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Water & Sanitation Specialists

Non-Medical

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.

Water & Sanitation Specialists

From sourcing and delivering clean drinking water to thousands of people displaced by conflict to siting and building latrines after an earthquake, MSF WATSANs are essential to MSF projects.

Responsibilities

As a water and sanitation specialist with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), your objective will be to prevent and control diseases transmitted by contaminated water or by poor sanitation or hygiene, both within and beyond the health facilities we run or support. This may include being responsible for an entire refugee camp's water and sanitation provisions.

Your job will involve maintaining a reliable water supply, constructing or upgrading sanitary facilities, supporting the promotion of hygiene, and organizing appropriate medical waste disposal. You will work closely with medical and non-medical staff on the project team and will also train and supervise other team members.

Requirements

  • Available for a minimum of 9 to 12 month international assignments
  • Previous experience in a low resource setting (priority given to those with experience working in a humanitarian context)
  • Qualification in either hydrology, chemistry, civil engineering, geology or land, and water management
  • Minimum of two years experience in building wells and boreholes, water quality monitoring, pollution, waste management, and vector control
  • Professional experience supervising, managing, or training staff

Assets

  • French or Arabic language (B2 or above)
  • Experience in water filtration techniques
  • Experience with health care waste management

As you consider applying to undertake an MSF assignment, it is essential that you have a well-informed and realistic personal reflection. Assignments often mean long hours with a heavy workload, basic living conditions, and working and living in often chaotic and volatile environments.

Security and Safety

Because Doctors Without Borders’ purpose is to bring medical assistance to people in distress, the work may occur in settings of active conflict, or in post-conflict environments, in which there are inherent risks, potential danger and ongoing threats to safety and security. MSF acknowledges that it is impossible to exclude all risks, but it does its utmost as an organization to mitigate and manage these risks through strict and comprehensive security protocols.

International staff will be fully informed of the risk associated with a potential assignment before accepting a particular posting. Working for MSF is a deeply personal choice; individuals must determine for themselves the level of risk and the circumstances in which they feel comfortable, based on a full and transparent understanding of the possibilities they may face. Once in the assignment, all MSF staff must strictly observe security rules and regulations; failure to do so may result in dismissal.

Terms of Employment

MSF staff are employees with a salary and benefits.

MSF encourages the completion of multiple assignments. The organization has many possibilities for professional growth in the medical, non-medical, and coordination streams. 

As you consider applying to undertake an MSF assignment, is it essential that you have a well-informed and realistic personal reflection. Assignments often mean long hours with a heavy workload, basic living conditions, and working and living in often chaotic and volatile environments.

Despite such challenges, thousands of people have worked with MSF over the years and found their experiences in the field to be deeply rewarding, even life-changing. More than anything else, being an MSF international worker means acting in solidarity with people facing unimaginable medical challenges. Your presence alongside people in times of need sends a profoundly meaningful and human message: “You are not forgotten.”

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 for applying for a position, please get in touch with Human Resources at employment.msfusa@newyork.msf.org. We consider reasonable accommodation requests on a case-by-case basis.

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