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Software Engineer, Science Portal (Contract)

About MSF USA | Doctors Without Borders

 

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international organization that provides medical care to the people who need it most. The organization cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters, and social exclusion in more than 70 countries. MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance solely based on need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Our international project teams include medical, logistical, and administrative staff, most of them hired locally and working with their own communities. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. We also bear witness and speak out about the experiences of our colleagues and patients. 
 
MSF USA is one of 24 sections supporting the global movement, primarily through staff recruitment, fundraising, advocacy, and communications. We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s social mission.  

Role Overview 

At MSF-USA, we are building a novel, modern engineering department dedicated to advancing humanitarian technology practices forward through innovation and building great products. We also support the research and analysis MSF conducts at its medical projects worldwide—aimed at improving the quality of patient care we deliver—through development and maintenance of the MSF Science Portal, an open, free multimedia repository for the public outputs of this work.  

The Software Engineer, Science Portal (Contract) will be responsible for the continued technical development of the Science Portal by integrating sustainable and maintainable engineering practices. The focus will be on elevating the user experience, online visibility and administrative features of the website, improving its long-term stability through research, development, and the implementation of a production-grade system architecture. The position requires balancing the initiation of new projects with the ongoing maintenance of existing infrastructure. Success will hinge on flexibility, strong collaborative skills, a strong sense of ownership, and an iterative approach to deliverables, ensuring the website remains robust and efficient.  

Department Accountabilities  

Infrastructure and Network Development and Maintenance 

Develop and maintain the infrastructure and network including network planning, operational tasks, data management, incident logging, reporting, systems monitoring, systems testing and disaster recovery. 

Support Users and Business Units 

Provide support, advice, training and assistance to users to resolve queries and ensure the applications/ website capabilities are well understood by MSF-USA. 

Product Development & Innovation 

Develop existing and new applications by analyzing and identifying areas for modification to improve the "As Is" and meet MSF needs. 

Information Security 

Develop specifications for, advise on and implement information and security solutions and tools to protect and monitor security incidents and prevent unauthorized access or damage. 

Support MSF Movement 

Support technology operations on behalf of the movement in the US home society. Share expertise with the rest of the movement by participating in Communities of Practice, and other collaborating initiatives. 

PMO 

Define and maintain the standards of project management for MSF and introduce economies of repetition in the execution of projects. Source of documentation, guidance, and metrics on the practice of project management and execution. 

Application Management 

Implement applications, including data migration, to support MSF Strategy. Provide governance designed to ensure applications run at peak performance and as efficiently as possible, from the end-user experience to integrations. Implement and support new features as needed. Ensure access administration and support end-users. 

Roles Specific Outcomes 

Software Development 

Implement a wide-ranging set of recommendations to improve the front- and back-end usability and the online visibility of the MSF Science Portal, including Integration of new UX designs, improvements to search, and enhancements to the content management system. Implement site improvements through a lens of search engine optimization. 

Information Security 

Implement robust testing frameworks, including unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests, to ensure code reliability. Optimize website performance to handle increased traffic and reduce downtime. Define and champion secure coding practices throughout the organization and be accountable for secure application development. Develop and document best practices for coding, deployment, and maintenance of the Science Portal to ensure long-term stability 

Technical Developments Recommendations 

Analyze the current system architecture to identify areas for improvement in sustainability and maintainability. Refactor existing codebase to enhance performance, reduce technical debt, and improve readability. Provide on-call support for emergent issues, particularly during critical usage times. Demonstrate strong communication on end-to-end program development to technical and non-technical stakeholders.  

Meets Science Portal and Product Development & Innovation objectives. 
Solicits feedback and data conveys a clear understanding of the level of service the Product Development and Innovation team provides; acts when standards are not met by the team; aligns processes with organizational needs. 

These core accountabilities should not be construed to contain every function/responsibility that may be required to be performed by an incumbent in this job.  Incumbents are required to perform other functions as assigned 

Complexity and Problem-Solving Skills

  • Works at an advanced level to build the structure and culture of the project team and define roles and responsibilities within that structure to achieve the project mission and objectives and effectively operate key business processes. 
  • Identifies and evaluates risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints associated with the project, escalating where appropriate. Where necessary, develop, agree on, and implement solutions to overcome these. 
  • Prioritizes work at an advanced level to prioritize components of a project, program, or portfolio work in context with risks, activities, stakeholders, etc., across the life of the project or program. Typically works independently and provide guidance., when requested  

 

Behavioral Competencies  
THOUGHT: How MSF USA staff understand the organization, manage complexity, and contribute by creating new and different 

People Focus 

Build strong relationships and deliver solutions geared to aiding others. Solicits feedback and data; conveys a clear understanding of the level of service the team provides; acts when standards are not met by the team; aligns processes with organizational needs. 

Manages Complexity 

Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Consistently looks at complex issues from many angles; obtains a rich and deep understanding; swiftly cuts to the core issue; skillfully separates root causes from symptoms. 

