Coordinator for Humanitarian analysis and advocacy team

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential requirements:

• Law, Political Science or other relevant degree - or equivalent field experience
• Significant field experience of at least 2 years with MSF or other field humanitarian organizations;
• Knowledge/experience or strong interest in current issues relating to humanitarianism;
• Ability to work independently, take initiatives and seize opportunities;
• Management / team leadership skills
• Proven representation skills, combined with a willingness to act as a spokesperson;
• Writing, communication and negotiation skills;
• Availability to spend time in field projects for periods up to six weeks;
• A demonstrable understanding of and commitment to humanitarian issues and to the aims and values of MSF;
• Fluency in English and French; Arabic would be an asset.
• Computer literate (Word, Excel, Internet).

Desirable requirements:

• Fluency in other languages an asset.
• Some media experience

MISSION

The Analysis and Advocacy Unit (AAU) is part of the General Direction.

The mission of the AAU is to contribute to ensuring the pertinence of MSF’s actions by increasing MSF’s capacity to analyse and understand the general and specific contexts of medical humanitarian interventions. In addition, the AAU’s work enhances synergies and coherence between MSF’s analysis of humanitarian and operational challenges and its positioning and advocacy strategies.

The main objectives of the unit are to:

• Provide timely and relevant analysis on the contexts and the environment in which MSF’s interventions take place: feed and support the reflections in house on strategic operational choices; complement the analysis done by the operations on contexts and environment of MSF projects and beyond; and provide political and policy analysis, including trends in health aid, positioning and functioning of key humanitarian and health actors at field and international level.
• Provide direct support to operations on strategic projects (in the form of short interim positions in projects requiring strong advocacy, analysis and strategic orientations)
• Promote the definition of messages for public communication and/or advocacy, define advocacy strategies and participate in the dissemination of MSF positions
• Interface with MSF environment on priority issues and contexts: develop and maintain networks, identify and liaise with relevant academics, think tanks, institutions and NGOs
• Look for opportunities of new networks and expand the options for operationally useful links with a variety of interlocutors.
• Produce outputs in terms of institutional positioning
• At all these levels, the AAU has the ambition of challenging and reinforcing our operations and positioning as well as influencing and advancing humanitarian and health policy debates.

The unit currently counts seven staff members who work on the following topics:

• humanitarian response and challenges in : 1) contexts of violence and (post) conflict; 2) contexts where international forces intervene and 3) contexts of displacement and migration;
• health policies and delivery mechanisms more specifically around: the HIV/AIDS epidemic, response to outbreaks and access to health care.
• In addition, one team member ensures our interaction at Belgian level (authorities and civil society) on relevant issues, including relaying advocacy messages related to the MSF International Campaign on Access to Medicines.

In the course of 2012, the AAU will be re-organized in 2 separate but interlinked halves working on humanitarian and health policy issues, each to be headed by its own coordinator. Most, but not all members are based in Brussels, in the future more members could be based in other locations.

The AAU works in close interaction with the operations, medical and communication departments (and if needed other departments) and liaises with the other OCB sections and the wider MSF movement. The unit answers to the General Director.

MAIN TASKS

Team coordination (25%)

Content

• Identifies key opportunities as they arise from changing contexts, ongoing work and/or external input - and ensures these are integrated into AAU work where relevant and priority for OCB.
• Elaborates and proposes the annual objectives of the humanitarian team together with its members, based on a shared analysis of the major challenges ahead

Functional

• Coach and support the team members in the definition and realization of specific action plans, deciding on priorities when and where needed.
• Maintains regular and close coordination with AAU health policy team coordinator, in order to ensure exchange of ideas and coordinated approaches (both on overall priorities/strategies and on daily questions e.g. representation/attendance of meetings)
• Assists in final editing of documents and ensures adequate diffusion.
• Stimulates internal critical reflection (with and on operations) and feeds the associative debate.
• Conducts and coaches the external representation of the unit
• Responds to requests for in-depth analysis in coordination with operations, the medical department and the general direction, and decides on priorities within the global action plan.
• Represents the humanitarian team in relevant meetings and platforms
• Ensures connectedness with other departments, the field, the OCB sections, the board, other OCs, other “centres de recherche” within the movement, etc.

Management                                    

• Stimulates internal capacity building, complementarities and cohesion to ensure that the AAU humanitarian team fulfils its mission in an efficient and effective manner
• Supervises and evaluates the team members
• Elaborates and follows up the annual budget

Humanitarian Advisor (75%)

• Be the reference/focal person in MSF OCB for specific humanitarian issues (TBD);
• Provide analysis, operational support and support to positioning to OCB on key humanitarian issues in his/her portfolio;
• Provide analytical and advisory support to operations both at headquarters and field levels on upcoming thematic trends and potential implications for populations we assist and for MSF operations;
• Enhance and propose coherent MSF positioning on these issues—both at level of policy and practice;
• Contribute/lead in the development of advocacy strategies, both in countries where MSF is operational and at international level in connection with key humanitarian issues in his/her dossier;
• Work to build networks and convey MSF concerns on relevant humanitarian issues with key interlocutors (international organizations, governments, NGOs, private sector, academic community and think tanks);
• Represent MSF in colloquia, symposia and networks on humanitarian issues;
• Coordinate with other MSF sections on analysis and development of positioning;
• Provide relevant training for HQ and field teams

CONDITIONS:

Open-ended contract after six month trial period, full time.

 

The person holding this function will be based in Brussels but should be available to travel on a regular basis to relevant field locations.

 

HOW TO APPLY – THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Timetable:

•           Closing date for applications: December 8th

•           Interviews: January

•           Start date: ASAP

 

To apply:

If you are interested in this position please send your CV and a letter of motivation explaining how your skills and experience relate to the job profile to: Emilie Delcroix, Assistant to General Direction. E-mail: emilie.delcroix@brussels.msf.org

Address: Rue Dupré, 94, 1090 Brussels

Please note that due to the number of applications we may receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.