Médecins Sans Frontières
MSF is an organization committed to promoting inclusion and diversity – THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO ALL CANDIDATES
Description and responsibilities
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides neutral, impartial, and independent healthcare to people affected by conflict, epidemics, natural disasters, or exclusion from access to healthcare in more than 70 countries.
BRAMU – Brazilian Medical Unit
BRAMU is a medical unit that responds to the different MSF projects in the Latin American region through technical advice and strategic-operational support.
BRAMU professionals provide technical support as requested by the Operational Centers based on project needs. The main activities constitute the following: Technical and Operational Support to project teams, Provision of training, Development of institutional partnerships, and advocacy in the medical area.
The growing challenges in the Latin American region around migration, violence, environmental crisis and other emerging health issues have made the unit move towards a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach using applied social sciences, evidence-based medicine, and epidemiology.
BRAMU’s portfolio of services is targeted to the following topics: Migration, Urban violence, Environmental health, Adolescent Health, and Mental Health.
The team comprises six experts: a Migracion & Violence advisor, an Environmental Health advisor, an Adolescent Health advisor, an epidemiologist, a Health Promotion focal point, and a Psychosocial support focal point.
OBJECTIVE:
To strengthen and develop the institutional medical work of MSF Brazil to enrich the connection of the Latin American reality with MSF operations worldwide through institutional representation and by connecting MSF with experts and innovative actors in the region. In addition, it offers transversal medical support to BRAMU activities in all the portfolio thematics.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
MSF-Brazil institutional medical support:
- Contribute to enlarging and maintaining a regional institutional medical network and initiatives by participating in strategic meetings/conferences/events/workshops.
- Support Fundraising and Communications departments in activities requiring medical advice, such as information and communication strategies on medical topics. Validate medical content for articles, interviews, magazines, donor consultations on medical issues, etc.
- Support the Management Team of MSF-Brazil, in medical positions, reflections, and institutional representation when necessary.
- Lead the medical component of advocacy initiatives/activities.
- Work with the HR department and staff health focal point to develop and adapt staff health protocols, if needed.
- Participates in relevant national forums to disseminate/represent BRAMU/MSF-Brazil’s position on humanitarian medical issues.
- Contribute to reflection on medical and humanitarian dilemmas in the region through debates, analysis, and brainstorming exercises within MSF and with external partners.
- Act as point of contact for MSF-Brazil institutional issues in the absence of the BRAMU director.
- Collaborate with the MSF- Brazil association to develop a medical network, participating as a medical representative in the different association initiatives when relevant.
Brazilian Medical Unit (BRAMU) activities
- Contribute to the Unit’s strategy and planning
- Provide transversal medical perspective to team activities
- Participates in the development of tools and resources related to the Unit’s topics
- Expand and maintain an academic network for research collaboration relevant to the Unit’s portfolio
- Participates in the development of operational research initiatives
- Follows up on events/conferences/webinars pertinent to the Unit’s portfolio
- Participates actively in the organization of the MSF medical conference Latam Scientific Days
- Ensures the medical and epidemiological monitoring of medical emergency dossiers in the region (COVID-19, infectious outbreaks, etc,) and alerts regularly about relevant humanitarian emerging issues
- Supports BRAMUs training regarding the medical component
EDUCATION
- Medical degree
- Master’s/PhD in Public/International Health or equivalent professional experience
- A degree in Epidemiology is an asset
EXPERIENCE:
- Medical Humanitarian field projects (differential)
- Proven experience with research
- Advocacy, networking, communication
LANGUAGES:
- Fluent Portuguese or Spanish
- Intermediate English
SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE:
- Deep knowledge of the South American region
- Office Package – intermediate
- Public Health/International Health
- Epidemiology
CORE COMPETENCIES:
- Commitment to MSF principles.
- Service Orientation
- Planning and Organization
- Behavioral Flexibility
SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:
- Contact and Relationship Network Building
- Group Work and Cooperation
- Strategic Vision
- Analytical Thinking