Head of Accountability & Transparency Unit (ATU) at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Rationale/Objective for Position

The Head of the Accountability & Transparency Unit provides strategic leadership, independent oversight, and operational management of the ATU. The role is responsible for institutionalization and embedding a culture of accountability and transparency across MSF Eastern Africa systems, governance structures, systems, decisions and operations promoting organizational integrity, responsible use of resources and continuous learning.

The job holder, in addition to managerial duties, will provide strategic oversight and quality assurance for ATU investigations and personally leads high-risk, complex or sensitive investigations into alleged fraud, corruption, financial misconduct, serious breaches of organizational protocols and other integrity-related misconduct falling within the ATU mandate. The incumbent actively conducts impartial, timely, and thorough investigations into the most serious allegations of misconduct in accordance with the approved ATU Investigation Protocol, procedural fairness, confidentiality, data-protection requirements and established referral pathways. Safeguarding matters remain under the mandate of the Safeguarding function ensuring due process, fairness, and the protection of MSF’s integrity and credibility.

The Head leads the development and implementation of the MSF EA Accountability and Transparency Framework and its related policies and systems, including proactive monitoring, compliance oversight. The role will ensure that accountability and transparency are effectively embedded across MSF EA by leading key functions such as policy development, proactive monitoring, compliance oversight, feedback and response mechanisms (FRM), investigations, reporting, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. and organizational learning.

The holder will lead high-risk and sensitive investigations and focuses on strengthening system-wide integrity, proactively mitigating risks and continuous organizational learning and improvements. The role strengthens system-wide integrity by identifying and mitigating accountability risks, ensuring that findings lead to corrective action and supporting management and governance bodies to make informed, transparent and accountable decisions. The position collaborates with MSF Eastern Africa departments, MSF Ubuntu teams, other MSF entities and relevant MSF International accountability structures, in accordance with the ATU mandate and applicable agreements.

This position will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the MSF EA General Director.

This position will collaborate with MSF Ubuntu teams.

Tasks & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Policy Development

• Lead the development, periodic review and implementation of MSF EA Accountability and Transparency Framework and associated policies, ensuring alignment with MSF International standards and best practices.
• Ensure coherence and complementarity with related organizational frameworks and functions, including Safeguarding, EDI, Data Protection, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Procurement, Medical and operational functions, while respecting their distinct mandates.
• Translate the ATU Framework into strategic priorities, annual objectives, workplans, indicators and measurable deliverables.
• Lead the annual planning and budgeting process for the ATU, presenting the proposed plan and budget the Accountability Steering Committee (ASC) for endorsement and through the appropriate MSF EA approval process.
• Manage the ring-fenced unit budget and ensure transparent, efficient and accountable resource allocation.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the ASC, providing regular briefings on performance, emerging risks, and strategic priorities.
• Lead periodic gap analyses, stakeholder consultations and organizational learning processes to strengthen and continuously improve MSF EA accountability systems.
• Establish ATU standards, procedures, tools, quality-assurance mechanisms and performance indicators.
• Provide strategic and technical advice to the General Director, Management Team and relevant governance bodies on accountability, transparency and organizational integrity.
• Ensure that the ATU’s annual priorities are risk-based and aligned with MSF EA’s strategic plan and institutional risk profile.

Unit Leadership and Operational Management

• Provide overall leadership, direction and operational management of the ATU, ensuring delivery against its approved mandate, annual plan, budget and performance indicators.
• Recruit, supervise, support and develop ATU staff, establishing clear roles, delegated authority and performance expectations.
• Assign investigations, accountability reviews and compliance assessments based on risk, complexity, competence, capacity and potential conflicts of interest.
• Establish effective case-management, workload-monitoring, recordkeeping and quality-assurance systems.
• Promote timely integration of lessons learned into policies, procedures, internal controls, training and management practices.
• Monitor and report on implementation of approved corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure that ATU staff receive appropriate technical supervision, psychosocial support and measures to manage occupational risks associated with sensitive investigations.
• Secure appropriate specialist or external expertise where a case requires additional independence, capacity or technical competence.
• Regularly assess the Unit’s capacity, resources and operational risks and propose corrective measures where necessary.

Active Investigations and Quality Assurance (Dual Role)

• Provide strategic oversight of all ATU investigations, ensuring cases are triaged, assigned, prioritized and conducted consistently and in accordance with the ATU Investigation Protocol.
• Personally lead and conduct high-risk, complex, or sensitive investigations into allegations of serious misconduct which are not safeguarding related, fraud, conflict of interest, breaches of protocol, misuse of MSF organizational resources or violations of MSF principles, and other integrity-related misconduct within the ATU mandate.
• Ensure adherence to the ATU Investigation Protocol, ensuring all cases are handled with due process, confidentiality, and fairness.
• Establish and apply clear prioritization criteria, escalation processes, and quality assurance mechanisms to guide how cases are managed across the units.
• Develop investigation plans (Terms of Reference), oversee evidence collection (including forensic and digital), conduct witness interviews, and produce comprehensive, evidence-based investigation reports with clear findings and recommendations.
• Review and approve investigation plans and reports prepared by ATU investigators, ensuring that findings are supported by the available evidence and remain within the approved Terms of Reference.
• Collaborate with HR, Safeguarding, and Legal advisors as per established referral pathways to ensure multidisciplinary oversight.
• Ensure that safeguarding allegations are promptly referred to the Safeguarding function and overlapping cases clearly defined case ownership, information-sharing arrangements and investigation responsibilities.
• Maintain secure investigation records, evidence logs and chain-of-custody documentation in accordance with data-protection, confidentiality and records-retention requirements.
• Ensure that actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest are identified, disclosed and appropriately managed, including recusal or appointment of an independent external investigator where required.
• Submit final investigation findings and recommendations to the authorized decision-maker without assuming responsibility for disciplinary, administrative or judicial decisions.
• Monitor approved investigation recommendations and analyse recurring patterns to strengthen prevention, internal controls and organizational learning.

