Paediatrics Advisor

Context & Mission

Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent, international medical and humanitarian organization that provides care to people in need, people affected by natural or man-made disasters, and victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and without regard to race, religion, creed or political affiliation (MSF Charter).

In the MSF Operational Centre of Geneva (OCG), the steering and implementation of field programmes is under the responsibility of an Operations Department, which includes direct medical support to field implementation ensuring fundamentals are reached in all projects. The development of technical and/or strategic solutions adapted to complex medical challenges faced in the field, or to fulfil chosen medical ambitions, is under the responsibility of a Medical Department. Collaborative work between the two departments is considered a cornerstone for the organisation to improve the general quality of its projects and the level of care for patients.

In 2013, an internal review led to the endorsement of a new frame for medical support inside OCG, leading to further emphasize the Medical Department’s role in the following key areas:

• Being at the vanguard of evolving trends, new challenges and technologies in the field of medical practice and science and linked with external clinical, academic and research institutions.
• Providing technical capacities to fulfil the medical ambitions of OCG Strategic Plan, in particular those in relation to the Operational Policy, innovation and research.
• Addressing the field support needs in their response to medical and public health challenges, with the required flexibility and adaptation of priorities when facing emergencies or difficult conflict situations.
• Creating a better integrated work between Operations and the Medical Department through collaborative work platforms, focusing on precise medical operational challenges, selection of standards and improvement of practices.

The role of the Medical Department also includes, in relation with other involved Departments, a critical role on knowledge transmission to field medical staff through adapted trainings and fast access to key reference documents/tools, as well as recruitment strategies.

Through delegation from the Medical Leader of the Women & Children’s Health Unit and based on the OCG roadmap established for the period, the Paediatric Advisor develops medico-operational solutions requiring specific paediatric skills and/or in-depth investment, answering to recognized needs set in the medical ambitions of the Medical Department and the Women’s and Children’s Health Unit. In that perspective, he/she is proactively monitoring emerging scientific and medical issues that might shape OCG medical practices and ambitions.

Responsibilities

The Paediatric Advisor is responsible and accountable for achievements of the objectives for his/her domain of expertise and to this aim:

Responds to complex and technical issues requiring expertise or/and development:

• Answers to direct clinical questions from the field if identified as the best medical expert in a timely and concerted manner.
• Develops solutions (including protocols, simplified algorithms, syndromic approaches, training modules, quality standards, innovative tools, checklists, and medical kits) that are timely, relevant, contextual, concerted, consolidated and consistent.
• Translates medico operational requests into projects. He/She provides or identifies: analysis and advice to improve the requests’ relevance, terms of reference, objectives, definitions, deliverables, planning inputs, implementation phases, key contributors (HQ, regional, partnerships), and risks assessments.
• Leads or contributes to thematic fora/collaborative platforms and medical seminars on paediatric topics relevant to MSF.
• Conducts field visits to assess paediatric activities, as well as to introduce and/or field-proof guidelines, policies, and technical tools.
• Writes medical reports on all his activities with clear recommendations for key stakeholders He/She interacts with.

Supports Medical Polyvalent Advisors in the Operational Cells with regard to complex technical issues linked to child healthcare and with strategic and programmatic advice:

• Provides feedback on proposals, reports, and relevant documents needing specific technical inputs.
• Contributes to the development of proposals on medico-operational strategies on critical paediatric challenges.
• Contributes to the design of projects involving paediatric activities.
• Participates in assessments and surveys, including technical field visits.
• Co-manages the flying nutrition-paediatrics implementation officer to ensure the latter supports projects in the implementation of paediatric activities.

Strengthens the skills and competencies of MSF staff through capacity building in child healthcare:

• Ensures all projects have access to all fundamental documents and tools relevant to paediatric care.
• Contributes to defining training needs, as well as designing, implementing and evaluating specific training(s) in collaboration with the Learning and Development Unit.
• Contributes to the development of job profiles and validates the technical skills of candidates for paediatric positions (doctors and nurses).
• Briefs and debriefs key expatriates with a relevant role in the provision of healthcare to children.

Develops the expertise related to child healthcare and integrates external knowledge into MSF practices:

• Develops partnerships and collaborations in the field of child healthcare. These partnerships can be internal (MSF Working Groups, etc.) or external to MSF (including experts, medical societies, research institutes and universities).
• Identifies new cutting-edge topics in the medical humanitarian context to update OCGs medical ambitions and adapt external knowledge to MSF contexts.
• Overviews, analyzes, and disseminates the capitalization of child healthcare experiences across OCG projects.
• Contributes to high level advocacy in order to improve child healthcare.

Supports the development of innovation and operational research projects:

• Identifies knowledge needs in the area of child healthcare in humanitarian settings that could be generated through operational research conducted in MSF projects.
• Participates to the design of research questions, protocols, study materials, and documents to obtain ethical approval. Supports projects for data collection. Contributes to data analysis and dissemination of results though participating to the development of manuscripts for medical journals and scientific conferences.

Your Profile

Education

• Medical Doctor with specialization in Paediatrics is mandatory.
• Specialization and experience in neonatology and/or nutrition is an asset.
• Diploma/master’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Tropical Medicine, or Infectious Diseases is an asset.

Experience

• Field and/or HQ experience with MSF or a medical humanitarian organization.
• Knowledge of recent developments in the field of humanitarian relief, international public health, and tropical medicine.
• Experience of research in resource limited settings is an asset.
• Proven affinity with advocacy to improve the quality of child health care.

Skills/ Technical competencies

• Medical project management.
• Good understanding of child healthcare in humanitarian settings.
• Ability to analyse medical data.
• Ability to provide technical paediatric support to projects in low resource settings.
• Excellent writing skills.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• A good working knowledge of French is expected.

Personal Abilities

• Good analytical and synthesis skills.
• Results, innovations, and quality oriented.
• Problem solving and service oriented.
• Strong interpersonal skills, team spirit, networking, and communication skills.
• Able to travel to remote settings. It is expected that the Paediatric Advisor will spend 20-40% of his/her working time in the projects to provide the direct support mentioned in the Responsibilities section above.

Terms of Employment

• Full-time position 100% (40h/week)
• Open-ended contract
• Working place: Geneva
• Ideal start date: December 1st, 2023
• Gross annual salary : from CHF 101’172.- to CHF 115’332.- (salary commensurate with equivalent experience and internal salary grid)
• Paid vacation: 25 days per year, prorate temporis, plus any Swiss public holidays falling within the contract period.
• Pension plan: pension contribution covered 3/4 by MSF, 1/4 by staff member
• Relocation package if moving from a different country to Switzerland.