitment to MSF’s Principles.
• Cross-cultural Awareness.
• Flexibility.
• Analytical Thinking.
• Strategic Vision.
• Results and Quality Oriented.
• Initiative and Innovation.
• Teamwork and Cooperation.

CONDITIONS

• Position homebased or based in any MSF-OCBA Hub (Barcelona, MSF-Spain office delegations, Amman, Dakar or Nairobi). Final location will be subject to the employability of the preselected candidate (residency, work permit, etc.).
• Full-time position.
• Duration: 3 months with a possibility of extension to 6 months. Contract modality according to local legal framework.
• Annual Gross Salary: level HQ-4A (divided in 12 monthly payments) + secondary benefits based on MSF OCBA Reward Policy. Subjected to local conditions.
• Starting date: immediately.