General coordinator (head of mission) (F/M)

For more than 40 years, Médecins du Monde, a campaigning medical organisation committed to international solidarity, has been caring for the most vulnerable populations here and abroad. It has continued to bear witness to obstacles that exist in accessing healthcare and has secured sustainable improvements in health-for-all policies.

Those working for this independent organisation do not solely dispense care and treatment but condemn violations of human dignity and rights and fight to improve matters for populations living in precarious situations.

MdM France currently works in 30 countries across all continents to facilitate access to healthcare through 6 political battles:

• Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights
• Migration, Exile, Human Rights and Health
• Harm Reduction
• Environment and Health
• Humanitarian Space

For several years running, the arid and semi-arid lands of northern Kenya have suffered the consequences of a long drought. This had a direct impact on the living conditions of the pastoral populations, with a lack of access to water for both people and livestock, leading to a drop in milk production, the emaciation and even death of livestock, and an increase in malnutrition rates.

During 2023, some rains and a humanitarian response helped to improve the nutritional situation, moving the IPC from a state of emergency to a state of crisis.

However, the climate remains threatening (e.g. the El Nino phenomenon), the situation of the population is very precarious and the health system is failing.

It is against this backdrop that Médecins du Monde has launched a programme to strengthen the health system in Marsabit county, in northern Kenya. The aim of the programme is to improve access to primary healthcare and sexual and reproductive health rights, and to support the authorities in preparing for and responding to health emergencies (epidemics, malnutrition)

Job description

In the context of mission opening, the general coordinator will be specifically in charge of the following :

• Ensure the opening of the mission and the start-up of the activities by implementing MdM procedures and policies (procurement, cash, HR, etc.)
• Recruit, manage, train and motivate the mission’s team
• Define the operational and advocacy strategy together with the coordination team, the desk manager and the volunteer board delegates of the mission
• Plan and monitor activities, implement corrective action when necessary, providing technical support to the team
• Represent MdM with authorities, local actors, partners, donors and the media
• Monitor partnership agreements with partners, authorities and donors, seek out and develop new partnerships, and ensure or supervise fundraising
• Ensure the financial coverage of the mission by leading fundraising and budget management
• Draft, adapt and monitor safety regulations and procedures and coordinate crisis management in the region
• Implement and monitor the application of MdM’s programmatic and support services framework, policies and procedures
• Supervise reporting to MdM and donors

Profile

• Higher education in project management or general field of study (five years post-secondary education)
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the humanitarian sector
• Previous experience in a similar position
• Substantial experience in safety and security management, including in volatile context
• Experience in risk analysis and access strategies development
• Proven managerial experience of an expatriate and national team within insecure environments
• Experience in representation with humanitarian actors, authorities and donors
• Experience in hard negotiations with local authorities and staff
• Experience in mission opening
• Ability to analyse the issues and challenges in the region
• Ability to work in partnership
• Discuss, present arguments, negotiate and convince authorities and partners
• Analyse the context and the consequences of an intervention, assess the risks and constraints, and identify priorities
• Analyse the external risks and threats to the security of teams, report on this
• Excellent communication and listening skills
• Ability to lead a team in a complex environment and take relevant decisions according to the context
• Flexibility, proactivity, anticipation and adaptability
• Excellent organizational skills
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
• Mapping skills with Google Earth or ArcGIS
• Languages : English is mandatory (oral and written), knowledge of Swahili is an asset
• You embrace the core values and support the proactive philosophy of Médecins du Monde.

Conditions of employment

• Status: Employee
• Contract: Fixed-term contract
• Duration: 4 months
• Starting date: September 2024
• Gross monthly salary: 3,964 euros
• Premium equal to one month salary paid in two instalments – minimum of 6 months seniority required
• Expatriation bonus (10% gross salary per month)
• Transportation cost, vaccines and visas covered
• Guesthouse housing
• 22.5 recovery days per year
• 5 weeks of paid leaves per year
• Health insurance (60% covered by MdM)
• Insurance (repatriation…)

As part of our measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism, any selected candidate may be subject to a background check on international sanctions lists (UN, the EU, France, the United States…). This information is handled confidentially and stored on a secure server. For more information on the processing of personal data throughout this process: http://bit.ly/3CSTDYO

TELEPHONE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

Médecins du Monde reserves the right to fill the vacancy before the closing date for applications.

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