Global Perspective 

Takes a broad view when approaching issues, using a global lens. Shows global thinking at work; adjusts organizational practices to meet the unique needs of different regions or countries. Uses a broad perspective when addressing issues and challenges. 

Cultivates Innovation 

Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful. Approaches professional work in unique or innovative ways. Offers original ideas. Appreciates others' creative ideas and solutions and provides helpful input to enhance them. 

Strategic Mindset  

Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.  

RESULTS: MSF USA staff achieve results by cultivating a forward-thinking environment that produces solutions for changing stakeholder needs.  

Drives Results 

Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances. Regularly pushes self to achieve outstanding outcomes; consistently establishes bold goals for own performance; is passionate about excellent results and significant contributions. Shows great tenacity to complete goals/initiatives in a timely way. 

Ensures Accountability 

Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. 

PEOPLE: MSF USA staff understand their impact on others through collaboration and inclusion of different perspectives to achieve common goals.  

Collaborates 

Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Readily involves others to accomplish goals; stays in touch and shares information; discourages "us versus them" thinking; shows appreciation for others' ideas and input. 

Communicates Effectively 

Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Listens attentively and takes an interest. Keeps others well informed; conveys information clearly, concisely, and professionally when speaking or writing. 

Values Differences  

Recognizes the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization. Confronts stereotyping and offensive comments promptly. Consistently behaves with great sensitivity toward differences in cultural norms, expectations, and communication methods.  

Builds Effective Teams  

Build strong identity teams applying diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.  

Manages Conflict  

Handles conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise.  

Builds Networks  

Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.  

Drives Vision and Purpose  

Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action.  

SELF: MSF USA staff demonstrate self-awareness by having an open mindset and continuously seeking opportunities to learn, grow, and improve.  

Instills Trust 

Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity. Models honesty and authenticity and encourages others to be up front with one another. Demonstrates reliability and places a strong emphasis on the team meeting its commitments. Fairly represents others' positions. 

Manages Ambiguity 

Operates effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward is not clear. Responds effectively to unclear situations, seeks to resolve ambiguity and make progress. Seeks guidance on how to adapt to changes, responds with appropriate composure and effectiveness. 

Situational Adaptability 

Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Serves as an example of adaptability and provides guidance and support to help others adapt to new situations. Considering the needs of clients, constituents, and the organization, shifts priorities appropriately. 

Being Resilient  

Rebounds from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations. 

Technical Competencies

Plans and Aligns 

Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with MSF-USA goals. 

Financial Acumen 

Interprets and applies understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions. 

Tech Savvy 

Anticipating and adopting innovations in organizational digital and technology applications. 

Data Collection and Analysis 

The ability and skill to determine and analyze trends from data that is collected to assist in compiling reports that will help in decision-making.  

Project Management Skills 

The ability and skill to plan and manage small project work assignments within desired cost, time and quality parameters. 

Presentation and Written Communication Skills 

Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Serves as an example of adaptability and provides guidance and support to help others adapt to new situations. Considers the needs of clients, constituents, and the organization; shifts priorities appropriately.

Organizational Insight  

Applying knowledge of MSF-USA and the industry to advance the organization’s goals.  

Supervisory Responsibility 

None

Desired Qualifications & Experience 

At a minimum the Job Holder should possess: 

  • 3+ years of software engineering experience. Preference given to candidates with previous work experience in humanitarian organizations or with demonstrated knowledge of the sector. 
  • Experience developing and optimizing the front and back end of public-facing websites and maintaining data collections managed in relational databases. 
  • Experience with search engine optimization best practices.  
  • Knowledge of one or more major cloud computing platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure). 
  • Familiarity with a major testing framework (bonus if it’s for a language or framework in our stack) and an understanding of the principles of test-driven development. 
  • Demonstrated experience with privacy and security as it pertains to data and coding practices. You should know how to develop secure software and data applications and be eager to mentor others to do the same. 
  • Experience with diverse coding paradigms and tooling, especially open-source frameworks. 
  • Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.  

Additional Considerations:  

  • The role is focused on emerging technologies and novel solutions, any familiarity with our current stack is a bonus. Lack of familiarity with any specific language or technology is not necessarily an issue, it is more important to be willing to jump in and learn. MSF is largely within the Azure/Microsoft environment, though we have expanded out. The following tools should provide a sense of our approach: ReactJS, AngularJS with TypeScript, JavaScript (inc. frameworks), and .NET (C#)  

Travel Requirements 

Must be willing to travel for work as needed. 

Compensation 

$88,822 to $133,233; based on experience 

 

MSF-USA is dedicated to creating a diverse, impartial, and inclusive workforce. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences as per applicable laws. We also provide reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. We encourage individuals from underrepresented communities in the Humanitarian Aid sector to apply.

 

If you have a disability and require accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources at employment.msfusa@newyork.msf.org. We consider reasonable accommodation requests on a case-by-case basis.

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