Senior Humanitarian Affairs Advisor at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

As part of the ARHP team (Applied Reflection on Humanitarian Practice), the HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS ADVISOR, contributes to MSF OCBA’s analysis and positioning on humanitarian crises and operational dilemmas primarily linked to operations under the responsibility of the OCBA Emergency Unit. The main objective of this position consists of supporting OCBA teams responding to emergencies with analysis, engagement, positioning, and advocacy on identified issues of concern. 
The HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS ADVISOR also plays a significant role in monitoring contexts of interest and global trends that affect MSF's operational space in emergency response.

REPONSIBILITIES AND MAIN FUNCTIONS 

• Maintain an overview of humanitarian issues for contexts falling within the operational portfolio of the OCBA’s Emergency Unit, so to identify needs and specific challenges that should be overcome to improve the access of populations impacted by conflict / violence to essential services (e.g. attacks on health care, malnutrition causes, displacement consequences and conditions, gaps in humanitarian response, obstacles to vaccination).
• In line with the OCBA strategy and operational priorities, support selected missions within the EU’s portfolio (coordination and field teams) with sparring, analysis, and engaging to ensure timely positioning and advocacy on events/trends related to violence, humanitarian access, and health consequences. This would include the drafting of briefing papers, reports, talking points, advice and notes on framing specific challenges, etc.  
• Identify meaningful opportunities for MSF to share its medical humanitarian analysis. Generally, provide support for advocacy so to improve the situation of the affected population.
• Detect, analyze, and monitor the evolution of regional and global trends that may affect MSF's operational space in emergency response.
• Identify and monitor deteriorating contexts to understand the humanitarian situation and the specificities of the operational space in the event that an OCBA emergency response could be considered.
• Under the ARHP Head and agreed with DG, develop wider reflection processes (e.g. papers, workshops, exchanges) on specific thematic that are important for addressing humanitarian access challenges, situations of acute violence and IHL violations, and/or linked to humanitarian principles. This could include supporting field teams to understand fully the impact on access of criminalization of populations and anti-humanitarian narratives.
• Support with engagement strategies at country and regional level to develop further MSF networks.  Contribute to overall MSF efforts in making connections with influential networks to support maintaining and improving humanitarian access. Based on engagement strategies, assist to inform communication and other relevant strategies.
• Provide technical support to Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Advocacy Managers in the field and work closely with them to define priorities and ensure smooth implementation.
• Liaise with relevant Humanitarian Affairs colleagues in other sections and MSF global network, so to exchange and inform on key humanitarian issues and advocacy plans. 
• Maintain and build external contacts with NGOs, UN, think tanks, analysts, and other relevant organizations related to specific files. 

SELECTION CRITERIA 

• Academic background at Masters’ level (in a relevant subject such as social/political sciences, law, gender studies, protection).
• Strong writing skills and excellent research / analytical skills.
• Field humanitarian experience in contexts of conflict, displacement, resource-poor environments is essential.
• Good understanding of current humanitarian debates and dilemmas of modern humanitarian interventions.
• Proven experience supporting operational field teams to design and implement engagement/advocacy strategies to support humanitarian operations.
• Previous MSF experience is highly desirable.
• Bilingual French and English mandatory.
• Essential computer literacy (database design/analysis, MS package, and internet-based research).

Closing date: 13th of October