Safeguarding and Ethical Leadership Coordinator for MSF Boards and Associations

Location: Any MSF office*

Contract: 100% - Permanent

Starting date: 04th of January 2027

Deadline to apply: 30th of October 2026

Compensation and Benefits: MSF practice is to offer the compensation and benefits package in line with the MSF entity offering the contract.

*By default, the successful candidate will be offered a contract in the MSF office, able to issue a contract, of their country of residence at the time of application. If no MSF office exists in their country of residence, the successful candidate will be expected to relocate to a country where an MSF office can issue a contract, provided the local legislation allows for that.

MSF INTERNATIONAL

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural disasters. MSF offers assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. MSF International is the legal entity that binds MSF’s 24 sections, 28 associations and 19 branch offices together. Registered in Switzerland, MSF International provides coordination, information and support to the MSF Movement, as well as implements international projects and initiatives as requested.

SAFEGUARDING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ROLE

The incumbent commits to contribute to a safe, supportive, inclusive, equitable, diverse, respectful, and healthy workplace, and associative spaces free from abuse and other misconduct. They will not engage in any form of abuse including those detailed in MSF Typologies of Abuse and when an employee suspects or observes abuse, they will report it (without investigating it) to protect others.

I. CONTEXT

MSF is committed to creating a safe, respectful, and dignified environment for its patients, their caretakers, and the communities in which it works, and for all its volunteers and staff, board and associative members. To this end, all sections of MSF have adopted Behavioural Commitments designed to ensure all staff are aware of their obligations to create workspaces free from abuse and inappropriate behaviour. MSF is committed to safeguarding and ensuring zero tolerance of inaction on abuse.

MSF is continuously strengthening its safeguarding work, and safeguarding remains a top organizational priority. In line with this organization commitment, MSF has created a Board Strengthening Programme, as well as Ethical Leadership Minimum Standards (ELMS) applicable to all board members. As safeguarding expands, MSF’s associative structure is working to adopt the highest standards of safeguarding for and amongst its members.

II. PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Safeguarding and Ethical Leadership Coordinator for Boards and Associations supports the implementation, operationalisation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of MSF’s safeguarding work with boards and associations across the MSF movement. This reflects the International Board’s commitment to minimum standards for safeguarding in associative networks.

The role:

• leads coordination and implementation efforts that translate safeguarding principles, commitments, policies, and standards into practical, measurable, consistent, coherent, and sustainable safeguarding practices across MSF’s boards and associative structures.
• advances safeguarding culture change by supporting MSF boards in understanding their role in safeguarding leadership and oversight; and by supporting the development of robust safeguarding understanding and putting in place safeguarding measures within associative structures and associations.
• contributes to strengthening prevention, detection, reporting, response to safeguarding cases.
• promotes accountability and institutional learning on safeguarding across the MSF movement.

III. ACCOUNTABILITIES

A. Coordination, design, and implementation:

• Lead the coordination, implementation, and training on the ELMS, as well as on safeguarding, and other ethics principles within MSF boards.
• Translate safeguarding and ELMS concepts into actionable documents, processes, and initiatives for MSF boards associations/networks in line with existing MSF initiatives on safeguarding.
• Develop implementation guidance, tools, frameworks, templates, and operational resources.

Key Accountabilities:

• Safeguarding ambitions are translated into practical implementation plans and deliverables.
• Implementation progress is systematically tracked, monitored, and reported.
• Approaches, tools, trainings, and guidance are developed and used by relevant stakeholders.

B. Drive safeguarding culture change:

• Drive integration of safeguarding as a core orga