Médecins Sans Frontières – Staff Director

Staff Director November 2023

Médecins Sans Frontières Staff Director

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Invitation to Apply Dear candidate, I hope this message finds you well. I am delighted that you are interested in finding out more about our Staff Director position, a vital position for MSF to carry out its work providing critical humanitarian, medical care to people experiencing humanitarian crisis. Our teams are dedicated to delivering healthcare in emergencies, conflicts, and epidemics, guided by the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.

MSF Operational Centre Amsterdam has over 10,000 staff around the world in around 27 countries and our people, with their immense dedication and commitment to our work, are what makes the organization what it is.

Currently, we are actively seeking an exceptional individual to step into the role of Staff Director. In this pivotal position, you would play a central role in ensuring that we have the people, with the skill sets and capabilities required, to deliver complex medical, humanitarian programming in challenging environments. That our teams are not only equipped to face challenges head-on but can thrive in doing so.

What are we looking for? Someone with a strong conviction for the work that we do, putting the people that we need to do it at the forefront of our agenda.

Who supports and empowers teams, whether they be in our country programmes or in offices around the world, helping them to problem-solve. A champion for

© Christina Simons/MSF

the professional development of our people and who drives a positive and inclusive work culture, with a focus on staff well-being. Who can lead the work required to carry forward our staff vision and implement the strategies required. We need a collaborator and strong communicator, who can foster effective coordination across departments and between teams.

In addition, a commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is paramount. We are dedicated to fostering an environment where every individual is valued, and their unique perspectives contribute to our mission.

If you share our passion for MSF’s work and feel that you’re the right fit for this role, I would be thrilled to receive your application. You can find detailed information about the position and instructions on how to apply on our website. The application deadline is 8 January 2024, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to learn more about you and how your journey so far aligns with the vital work we do.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a significant impact as part of MSF. We’re genuinely looking forward to the possibility of welcoming you into our organization.

Vickie Hawkins, General Director MSF-Netherlands/Operating Centre Amsterdam MT Chair

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© Pierre Fromentin/MSF

About Médecins Sans Frontières Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation. MSF provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.

MSF was founded in 1971, in the aftermath of the Biafran famine of the Nigerian Civil War, by a small group of French doctors and journalists who sought to expand accessibility to medical care across national boundaries and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

MSF teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - most of them hired locally. MSF actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality.

MSF is active in more than 75 countries.

The operational budget for the whole MSF Movement reached 2 168 million EUR in 2022. Private donors provide about 90% of the organisation’s funding, while corporate donations provide the rest.

In 2022, MSF admitted more than 1.2 million people to their hospitals and held more than 16.2 million consultations, including at mobile clinics and in refugee camps.

The MSF Movement The international MSF movement is composed of 25 legally independent associations that are registered in the country where they operate. They are the foundational structures of MSF. They are offices that enable, implement, support and govern the delivery of the social mission. They recruit staff, organise fundraising, and raise awareness on the humanitarian crises MSF teams are witnessing and are responding to.

The MSF associations work closely with five “Operational Centres” which directly organize and manage humanitarian action and are part of the association in the country in which they are based.

A number of MSF sections have opened branch offices in different countries to extend their support work further. Additional “satellite offices” have been established to support field work, mainly in the areas of logistics, supply and epidemiology. A number of those satellite offices are also independent legal entities.

MSF offers humanitarian assistance to people based on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. We work to save lives, alleviate suffering and restore dignity. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality. In order to be able to access and assist people in need, our operational policies must be scrupulously independent of governments, as well as religious and economic powers. We conduct our own assessments, manage our projects directly and monitor the impact of our assistance. We do not accept funds from governments or other parties who are directly involved in the conflicts to which MSF is responding. We rely on the generosity of private individuals for the majority of our funding.

The Operational Centre Amsterdam is one of the five Operational Centres of the MSF movement.

Médecins Sans Frontières Staff Director

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The Role Role:

Staff Director

Department:

Human Resources

Location:

Amsterdam (The Netherlands) On-site

Salary:

Annual gross salary €91.193 – €125.549

© Kristof Vadino/MSF

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Background of the Role The Human Resources (HR) Department at the Operation Center Amsterdam (OCA) is dedicated to providing comprehensive support for the people and cultural aspects of MSF’s medical operations, which involves approximately 12,000 employees. Our responsibilities encompass a wide array of activities, including recruitment, matching and workforce management for both headquarters and international positions in the countries where we operate, cultivating a diverse, fair, and inclusive workforce, providing opportunities for employee learning and growth, offering guidance to HR and L&D functions in our projects, executing substantial people-centric projects, and much more.

