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Humanitarian Affairs Officers (HAO)

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.

Humanitarian Affairs Officers (HAO)

Humanitarian Affairs Officers (HAOs) assist MSF in highlighting the impact of conflict and neglect on the people we serve and advocating for them. They also work to ensure continued access to our patients. The role of an HAO involves developing a thoughtful advocacy strategy and writing reports on the exclusion of specific communities from medical care, making it a highly diverse role.

Responsibilities

As a humanitarian affairs officer with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), you will help MSF expose and advocate about the impact conflict and neglect have on the communities we work with and the people we assist. You will likely be based in the capital city with frequent travel to MSF projects and be responsible for gathering information from various stakeholders, including communities, patients and staff. You will provide strategic advice on how MSF can best communicate our voice and our principles to deliver critical humanitarian medical care. You will also advise on how MSF operates and communicates in situations where access to provide medical assistance to communities in need is threatened.

Your primary role will be to use the ‘witnessing’ component of MSF’s mandate to advocate with and for people MSF works with and assists. You will do this by gathering testimonies and stories, using them to document the human impact of disasters and conflicts. The information you gather will be collated, analyzed and used to draw up unbiased reports on a wide variety of issues. These may include: the efficacy of the response of humanitarian actors to a crisis, speaking out about war crimes committed against civilians by armed actors or collecting testimonies from women who have experienced sexual violence due to poor security in displacement camps.

The role of a humanitarian affairs officer is incredibly varied, ranging from carefully building a sensitive advocacy strategy to writing reports on the exclusion of certain communities from medical care.

Requirements

  • Minimum 2 years relevant professional working experience from one or more of the following:
    • Civil society organizations
    • NGOs and humanitarian sector organizations
    • Institutional and donor experience
    • Legal experience
    • Academic and research experience (preferably in the field of humanitarian affairs)
    • Humanitarian and/or human rights advocacy
  • Minimum 1 year experience working in humanitarian or development contexts with proximity to populations
  • Data collection skills - qualitative research / human rights monitoring / refugee casework experience.  
  • Masters degree in one of the following fields: anthropology/social/political sciences, law, gender studies, protection, international relations, or other relevant subject
  • Ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines and strong ability to multi-task
  • Ability to work within a diverse team
  • Good understanding of current humanitarian debates and of the dilemma/compromise nature of modern humanitarian interventions
  • Fluency in French. Other languages such
  •  Spanish, Arabic, and/or Portuguese an asset.
  • Assets
  • Previous experience with international nongovernmental organizations, UN agencies, human rights organizations, or protection

Before you apply

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. There are numerous opportunities for professional advancement within the organization in the medical, non-medical, and coordination fields.

Final Thoughts

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 on assignment 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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