MSF recruits 01 MIO (Mobile Implementation Officer) Social worker M/W
POSITION BACKGROUND
The cell 4 is in charge of 5 countries: Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, including 11 projects and 5 coordinations. The total budget of the unit for 2021 amounts to 24.3 million euros.
Cell 5 portfolio consists of operations in 4 countries: DRC, Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi, each with a separate coordination (with one sub-coordination in DRC). In 2021: 11 regular projects and 20 emergency interventions to a budget of 29,4 million euros (emergency interventions: 5 million euros).
Most of these projects have some patient support services with strong social component. It takes different shape but in all cases, in the project, we worked more and more on the multidisciplinary approach, with ambition to define a more patient centred care model. Since more than 10 years, the social component was part of our development of activities, was discussed among the med ops, was supported through the pluridisciplinary approach; but it was not enough considered as a specific part of the patient treatment. Recently, it was adding in all strategic plan and discussion and acknowledge as a strong part of the patient care. Nevertheless, the social work remains isolated in MSF, with no specific referent support, lack of knowledge on our intervention and with a need to build ourselves a referential on social questions. In some projects (adolescent clinics, HIV care, marginalized populations etc) the social support components are implemented by skilled expatriate and national Social Workers but lack structure, indicators, and proper integration in the medical activities. Streamlining different methodologies and tools is also part of needs identified.
Among all these project, some were developed with expat support, teams in place, and in some other project, the social worker remain isolated and under the medical and/or the psychosocial referent. Some have a ‘mixed’ structure (both teams in place + isolated under the medref/psychosocial ref). Clarification of social worker’s placement in a project’s organigram is crucial to the implementation of the activity and integration in the holistic, patient centred care and as such, equally crucial to the success (or failure) of social support activities in MSF projects.
In the strategic plan of OCP, on revised our operational approach, it is mentioned : “a common global element is the recognition of the differing perspective of the patient and doctor, and going beyond the purely biophysical elements of disease and focusing instead on understanding the patient and their illness, situated within their social and cultural context.”
This position and the outcome of this position with strengthening our staff and way of working in the project will help work on that.
To be noted also that all these projects have different modus operandi, from sponsoring some small intervention through doing a major part of the intervention, and with different kind of management, support structure from MSF. So our reflexion about the social work need to be integrated in some other strategic discussion about patient centered approach and partnership.
This position will be under the 2 cells for hierarchical management but will work closely with the patient centered approach team, the mental health referent and the health promotion referent that was/is, until now, the only referential and technical support that was given to our social workers in the field.
OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION
To work with the cells, the patient centered approach team and the missions on 2 main points:
- Provide support to our staff and to the social work component of the projects: coaching and support of the different MSF staff working on social work and patient support services, provide guidance on tools that could exist or be created/standardized.
- Develop organizational knowledge on social work, capitalize on these experiences and provide tools, module of training/coaching on ways of working regarding social work and patient support services; Participate in the creation of a framework for MSF on these questions.
Expériences / Formation
Qualifications
- Certified Social worker (postgraduate or higher level diploma) mandatory.
Work experience
- Field humanitarian experience in low income countries. MSF or other humanitarian NGOs experience required.
- Experience in health setting is an added value.
- Experience with Survivors of sexual violence, children at risk of abuse, marginalized populations (street-kids, sex-workers, “key” populations), adolescents and patients with chronic disease (HIV, Cancer…)is an added value.
Languages: Fluent written and spoken French and English (B2) mandatory, Arabic an asset.
Specific Requirements:
- Leadership L2
- Autonomy L3
- People Management and Development L2
- Service Orientation L3
- Teamwork and Cooperation L4
Salaire
Status: Field Fixed Term contract – 12 months – Full Time – will include some preparation works at HQ level together with some capitalisation and some field visit (60%)
Conditions: IRFFG salary grid: Level 10 (between 21 180 € Gross/year and 24 940 € Gross/year regarding the seniority)
Expected starting date: April 2022
Comment postuler
Please submit your application (CV and cover letter) online.
Deadline for application is March 10th, 2022.
Please note that only selected candidates will be contacted.