Head of Staff Health & Wellbeing Unit (SHU) at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Rationale/Objective for Position

The Head of Staff Health and Well Being Unit (SHU) is responsible for leading and coordinating MSF’s staff health policies, systems, and services to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of MSF staff. The role ensures that MSF EA and MSF Ubuntu staff have access to timely, confidential, high-quality staff health support before, during and after assignments, aligned with medical standards, and duty of care obligations. This includes International Mobile Staff and country-based staff.

This position will be hierarchically accountable to the Director of HR and Administration and functionally accountable to the Medical Director for MSF Ubuntu matters and the Senior Health Advisor on EA matters.

Tasks & Responsibilities

Strategic and Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead strategic vision and long-term planning for Staff Health Unit operations for MSF East Africa and MSF Ubuntu, aligned with MSF global health and wellbeing mandates.
• Drive organizational transformation in staff health and safety through policy innovation, strategic development, and risk mitigation.
• Develop and implement staff health frameworks, policies, medevac SOPs, referral pathways, and reporting tools for MSF East Africa and MSF Ubuntu country programs.
• Coordinate and standardize staff health activities across MSF Ubuntu country programs, ensuring quality, consistency, and ethical management of medical information.
• Act as the focal point for staff health, liaising with management, finance and administration leadership, and the MSF international staff health network.

Technical and Operational Responsibilities

Executive Oversight of Service Delivery

• Design and evaluate integrated staff health service models to ensure timely, equitable, and high-quality care across MSF operations.
• Lead crisis response protocols, including incident management, medical evacuations, and complex referral pathways.
• Provide executive oversight and mentorship to SHU teams, implement quality assurance systems and use data and stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement.

Specific responsibilities for MSF EA and MSF Ubuntu

• Ensure comprehensive physical, medical, and psychosocial staff health support for MSF EA and MSF Ubuntu mobile and country-based staff before, during, and after assignments.
• Oversee access to medical, psychological, and psychosocial support services, coordinating closely with medical departments and the international staff health network to uphold minimum staff safety standards.
• Lead the coordination of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) systems, including prevention, early identification, referral, and continuity of care.
• Provide technical and clinical oversight for complex staff health cases, including medical evacuations, chronic conditions, discharge planning, and safe return-to-mission decisions in collaboration with country programs and HQ.
• Liaised with referral hospitals and treating clinicians in regional hubs and contributed to clinical risk assessment, case review, and quality improvement, including cases with medical–psychiatric overlap.
• Coordinate staff health responses to critical incidents, including medical evacuations, serious illness, injury, and death, in close collaboration with HR, Security, and medical teams in high-risk contexts.
• Led post-incident follow-up, ensuring appropriate psychological support, recovery, and safe staff reintegration.

Strategic Partnerships & Interagency Coordination

• Build and manage strategic partnerships with MSF Operational Centers, external health institutions, and service providers to strengthen staff health service delivery and innovation.
• Representing MSF EA and MSF Ubuntu SHU in high-level internal and external forums, influencing policy, strategic direction, and advocacy for staff health priorities.
• Oversee financial and insurance coordination for staff health, including cost-sharing models, resource optimization, and focal point engagement with International SOS, MSH International, and other insurers.

Organizational Development & Capacity Building

• Champion a holistic staff wellbeing agenda through strategic initiatives, organizational learning, and psychosocial resilience programs across diverse operational contexts.
• Establish clinical supervision frameworks and lead talent management for SHU staff, including recruitment, professional development, leadership development, and succession planning.
• Provide case-based mentoring and technical guidance to Staff Health Officers, strengthening internal capacity to manage complex and culturally responsive staff health care.

Other Responsibilities

• Be part of the occupational health and safety committee for the MSF EA office and ensure compliance with the Occupational safety and health (OSH) ACT, through license acquisition and following up implementation of the OSH recommendations.
• Continuously and consistently integrate Duty of Care, EDI & Safeguarding strategies in practices and processes of induction, development, retention and exit, while building audit capacity to ensure progress and accountability of the same.
• Recognize, respond, and document any form of abuse or inappropriate behavior and alert the safeguarding unit of any suspected potential abuse.
• Compliance Assurance - Ensure that all data processing activities within the Staff Health unit comply with relevant data protection laws and regulations, including the Data Protection Act, 2019 and support your team to receive necessary training in this area.
• Policy Adherence - Enforce data protection policies, procedures, and guidelines within the Staff Health unit, ensuring that all team members are aware of and adhere to these protocols.
• Proactively participate in the individual performance management process including objective setting, performance monitoring and performance evaluation.
• Recognize and reinforce strong performance in the Staff Health team; identify and encourage improvement where needed; and ensure quality and timely performance management process is carried out for the Staff Health team.

Qualifications

Education

• A degree in Medicine or equivalent (MD or equivalent).
• Having a Tropical Medicine course or equivalent is an advantage.

Experience

• MSF experience as a medical coordinator or health advisor is preferred.
• Minimum 6 to 8 years of experience in health service management, preferably in humanitarian settings.
• Proven leadership and team management experience.
• Experience working with multicultural teams and diverse populations.

Competencies

Technical Competencies

• Proficiency in English (Mandatory), other languages – French, Arabic, Swahili or other regional languages (Advantage).
• Familiarity with MSF operational structures and duty of care frameworks.
• Strong understanding of psychosocial care, medical ethics, and humanitarian principles.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and partnership-building skills.
• Ability to travel within the region and respond to field needs on short notice.

Behavioral/General Competencies

• Commitment to MSF’s Principles; Cross-cultural Awareness; Strategic Vision; Results and Quality Orientation; Service Orientation; Planning and Organizing; Initiative and Innovation; Teamwork and Cooperation; People Management and Development; Networking and Building Relationships; Security awareness and Management.