Deputy Executive Director (Medical) at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION

The purpose of this position is to ensure strong medical leadership and maintain the connection between the APH Structure and senior leadership within MSF and global health organisations. The Deputy Executive Director will ascertain the medical relevance of the Structure’s Strategic Plan (2026-2031) and Annual Plans from 2025 onward. She or he will have a leading role in defining the medical priorities of the APH Structure, in collaboration with MSF’s medical and operational leadership platforms.

The Deputy Executive Director is first in line to cover for the Executive Director in their absence, ensuring the continuity and alignment of the APH’s strategic direction and operations.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

The allocation of responsibilities between the Director and Deputy Director is dynamic, allowing for adaptability to changing needs, and is in line with the respective profiles of both people in the position who are complementary by design: one medical with strong experience in leadership, one with strong expertise in leadership, management, and institutional knowledge.

Guided by the Executive Director (ED) and working closely with the Heads of Department and Regional Coordinators, the Deputy Executive Director takes responsibility for the ongoing connection with the medical leadership inside MSF and where relevant externally and safeguards the medical relevance of the Structure’s work.

Note that the scope of responsibilities for this position may evolve overtime with the development of the APH Structure set-up.

Vision and leadership

• Identify, with MT and MSF’s medical-operational leadership platforms, the priority issues that the Structure invests in and works on
• With the Heads of Analysis and Advocacy, conceptualize strategies for each dossier on the Structure’s agenda, with the sole purpose of achieving the greatest possible improvement in access to relevant products for healthcare.
• Identify, propose and foster agreement on complementarities between the Structure and the access priorities in MSF’s Operational Directorates and sections.
• Engage with global health organizations working on access and innovation to identify opportunities for collaborations and complementarities that will benefit patients’ access to products for healthcare.
• Contribute from a medical perspective to the relevance of transversal dossiers that are strategic to improve, enhance, and guarantee access to current and future easy-to-use, affordable, and of quality products for healthcare for the benefit of MSF patients.

Engagement and Communication

• Represent the APH Structure in MSF’s DirMed platform and, together with the Executive Director, in the MedOps platform.
• With the Head of Analysis, guarantee the Structure’s connection with medical working groups and other relevant platforms inside MSF.
• With the Head of Advocacy, guarantee the Structure’s connection with the leadership of selected organisations in the field of global health.
• Represent, or accompany, the Executive Director in external engagement of relevant stakeholders, such as global health actors.
• Contribute to, and safeguard, the accuracy of any communication issued by the Structure’s team.

APH Structure planning and activities

• Work closely with the Strategic Plan Project Lead, and safeguard the medical content and pertinence of the Structure’s Strategic Plan.
• As part of the Management Team, safeguard the medical relevance of the Structure’s Annual Plans and specific project plans.
• For all of the Structure’s planning, analyse any ethical considerations that need to be weighed in the design of activities and advise on how to navigate them.
• Make sure that in all Management Team discussions any appropriate medical aspects are fully considered.

Support to the MSF movement

• With the Executive Director, analyse proposals to the APH fund and provide expert advice on their appropriateness and feasibility.
• With the relevant Regional Coordinators and the Head of Analysis, dissect the medical components of APH related issues that are escalated to the Structure by field teams.
• Be the first point of contact for medical issues relating to APH insofar they are not in the priority agenda of the Structure.
• Source and connect with expert resources inside MSF and externally on the issues indicated above.
• Scan the global health environment for emerging topics related to APH and identify which need to be incorporated in the Structure’s agenda.

Other

• As member of the Management Team, contribute to the development of the Structure.
• While working closely with the Heads of Advocacy and Analysis, as well, as the Regional Coordinators, signal any overlap of roles and responsibilities that may hamper the effectiveness of the Structure’s work.
• Advise the Executive Director on any medical issues that she/he needs to be aware of.

Job requirements

• A track record in overseeing medical activities in support of disadvantaged populations
• Significant experience in MSF, both in medical assistance coordination and medical governance
• Solid understanding of trends in global health
• Solid knowledge of the main international organisations that work on global health
• Deep understanding of the multidimensional realities that impede on access to products for healthcare
• Excellent skills in representing MSF towards external parties
• Diplomacy skills that help overcome potential differences on medical aspects of APH in MSF
• A drive to learn from colleagues inside the Structure’s global team, and to contribute to their ongoing development
• Enthusiasm for the new APH model and a strong determination for turning it into reality
• Appreciation for diversity, including in leadership, and strong commitment to equity and inclusion.