Compliance Oversight & Monitoring

• Ensure compliance oversight is guided by a risk-based approach prioritizing high-risk areas and systemic vulnerabilities.
• Oversee the maintenance of the ATU Compliance Register, tracking adherence to applicable policies, donor agreements, and national laws and other requirements within the ATU mandate.
• Issue formal Compliance Gap Reports with tracked corrective action plans to the Management Team and Board.
• Issue periodic Compliance Gap Reports to the appropriate management and governance bodies, clearly presenting findings, risk levels, recommended actions, responsible owners, implementation timelines and unresolved risk.
• Lead proactive monitoring activities, including thematic or comprehensive accountability audits of missions and audits or reviews of MSF EA departments and other areas falling within the formally approved ATU mandate.
• Approve risk-based monitoring plans and Terms of Reference and ensure that reviews are conducted consistently and impartially.
• Use findings from compliance reviews, investigations and accountability audits to strengthen organizational learning to improve policies internal controls, risk management and prevent future issues cross departmental alignments between ATU with Safeguarding, EDI, Data Protection and HR.
• Coordinate with Safeguarding, EDI, Data Protection, HR, Finance, Legal, Procurement and other relevant functions to promote complementary oversight and avoid duplication.
• Monitor management responses and implementation of corrective actions and escalate overdue or inadequately addressed high-risk findings.
• Contribute significant accountability, compliance and integrity risks to the MSF EA institutional risk-management process.
• Preserve ATU’s independent assurance role by identifying and managing potential self-review risks arising from advisory support provided to departments.

Feedback and Response Mechanisms

• Provide strategic leadership and standards for the design, implementation and periodic review of context-appropriate Feedback and Response Mechanisms.
• Clarify institutional ownership, accountability and referral pathways for FRMs across MSF EA departments, Ubuntu and other relevant structures.
• Ensure sensitive complaints are securely recorded and promptly referred to the function holding the appropriate mandate.
• Use aggregated and appropriate FRM data generation channels to identify systemic concerns, inform management decisions and strengthen organizational learning.
• Promote a professional unit culture grounded in independence, impartiality, confidentiality, inclusion, respectful conduct and continuous learning.

Reporting & Transparency

• Oversee the production of the Annual Accountability Report (public-facing) and Quarterly Internal Dashboards for the Management Team and Board.
• Ensure the development and management of the Transparency Portal, providing accessible information on projects, budgets, and evaluation reports.
• Ensure all reporting products developed are decision-oriented and provide actionable insights to the Management Team and Board.
• Ensure that the Annual Accountability Report presents an accurate, balanced and anonymized account of accountability performance, findings, actions taken and organizational learning.
• Ensure that investigation and complaint information is reported in anonymized form and does not compromise confidentiality, independence, procedural fairness or personal safety.

Stakeholder Engagement & Independence

• Establish confidential escalation and alternative reporting arrangements for allegations involving senior leadership, the General Director, the Head of ATU or Board.
• Act as the guardian of the unit’s independence, ensuring the Whistleblower Protection Policy is strictly enforced and that the unit’s work remains free from undue influence.
• Facilitate briefings to the Board and Association on accountability performance through appropriate governance channels.
• Represent MSF EA in inter-sectional accountability networks and coordinate with MSF International bodies.
• Facilitate community accountability dialogues and engagement with the affected where applicable.
• Provide strategic advisory support to departments and missions to strengthen accountability systems.
• Engage with MSF Ubuntu teams and other MSF entities in accordance with agreed mandates and reporting lines.
• Develop referral and collaboration protocols with Safeguarding, EDI, Data Protection, HR, Legal, Finance, Procurement, Security and Medical functions.
• Promote awareness of safe reporting channels, whistleblower protections and non-retaliation requirements.

Capacity Strengthening and Organizational Culture

• Lead the development and delivery of an ATU capacity-strengthening strategy covering accountability, transparency, integrity, FRM management, investigation standards and whistleblower protection.
• Ensure training content is aligned with related Safeguarding, HR, Legal, EDI and Data Protection policies and referral procedures.
• Strengthen management and staff capacity to recognize, report and appropriately refer accountability, integrity and misconduct concerns.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of training and awareness activities and adjust approaches based on identified gaps and risks.

Qualifications

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Law, Criminology, Forensic Accounting, or a related field.
• Professional certification such as Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), or equivalent is highly recommended.

Experience

• Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive experience in compliance, oversight, or investigative functions, with at least 5 years in a senior management or leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience in humanitarian or non-profit environments, preferably in complex, multi-cultural settings.

Competencies

• Investigative Acumen: Expert knowledge of investigation protocols, evidence handling, interviewing techniques, and report writing.
• Leadership: Proven ability to lead a small, high-performing team with integrity, impartiality, and resilience.
• Systems Leadership: Ability to guide, shape and improve how systems and governance structures work ensuring teams are aligned and collaborating or working together.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to translate complex accountability concepts into actionable operational plans.
• Ethical Judgment: Unquestionable personal integrity, discretion, and the courage to make difficult, evidence-based decisions under pressure.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex findings to senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Stakeholder Influence: Ability to engage and influence senior leadership, Board members, and external stakeholders, building trust and driving shared outcomes.