Sustainable Medical Product Advisor

médecins sans frontières suisse

Join MSF OCG as a Sustainable Medical Product Advisor 

We are looking for passionate candidates ready to contribute to our humanitarian mission.

Below, you will find the job details and the qualifications we are looking for.

Inclusivity and Diversity at MSF

Do your qualifications and experience not exactly match all requirements of the job?

At MSF OCG, we are committed to an inclusive culture that supports and amplifies the diverse voices of our staff members. We strive to create workplaces where teams of people with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together to advance MSF's social mission and create better outcomes for our patients and the communities we work with.

We understand that some people may hesitate to apply for employment if they don't meet all listed job requirements. Research shows that this is especially true for women. If you believe your profile is a good match for this position, we invite you to apply even if you don't fulfil every listed qualification.

We encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities, background, religions, beliefs, ability status, and all other diversity characteristics. 

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will undergo reference checks.

Context & mission

Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent, international medical and humanitarian organization that provides care to people in need, people affected by natural or man-made disasters, and victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and without regard to race, religion, creed or political affiliation (MSF Charter).

Climate change and environmental degradations pose a significant threat to global health and the environment. MSF, recognizing this, has committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 by adapting and addressing issues related to the transport of people, supply, construction, energy and waste management.

MSF Operational Centres (OCs) and European Supply Centres (ESCs) have included in their Environmental Roadmaps a transition to more sustainable medical single-use items with a reduced environmental footprint, while maintaining quality standards and optimizing consumption. 

The "rethinking single-use" project aims to mitigate the environmental impact of the usage of single-use items and their packaging in the context of MSF medical operations by orienting procurement towards more sustainable alternative products and improving rational use. The mitigation measures include listing of new alternative products to the catalogue, development of technical specifications to reduce the environmental impact of the product and rational use improvement. 

In the initial phase of this project, the most impactful single-use medical items were identified based on their effects on the environment, human health, and local pollution as well as potential mitigation measures for most of them. However, there remains a gap within MSF in terms of environmental expertise which is necessary to successfully integrate the proposed mitigation measures. Therefore, the second phase of the project will deliver the necessary structural changes that will allow systematic integration into business practices, ensuring the project's long-term success.

The Sustainable Medical Product Advisor will play a crucial role in mainstreaming the environmental expertise into the product selection process. He / She will bring specialized knowledge in medical devices and and in vitro diagnostics to identify sustainable alternatives and drive the procurement shift towards more environmentally friendly options. The Sustainable Medical Product Advisor will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to prioritize key single-use products, conduct market research, propose product specifications, and interact with procurement team and suppliers to optimize packaging and product composition.

Tasks & Responsibilities

- Perform market research to identify more environmentally-friendly alternative products, and engage with external stakeholders working with and/ or from the medical device industry who are offering solutions increasing sustainability in products.
- Propose specifications guiding sustainable procurement decisions, and develop a methodology  that can help purchasing teams evaluate both environmental and financial impacts of more sustainable alternatives.
- Provide expert knowledge on technical aspects related to the product composition, materials,  and environmental impacts. Support Procurement and Quality Assurance (QA) teams in driving improvement of products and packaging in collaboration with industry.
- Maintain records of market research, product specifications, relevant interactions with stakeholders.
- Collaborate with the project team to compile key project deliverables.
Your profile

Education

- University degree or equivalent in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, medical product development or a related field 
Experience

- In-depth knowledge of medical devices and in vitro diagnostics, their specifications, production, and the healthcare industry.
- Understanding of procurement processes and ability to integrate sustainable criteria into procurement decisions.
- Familiarity with regulatory requirements and constraints related to medical products and procurement.
- Familiarity with environmental sustainability principles and practices, particularly in the context of healthcare or medical operations.
- Ability to develop product specifications and requirements based on identified needs to enable development/ procurement of new devises.
- Experience in projects related to environmental sustainability in healthcare / medical device industry.
- Experience in working on medical products design/specifications, pharma industry or production.
- Previous experience working in humanitarian or development contexts is considered an asset.
Languages

- English and French are the working languages at MSF Switzerland headquarters.
- For the position advertised, fluency in English is required.
- Fluency in French is considered a strong asset.
Skills/ Technical competencies

- Commitment to MSF's Principles (Level 1): Demonstrates knowledge of and accepts MSF's principles.
- Analytical Thinking (Level 3): Identifies complex relationships. Strong research and analytical skills, with the ability to critically review and evaluate salient information (e.g., product specifications, technical data, certifications etc.) and prepare written reports through the application of relevant methodologies.
- Networking and Building Relationships (Level 3): Creates network opportunities. Strong communication and presentation skills to effectively engage with stakeholders at various levels, both internal and external
- Results and Quality Orientation (Level 2): Works towards objectives, preserving established standards.
Personal Abilities/Qualities

- Excellent ability to work in a multicultural environment successfully and to demonstrate commitment and support for diversity, gender-responsive, inclusive, and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
Terms of employment

- Full-time position 100% (40h/week)
- Fixed-term contract, 12 months
- Ideal start date: April 1st, 2025
- Working place: Preference for the position to be based within one of these OCs (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels or Paris). Other locations may be considered.
- Gross annual salary: according to the salary grid of the MSF Hosting office
- The outcome depends on local legal limitations (residency, work permit, etc.) and on the agreement with the MSF Hosting office
How to apply

Candidates are invited to submit their application exclusively through our recruitment platform, following these guidelines:

- CV (maximum 2 pages)
- Cover letter (maximum 1 page)
- Documents must be submitted in either English or French.
The application deadline is March 9th, 2025.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier if we receive a sufficient number of quality applications.

APPLY HERE

All applications will be treated confidentially.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please note that we do not wish to use the services of recruitment or placement agencies.

Branche:

Funktion:

Stellenprozent: 80-100% / 100%

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