Medical Advisor

**Context & Mission
***:
Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent humanitarian organization providing medical aid to victims of man-made or natural disasters, epidemics and endemics. Its Operational Centre in Geneva is responsible for medical assistance programmes in 24 countries. In the MSF Operational Centre of Geneva (OCG), the steering and implementation of programmes is under the responsibility of an Operations Department, which includes direct medical support to project implementation ensuring fundamentals are reached in all projects. The development of technical and/or strategic solutions adapted to complex medical challenges faced in projects, or to fulfill chosen medical ambitions, is under the responsibility of a Medical Department. Collaborative work between the two departments is considered a cornerstone for the organisation to improve the general quality of its projects and the level of care for patients.

In 2013, an internal review led to the endorsement of a new frame for medical support inside OCG, leading to further emphasize the Medical Departments role in the following key areas:

- Being at the vanguard of evolving trends, new challenges, and technologies in the field of medical practice and science and linked with external clinical, academic and research institutions
- Providing technical capacities to fulfil the medical ambitions of the 2020-2023 OCG Strategic Plan, those in relation to the Operational Policy, innovation, and research
- Addressing the project support needs in their response to medical and public health challenges, with the required flexibility and adaptation of priorities when facing emergencies or difficult conflict situations
- Creating a better integrated work between Operations and the Medical department through collaborative work platforms, focusing on precise medical operational challenges, selection of standards and improvement of practices.

The role of the Medical Department also includes, in relation with other involved departments, a critical role on knowledge transmission to project medical staff through adapted trainings and fast access to key reference documents/tools, as well as recruitment strategies. Medical Advisors will be working in the Medical Department.

Through delegation from the Medical Leader and based on the roadmap established for the period, the Medical Advisor develops medico-operational solutions requiring specific medical skills and/or in-depth investment, answering to recognized needs set in the medical ambitions. In that perspective, he/she is proactively monitoring emerging scientific and medical issues that might shape OCG medical practices and ambitions.

**Responsibilities**:
The Patients and Populations as Partners (PPP) Advisor actively contributes to the achievement of OCG PPP objectives and ambitions by overseeing the technical and quality aspects of a ‘Patients and Populations as Partners’ approach to project management, providing timely technical guidance and strategic/ programmatic advice, and leading the review, development, and adjustment of the different PPP approach tools tailored to the different context. To this aim:

- Support to the different RMPs with regards to complex technical issues linked to the “Patients and Populations as Partners’ approach, and with strategic and programmatic advice
- Provide direct and timely support to project teams by responding to complex and technical issues requiring guidance and/or development
- Strengthen the skills and competencies of MSF staff in projects and HQ, through capacity building for integrating a PPP approach
- Develop technical skills and capacities related to PPP and integrate external knowledge into MSF practices
- Support the implementation of innovation and operational research projects

Following the Patients and Population as Partner framework, support teams activities through technical and pedagogic support with:

- Strategic Integration (SI) refers to activities in which a combination of methods are applied, in order to promote and emphasize among HQ, mission and project teams, the essential role of the Patients and Populations as Partners approach in all phases of project management (from exploration/conceptualization to closure/exit/handover).
- Community Engagement (CE) refers to activities implemented in MSF projects to improve the understanding and engagement of communities towards health issues, risk explosure, prevention measures and to enhance adapted health seeking behaviour and their empowerment. It concerns the general population with a specific focus on people experiencing higher levels of vulnerability or those traditionally excluded from care.
- Health Promotion (HP) refers to activities implemented in MSF projects to improve the understanding and engagement of communities towards health issues, risk exposure, prevention measures and to enhance adapted health seeking behaviour and their empowerment. It concerns the general popula