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.  

Role Overview

The Global Health Advocacy and Policy team (GHAP) sits within the Programs Department at MSF-USA. It is the primary entity responsible for engagement with stakeholders within the United States on global health issues pertinent to MSF’s work, both for MSF-USA and the movement at large. The GHAP team monitors and analyzes policies and practices of US-based global health actors on several dossiers, including access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate. The GHAP team also engages with civil society organizations, develops public-facing advocacy communications, and collaborates across the MSF movement to advance global health policy objectives.

 

The GHAP team works closely with the Humanitarian Representation Team (HRT), which is responsible for carrying out humanitarian diplomacy on behalf of MSF’s global operations to ensure that the needs of our patients are understood by the people shaping international and medical policies. The US-based HRT includes the Humanitarian Representatives to the United Nations and the Humanitarian Representative to the United States.

 

Global Health Advocacy and Policy Intern should be prepared to help with research projects (some ad hoc and short-term, some more in-depth), legislative and events monitoring, admin support, including contact database management and meeting coordination. Legislative and events monitoring and research will focus on global health topics covered by the GHAP Team dossiers, which include: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate and environmental health. The intern will also assist with materials development and meeting preparation, such as drafting briefing documents and copyediting.  

 

Current or recent graduate-level students or law students pursuing work in a field related to the GHAP Team’s work, including public policy, law, global health, public health, or international relations, would best suit this position. Candidates with demonstrable interest in and experience with at least one of the GHAP Team dossiers: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, or climate and environmental health, would best suit this position. This role can be based either in our New York City or Washington, DC office location.

 

Department Accountabilities

Support for MSF Medical and Humanitarian Programs 

The Programs Department supports the medical humanitarian programs of the MSF Movement in different ways. Each unit contributes to one or more of these responsibilities: 

• Advocacy and Representation in support of Operations – develop strategies to influence public policy debates as well as private bilateral engagements on behalf of MSF.
• Research, Analysis, and Data Management in support of Operations – direct, perform, or facilitate research to address questions posed by Operations. Track and analyze specific policies and practices of governments, multilateral organizations, and others as requested by Operations. 
• Grant making in support of MSF medical humanitarian programs and movement initiatives.
• Monitoring of the Regulatory Environment - engages with regulatory issues affecting Programs specifically to ensure compliance in grant making and to inform Operations and the International Legal Department.
• Monitoring of the Policy Environment - engages with Policy issues to ensure information sharing and action based on medical and operational needs of the movement.  
• Stakeholder Engagement - identify, analyze, plan, and implement actions designed to engage with external and internal stakeholders to support medical humanitarian programming.
• Contribution to Medical Operational Humanitarian Projects - contributes to the management and implementation of specific medical operational humanitarian discreet projects that are managed by MSF USA.
• S. representation, engagement, and collaboration – is the representative to domestic social mission external relationships on behalf of the medical operational entities of the movement in order to create, maintain and expand stakeholder engagement. 

 

 

Roles Specific Outcomes

• Conduct strategic research and analysis for the GHAP dossiers and global health topics broadly
• Support literature and policy reviews, data cleaning and analysis, and drafting of research outputs
• Monitor and analyze legislative developments and events related to the GHAP dossiers and global health topics broadly
• Attend and summarize external meetings, events, and legislative hearings on topics relevant to the work of the team (primarily online)
• Assist in the preparation of briefing documents and other information for advocacy and policy engagements
• Oversee contact database entry and management 
• Assist with copyediting and proofreading  

 

Complexity and Problem-Solving Skills

• Strong research and analytic skills  
• {Some coursework in statistics and familiarity with programming software desirable but not essential}
• Excellent attention to detail, strong writing, and proofreading ability 
• Initiative and confidence to work independently and ask questions in a fast-paced work environment 
• Creativity, curiosity, and willingness to delve into new topic areas to build and share knowledge 

 

Behavioral Competencies

THOUGHT: How MSF USA staff understand the organization, manage complexity and contribute by creating new and different.

People Focus
Build strong relationships and deliver solutions geared to aiding others. Solicit feedback and data; convey a clear understanding of the team's service level; act when the team does not meet standards; align processes with organizational needs.

Manages Complexity
Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Consistently looks at complex issues from many angles; obtains a rich and deep understanding; swiftly cuts to the core issue; skillfully separates root causes from symptoms.

Global Perspective
Takes a broad view when approaching issues using a global lens. Shows global thinking at work; adjusts organizational practices to meet different regions or countries' unique needs. Use a broad perspective when addressing issues and challenges.

