Médecins Sans Frontières South Africa: General Director

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international humanitarian medical aid organisation, established in 1971. MSF provides assistance to populations in distress, including victims of natural disasters, wars, conflicts, epidemics, among others. MSF members include medical, paramedical, technical and logistical, financial, administrative employees who carry out humanitarian assistance activities in the field.

MSF South Africa was established in November 2006. MSF is an entity rooted in an African society known for uncompromising advocacy and effective social mobilisation could harness this energy - along with medical expertise, and international communications capacity - to both add value at the operational level of emergency medical and humanitarian assistance and bring a new, fresh voice to the governance/associative level of MSF. Since then the office has contributed substantially to MSF activities.

The MSF South Africa Medical Unit provides support to MSF’s medical programmes in southern Africa via clinical training, operational research and epidemiology, and medical technical support. The primary responsibility of the Medical Unit is to provide HIV/AIDS and TB support and training for MSF’s operations in the region and further afield. In addition, Medical Unit staff provides support for laboratory and surgical components of MSF’s operations. The Programme unit in collaboration operations in the region has contributed to the development of a number of key advocacy documents, including intersectional briefing and analysis papers on South Africa, Zimbabwe, Darfur and South Sudan.

MSF South Africa seeks to appoint a General Director, based in Johannesburg, with frequent travel in South Africa and worldwide.

S/he will reports directly to the board of MSF South Africa and to the Operational Centre Brussels General Director.

This is a three-year position with possibility of extension.

Overall objectives

• Strive for a strong guidance of MSF-SA - s/he will ensure transparency, interaction and policy formulation between the executive and the Board;
• Nurture vibrant and critical engagement of issues with the objective of providing a fresh perspective informed by the political and humanitarian landscape of southern Africa;
• The long-term vision is for MSF South Africa to become a partner section in the movement, or to have in another way a meaningful contribution to the development of the MSF’s social mission and the movement internationally - s/he will develop and consolidate the specific identity and recognition of the office within the MSF movement;
• Find and fully exploit synergies, build relationships between the office and (South African society, operations in South Africa and the region, inside OCB group and the international movement);
• Contribute pro-actively to the debates, operations and coherence of the movement, highlighting the MSF-SA value and contribution in the movement;
• Represent MSF in local and national and international fora;
• Ensure good coordination and collaboration within the office;
• Develop on existing and novel operational support models in the field of HIV/TB and operational access in complex contexts.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure that MSF’s field activities for populations in danger are the focus of MSF South Africa’s executive work;
• Develop and continue to forge a strategic vision together with the Board of Directors;
• Work, supervise and coordinate the middle management level in the executive with the Management Team represented by all the Heads of Department/Units in MSF South Africa;
• Ensure recruitment of a critical mass of recruits;
• Build an international communications platform and strengthen the analysis, advocacy and representation role. At times, to represent MSF South Africa in meetings and act as a spokesperson in various platforms with other South Africa NGOs, government, institutions, community groups, academia, companies and major donors;
• Ensure with the board good governance;
• Work together with the management team of the OCB to strive for the continuation of the meaningful /efficient operational co-ownership;
• Actively strive for a coherent and accountable international organisation by participating to the debates (shared operation, growth management, rationalisation, international governance).

Requirements:

• Postgraduate degree;
• Operational and management experience within MSF at a strategic level;
• Knowledgeable about the South African context and environment relevant for MSF work/activities and willingness to learn;
• Organisational and planning skills combined with an ability to generate a vision to motivate and direct efforts;
• Written and spoken communication skills;
• Ability to work extensive hours;
• Willingness to travel extensively within South Africa and worldwide;.
• Knowledge of the health sector, particularly in relation to HIV/AIDS;
• Team leader and team player skills;
• Ability to lead within a creative “open door” management culture;
• Ability to empower staff members to their full potential;
• Interpersonal skills;
• Ability to create and maintain networks of key contacts within and outside the humanitarian sector;
• Ability to deal with the media;
• Analytical and political skills, including ability to negotiate and advocate to diverse audiences;
• Commitment to the aims and values of MSF and to furthering the international movement;
• Commitment to the promotion of the MSF SA core activities-in particular: recruitment of volunteers, operational support in HIV/TB and complex environments, analysis, advocacy and representation and communications;
• Experience of budgetary control and financial planning;
• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Valid driver’s license.

Starting date: February 2012

To apply, submit a CV and motivation letter with ‘General Director’ in the subject line to Zoya Naidoo at zoya.naidoo@joburg.msf.org.

Please quote the source of this advertisement in your application - NGO Pulse Portal.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Follow MSF SA on Twitter (www.twitter.com/MSF_southafrica) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/MSFsouthafrica).

For more about the Médecins Sans Frontières South Africa, refer to www.msf.org.za.

For other vacancies in the NGO sector, refer to www.ngopulse.org/vacancies.

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