Humanitarian Health Education Adviser at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

The HE advisor will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the Head of Unit of the Medical Department. The position will provide technical support to the Operational Cells in HQ (Cell-based Operational Health Advisor “TESACO” and Cell Managers “Desks/RECOs”), the missions and projects (Medical Coordinators, HoMs, FCs, PMRs and HP Activity managers/supervisors), as well as to the rest of the advisors of the Medical Network and other departments as required (i.e. operations, communications, logistics, HR…).

While in the field, he/she works under the regular hierarchical and functional structures of the missions (Operations), while keeping in communication with the Medical Department.

MAIN RESPONSABILITIES, FUNCTIONS AND TASKS

Thematic guidance

• Enhance quality of care in the missions through the development and/or adaptation of health education guides, protocols, procedures, and tools ensuring its adjustment to the needs of patients, families and communities, and recognizing and respecting the specificities of the work of MSF (complex humanitarian settings).
• Promote the development of HE within MSF OCBA, identifying key priorities, and issues which need investment.
• Identify, interact and assess local and regional organizations with expertise in the domain of Health Education and propose partnerships with MSF OCBA regional hubs to facilitate provision of HE to our operations. Ensure a good documentation of resources identified to create a database.
• Collaborate with advisers in the medical department, operations, and logistics department to ensure the HE is considered in the strategies, materials and aids they develop.
• Collaborate with the communications department and/or other relevant departments to develop contextualized material for health education (i.e. videos, radio shows, etc.) and communication strategies for dissemination of health education messages. Support the adaptation of materials to field demands. Ensure when feasible and relevant participatory processes where communities are involved in the contextual and cultural adaptation of the key messages to enhance impact.
• Provide staff with access to health education resources and keep colleagues in OCBA regularly informed about the evolution of HE issues.

Provide support to program teams through field visits, and remote communication

• Support (and if necessary, conduct) assessments and surveys to determine health education needs.
• Give advice to cell and mission/field teams for the planning, development and implementation, of HE activities. The advice may be provided jointly with other technical advisers when relevant.
• Support on the monitoring/assessment, of HE activities: collaborating with relevant stakeholders to set goals and using available tools like HMIS for data analysis and decision making.
• Do Briefings and debriefings of mobile staff (mainly but not limited to HP AM, HoM, MedCo, FC, PMR) to share information and to learn which are the needs of field teams.

Active participation in medical network

• Participate in all activities organized by the Medical department, including weekly, monthly and process revision meetings, analysis discussions, and other relevant meetings.
• Explore new priorities to HE, including research, and support their implementation.
• Report regularly to the line manager on the development of her/his activities, orally and in writing if requested.
• Produce, with active collaboration of all advisors, an annual report based on the analysis of information from programs.

Learning and development

• Participate in, and facilitate when required, OCBA trainings, technical international meetings, and/or other knowledge sharing and capacity-building initiatives to contribute to the development of competencies and skills of the MSF HR workforce in this technical area.
• Ensure that knowledge and best practices related to the implementation of the area are compiled and shared.

Networking and representation

• Liaise with key relevant actors related to Health Education, social scientists and experts and use information from those interactions to feed internal discussion on Health Education and to promote improvement and innovation.
• Support the medical department in the identification of strategic partnerships with organizations and stakeholders that promote health education.
• Represent MSF OCBA position in terms of HE outside of OCBA (other MSF sections and intersectional Working Groups / Contact Groups, universities, colloquia, etc.).

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Bachelor of Science in Public Health or similar.
• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) preferred.
• Up-to-date knowledge/experience in Health Education applied to humanitarian responses. Proven experience in planning, implementing and monitoring and evaluating health education programs.
• Ability to develop education materials and aids, and to promote and present health education initiatives.
• A minimum of 2 years of programme experience working for MSF or a relevant medical organization working in low-income countries, in health-related emergencies and/or humanitarian settings in the field of Health Education.
• Experience in research, namely in planning, development, production of reports and/or other technical/scientific documents, and in monitoring/evaluation of research processes and products.
• Fluent in English and French, both oral and written. Knowledge of other languages, like Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Swahili, Hausa and other extended national/regional languages in MSF operational settings are an asset.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Computer skills: Office package (namely, Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Knowledge in qualitative data analysis software is an asset (e.g., NVIVO, MAXQDA, ATLAS).
• Willing to travel abroad, including to conflict settings.