Cultivate Innovation
Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful. Approaches professional work in unique or innovative ways. Offers original ideas. Appreciates others' creative ideas and solutions and provides helpful input to enhance them.

Strategic Mindset
Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.

RESULTS: MSF USA staff achieve results by cultivating a forward-thinking environment that produces solutions for changing stakeholder needs.

Drives Results
Consistently achieves results, even under challenging circumstances. Regularly pushes self to attain outstanding outcomes; consistently establishes bold goals for own performance; is enthusiastic about excellent results and significant contributions. Shows great tenacity to complete goals/initiatives in a timely way.

Ensures Accountability
Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments.

PEOPLE: MSF USA staff understand their impact on others through collaboration and inclusion of different perspectives to achieve common goals.

Collaborates
Build partnerships and work collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Readily involves others to accomplish goals; stays in touch and shares information; discourages "us versus them" thinking; shows appreciation for others' ideas and input.

Communicates Effectively
Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Listens attentively and takes an interest. Keeps others well informed; conveys information concisely and professionally when speaking or writing.

Values Differences
Recognizes the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization. Confronts stereotyping and offensive comments promptly. Consistently behaves with great sensitivity toward differences in cultural norms, expectations, and communication methods.

Builds Effective Teams
Build strong identity teams applying diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.

Manage Conflicts
Manage conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise.

Build Networks
Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.

Drives Vision and Purpose
Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action.

SELF: MSF USA staff demonstrate self-awareness by having an open mindset and continuously seeking opportunities to gain experience, grow, and improve. 

Instills Trust
Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity. Models honesty and authenticity and encourage others to be upfront with one another. Demonstrates reliability and places a strong emphasis on the team meeting its commitments. Fairly represents others' positions.

Manages Ambiguity
Operate effectively, even when things are unclear, or the way forward is unclear. Responds effectively to ambiguous situations, seeks to resolve ambiguity, and makes progress. Seeks guidance on how to adapt to changes and responds with appropriate composure and effectiveness.

Situational Adaptability
Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Serves as an example of adaptability and provides guidance and support to help others adapt to new situations. Considering the needs of clients, constituents, and the organization shifts priorities appropriately.

Being Resilient
Rebounds from setbacks and adversity when facing demanding situations.

 

Technical Competencies

Plans and Aligns

Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with MSF-USA goals.

 

Financial Acumen

Interprets and applies understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.

 

Tech Savvy

Anticipating and adopting innovations in organizational digital and technology applications.

 

Data Collection and Analysis

The ability and skill to determine and analyze trends from data that is collected to assist in compiling reports that will help in decision-making.

 

Project Management Skills

The ability and skill to plan and manage small project work assignments within desired cost, time and quality parameters.

 

Presentation and Written Communication Skills

Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Serves as an example of adaptability and provides guidance and support to help others adapt to new situations. Considers the needs of clients, constituents, and the organization; shifts priorities appropriately.

 

Organizational Insight

Applying knowledge of MSF-USA and the industry to advance the organization’s goals.

 

Supervisory Responsibility

This position will not have any supervisory responsibility.

 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

 

• Current or recent graduate-level students or law students pursuing work in a field related to the work of the GHAP Team (health policy, global or public health, international relations, or humanitarian action)
• Demonstrated interest or experience working on at least one GHAP dossier: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate and environmental health
• Demonstrated interest in medical humanitarian aid and the mission of MSF
• Demonstrated interest (personal, professional, or academic) in international work
• Familiarity with US global health actors, including policymakers, multilateral organizations, private sector stakeholders, and/or civil society organizations
• Experience with legislative and event monitoring and/or policy analysis
• Strong research and analytic skills
• Excellent attention to detail, strong writing, and proofreading ability
• Initiative and confidence to work independently and ask questions in a fast-paced work environment
• Creativity, curiosity, and willingness to delve into new topic areas to build and share knowledge
• Knowledge of or desire to learn about US politics, the UN system, policy development, international humanitarian actors, and contexts where MSF operates
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Word and Excel
• Experience using a CRM tool is an asset, but not required

 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS 

No travel required for this position

 

COMPENSATION

$18 per hour is the hourly rate, max 20 hours per week

 

Please note that neither relocation assistance nor visa sponsorship will be offered for this position

Location

Location: Washington DC or New York City (Hybrid) 

This role is based in either our NYC or Washington, DC office, where most of this team are located. Due to current staffing and budget constraints, we’re unable to support this position in our California office.

 

We do not accept phone calls or emails during the recruitment process. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

 

Equal Opportunity and Accommodations Statement:
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 accommodations for individuals with disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at recruitment@newyork.msf.org.

We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented communities in the Humanitarian Aid sector to apply.