HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS ADVISOR




Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent medical humanitarian organization. As a non-profit, self-governed movement of over 63,000 dedicated professionals, we provide life-saving medical assistance to people affected by armed conflict, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and exclusion from healthcare.

Our work is guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence, and neutrality. We act based on need, and when we witness injustice, we speak out. Our commitment to professionalism and humanity can mean the difference between life and death.

People are our priority. At Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/ Artsen zonder Grenzen, we are committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our employees. We encourage diverse applicants including individuals of all gender identities, ages, sexual orientations, nationalities, ethnic background, religions, beliefs, social and marital status, people with different abilities and all other diversity characteristics and how they intersect together.

With immediate effect, MSF OCA is looking for an:

Humanitarian Affairs Advisor Maternity Cover (32 hours) 80% with (20%) travelling to country programmes

Preferred location Amsterdam, possible other locations: London, Berlin, Amman and Nairobi

OSCAR is OCA’s humanitarian affairs, operational communications and advocacy department. It is comprised of Communication Advisors (CAs), Audio-Visual, (AV), Digital Producers and Humanitarian Affairs Advisors (HAAs) who work in tandem in distinct and complementary roles.

Témoignage’, understood as bearing witness to, speaking out against and denouncing dehumanising instances, such as those of injustice, violence, armed conflict, as well as discriminatory and exclusionary policies, is at the core of MSF’s mission. Guided by this commitment, OSCAR teams prioritise the countering and monitoring of policies, narratives and actions that infringe upon people’s dignities and subject them to systemic dehumanisation.  We focus on responding to emergencies, on engaging and influencing key stakeholders through témoignage-based advocacy, and on producing and developing powerful public communications that places agency and respect to the communities we aim to assist at its core.

OSCAR’s Humanitarian Affairs team, coordinated by the Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator (HACo), comprises Humanitarian Affairs Advisors (HAA) with expertise in a wide range of fields, including on international relations, access negotiations, international humanitarian & human rights law, forced migration, and health policy & systems.  

OSCAR's Operational Communications team, coordinated by the Communications Coordinator (CoCo), includes communication advisors, a mis/disinformation advisor and staff with specialised digital and audiovisual skills who facilitate MSF's communication and témoignage on behalf of OCA's operations.  

OSCAR works in close proximity with desks and country-based staff to support country teams in better understanding and addressing some of the challenges  of the communities  we work with, and best leveraging the potential of our proximity to affected populations to bear witness and speak out in support of the communities that we aim to  assist and stand in solidarity with.