Country Coordinator Belgium

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 70 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation. 

Country Coordinator BELGIUM (m/f/x) – Brussels – MSF BELGIUM

CONTEXT 

MSF's purpose in Belgium aims to address, through a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, the health needs and key social determinants of most vulnerable populations, including migrants and undocumented people, resulting from widespread conditions of social exclusion and exacerbated by restrictive policies, while proactively engaging and promoting institutional change. As part of its objectives, the Belgium project also intends to respond to specific emergencies. 

The Belgium project is therefore focusing on populations that are: 

• On a migration journey within Belgium and the EU (extra-territoriality)
• Invisible and outside the existing social system and hence extremely vulnerable

Through: 

• Ensuring provision of a holistic, multidisciplinary, and multi-partners response. 
• Addressing a fluid and changing environment and being able to respond quickly to emerging needs. 
• Ensuring documentation, analysis, communication, and advocacy

As the Country coordinator, you are responsible for MSF’s operational response in the country of intervention. In collaboration with the operational cell, you define the operational strategy. You coordinate MSF’s program execution, identify humanitarian challenges, and represent MSF’s interests before third parties. You ensure compliance with MSF’s charter, ethical standards, policies, and international and national laws and regulations to achieve organizational objectives and quality targets for the programs. 

You oversee the development of necessary analyses and networks (political, humanitarian, medical, and civil society) to convey MSF’s messages on migration and relevant topics (communication) and influence Belgian authorities, policymakers, and the wider public (advocacy). You support operations’ positioning to gain influence on Belgium as an EU member state and as a host country to refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Initiate and lead the mission-wide operational strategy; including country policy, annual plan, budget and policy frameworks. Leading the management team translating the strategic objectives into operational activities. Monitor developments in MSF’s general policies and strategies and adapting the annual plan of the mission accordingly
• Monitor and analyze the political, humanitarian and medical situation in the country and in the region. Identify potential fields of intervention and determining response strategies
• Represent MSF towards external actors (national authorities, NGO’s, donors, military organizations, media, etc.) to create commitment and negotiate terms and conditions for field operations 
  • Integrating an internal and external communication policy for the mission to advocate for change
• Lead the implementation of medical-humanitarian activities in the mission.   
  • Coordinating with other external partners and MSF counterparts to initiate, coordinate  and develop short- and long-term strategies  in-country. 
  • Evaluating the progress and outcomes of activities to ensure that objectives are achieved and reporting to Headquarters 
• Being responsible for the planning and coordination of all human, material and financial resources to ensure the overall performance of the mission 
• Lead the MSF programs and its staff, providing a clear vision for the direction of the mission and bringing staff together across functional and geographical lines to achieve the mission’s objectives   
  • Manage, coach and develop direct reports in line with human resource policies  
  • Implementing Human Resources-policy and ensuring that MSF acts as a responsible employer in terms of working conditions and reduction of security and health risks
  • Ensure staff and management team are aware of mission strategies, ambitions and implementation plans 
  • Ensure the associative character of MSF is reflected in the briefing of all MSF staff
• Ensure the internal and external flow of information.   
  • keeping staff and HQ informed and updated of context and security related issues. 
  • producing all required planning and program performance reports in line with the HQ  reporting cycle. 
• Manage and oversee all security aspects of the intervention  
  • Define and ensure the implementation of the security framework in the country, in order to ensure safety of staff and visitors across the programs. 
  • Ensure the implementation of the Inter-operational directorate Security Agreement (ISA) in the mission, both in spirit and letter, promoting a culture of pro-active information sharing and collaboration
• Network and collaborate with medical and non-medical actors in Belgium, including civil society organizations 
• Ensure continuous monitoring of the context in country, and proposing, when deemed relevant, ad hoc interventions 
• Ensure regular links and exchanges with other missions located in Europe and/or related to migration thematic, in order to ensure exchange of expertise, knowledge and alignment of priorities within the region   
• Develop and ensure implementation of advocacy strategy at country level in close collaboration with Analysis department and MSF Belgium Advocacy Manager  
• Review regularly the MedOps strategy to ensure alignment of evolving needs 
• Ensure that onboarding, accompaniment, and support of activity staff in the project is adequate and properly implemented
• Ensure adequate allocation of resources as well as adapted empowerment of the activity team (Empower Team Shared Leadership – ETSL) 
• Ensure monitoring and evaluation of the activities 
• Foster a productive collaboration between MedOps (Medical Operations) and advocacy colleagues at country level and within the region  

REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

• University degree in public health or international relations is an asset
• Essential experience with of at least 1 year as Country Coordinator(HoM) with MSF
• Previous experience in migration context is a strong asset  

Competencies

• Essential computer literacy (word, excel and internet) 
• Strategic vision
• Leadership
• Networking
• Cross-cultural awareness
• Communication and advocacy

Languages

• Fluency in French and English (both written and spoken)
• Fluency in Dutch is an asset 

CONDITIONS

• Expected starting date: February 2025
• Location: Brussels (Belgium) 
• *Due to administrative constraints, given the duration of the contract, candidates must already have the permanent right and/or a valid work permit to work in the mentioned location
• Contract type: Fixed term contract – Full-time
• Contract duration: 12 months (extendable)
• Salary according to MSF-OCB HQ grid
• Meal Vouchers - Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs
• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments

Deadline for applications: 5th of January 2025

How to apply?

➢ Submit your application via the 'Apply here' button

➢ You will be directed to the online application form for this position

➢ It should take 5-10 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for having your CV and motivation letter ready to upload (preferably in PDF format)

Position only open to candidates with previous MSF experience! (“Médecins Sans Frontières“)

No MSF experience? Check out other job offers on our website.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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