To accomplish these goals, our department is structured into several units: HR Field, HR Services, Learning & Development, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team.

As part of the OCA Strategic Plan, OCA has adopted a Staff Vision for 2030. This commits us to an inclusive, healthy and safe environment for all our staff, where diversity of thought and experience enhance the quality of our work by 2023.

MSF OCA will be considered the preferred employer for future staff looking to work in the medical humanitarian sector. It will foster a culture that is built on an inclusive, healthy and safe environment for our staff. We will work towards diverse representation at the highest-level executive leadership platforms.

We will continue to invest in our people, particularly those delivering healthcare, so that they have opportunities for personal and professional growth within the organisation.

© Mariana Abdalla/MSF

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Role Description An experienced senior HR professional, with broad knowledge of global humanitarian aid operations and organisations.

The Staff Director develops and implements a staff vision and people strategy aligned with MSF Operating Centre Amsterdam’s (OCA) mission, vision and values.

In this role you lead the HR team and directly supervises: The Deputy Staff Director and Head of HR Field, Heads of HR (Services & L&D), DEI Senior Advisor, Recruitment & Career Manager Coordinator (Functionally), Planning & Implementation Coordinator and an Executive assistant.

Indirectly you are responsible for 488 people in our headquarters in Amsterdam as well as approximately 11,500 people in the projects in which we work. You ensure that the sub teams are aligned to the vision and strategy, and you execute and further enhance implementation and ways of working. You are the driving force behind innovations, and various projects in the HR team to help us achieve our goals.

You participate in MSF’s global HR Directors platform, where together with your counterparts, you develop collective strategy for MSF’s workforce management including on reward, DEI and learning and development.

Your collaboration within the organisation is on multiple levels, including regular information exchanges with Functional directors from other departments, membership to respective boards to link relevant governing bodies, close collaboration with the Operations department from an HR perspective as well as attendance of global MSF HR platforms. You report to the General Director MSF Netherlands/OCA Management Chair.

© Giuseppe La Rosa/MSF

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Roles and Responsibilities • • •

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• •

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© Tadeu Andre/MSF

Transformation and change management for engagement and inclusive processes.

Delivery of HR strategy as well as the driving force behind the implementation of various HR projects.

Develop and manage improvement strategies and a high level as well as operational level in different contexts (eg Dutch society, the OCA partnership and/or MSF international environment).

Alignment with the overall strategic framework and effective strategic guidance, policies, processes, standards and guidelines for effective implementation.

Strategic, tactical & operational collaborations at various levels within the organisation eg: Operations team.

Act as a link between the senior MSF-OCA HR Platform and the MSF-OCA management team as well as representation on relevant intersectional platforms eg: IDRH (International Directors of Human Resource).

Management, coaching and development of team members, including performance management and staff development and succession planning.

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Candidate Profile • • •

• • •

Strong group leadership and change management experience with strategic vision and operational skill.

Situational awareness, displaying initiative and ability to delegate tasks in a clear and efficient manner.

Extensive HR management experience, (ideally working in an international humanitarian /NGO setting), including examples of previous organisational change and process design initiatives.

Ability to navigate complex issues, and resolve conflicts by fostering harmony in the workplace.

Strong interpersonal communication.

Organisationally culturally sensitive leader who can foster employee engagement.

© Isabel Corthier/MSF

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© Mariana Abdalla/MSF

How to Apply All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process. The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The document should be saved in PDF in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Pat-Jones-CV112023-MSF or Pat-Jones-CoverLetter-112023-MSF.

Timeline Closing Date: First stage interviews: Final interviews:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis TBC TBC

Selection Process All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

Equality Statement Equality and diversity are at the core of MSF’s values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

Queries If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at msf-staff-director@oxfordhr.com in the first instance.

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About Oxford HR Exceptional leaders can inspire change and propel purpose-led organisations towards reaching their world-changing goals. Finding such leaders can be a challenge; and yet their transition into leadership is vital to an organisations mission and success.

Oxford HR is a global leadership consultancy dedicated to searching for and supporting remarkable leaders and teams in purpose-led organisations.

We understand the nuances of purpose-led leadership because we’ve worked in organisations across the breadth of the sector ourselves. We’ve also worked with such organisations since 1995; so we appreciate just what benefits impactful people can bring.

© Paul Odongo/MSF

Médecins Sans Frontières Staff Director

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Cover Photo © Kristof Vadino/MSF

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Médecins Sans Frontières Staff Director