MSF is looking for a Humanitarian Affairs Officer (HAO) to contribute to humanitarian affairs activities in the Mission’s projects (in Tigray, Amhara, Gambella, and Somali regions) and support the Management Coordination Team in socio-political and humanitarian response context analysis. The Officer will support the development and implementation of MSF advocacy strategies in each project, according to MSF policies and values, in order to improve the condition of humanitarian aid and human rights for the population.

The Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be based in Addis with 70% travel to MSF’s projects in Amhara, Tigray, Gambella, and Somali regions. The HAO role requires sensitivity and flexibility as there may be changes in this set-up, depending on project needs and workload.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform data collection and research on local and international contextas well as medical and humanitarian issues  to provide reliable information for further MSF decision-making.

• Support the Head of Mission (HoM) and Project Coordinators (PCs) in the analysis of data collected, in order to best  respond to population needs.

• Compile regular updates of ongoing (inter-)national activities and priorities of NGO’s, UN, ICRC, donors, authorities and other actors. 

• Collaborate with mission leadership and the Operational/Humanitarian Affairs Department at HQ to develop a coherent strategy for addressing the humanitarian situation and needs.

• Review and refine messaging, humanitarian and advocacy tools, and advocacy action plans mission mission-wide for all projects.

• Develop good working relationships with local authorities, humanitarian actors, local communities and donors in-country to improve MSF coordination, information-sharing, and acceptance.

• Organize discussions, trainings, briefings, etc. for all projects on human rights, humanitarian law, and MSF bearing witness

• Supervises humanitarian affairs related staff in the Mission.

MSF Section/Context Specific Accountabilities

Humanitarian Affairs: 

• Medical-humanitarian context monitoring in Coordination and in Gambella, Tigray, Amhara, and Somali projects

• Monitoring of (1) access to food, nutrition, and WASH; (2) displacement, relocation and returns of IDPs and refugees; (3) SGBV and protection incidents and protection hotspot areas; (4) the impact of recent humanitarian budget cuts at project level and (5) any other emerging humanitarian concerns

• Data collection and entry in coordination/project databases & supporting projects with quality data management

• Provide trainings on Red Flags and humanitarian affairs monitoring

• Attend and contribute to weekly staff meetings.

• Advise the teams in projects on all issues related to humanitarian affairs and protection

Advocacy: 

• Support operational and medical teams in their engagement strategy.

• Network with all relevant stakeholders related to humanitarian concerns, in consultation with the Head of Mission and Project Coordinators (PCs).

• In coordination with the Project Coordinators and Humanitarian Affairs Manager (HAM), attend project level cluster meetings and raise issues of concern on regional levels.

• Assist Humanitarian Affairs Manager in writing briefing notes, advocacy messaging, and monthly humanitarian updates

Protection:

• Advise the teams in all projects on protection and referral pathways

• Support with actor mapping for referral pathways and updating any changes

• Identify vulnerable persons in need of protection, such as minors, persons with medical vulnerabilities, pregnant women, victims of violence, and persons not receiving necessary humanitarian services; 

• Support protection case management, including identifying needs and referral opportunities in coordination with the medical team.

Job Requirements

Education

• Degree in Law, Humanitarian affairs, Political Sciences or related university degree.

Experience

• Previous working experience of at least two years in research, analysis and advocacy.

• Experience with MSF or other NGOs.

• Working knowledge of protection principles 

Languages             

• Ability to read, write, and communicate in Mission language (English) 

Knowledge

• Computer literacy (word, excel and internet-based research)

Additional (Flexible) Requirements Training 

Humanitarian negotiation and/or protection training

Psychological First Aid (PFA) and/or ethical interview training

Experience

Post-war and displacement settings

Sexual violence and protection settings 

Humanitarian and emergency settings 

Languages

English and Amharic is essential

Local languages (Tigrinya, Somali, Nuer, Anyuak) very desirable

Knowledge

Good working knowledge of humanitarian landscape

Proven ability in data management and analysis

How To Apply

Interested applicants can submit their CV and application letter including photocopies of all supporting documents via THIS LINK until application deadline please be informed that we do not accept applications in other forms.

Please Note that we only contact short-listed candidates.

Sincerity of Declarations and Documents Submitted to MSF

Use of false documents to gain employment with MSF will lead to automatic cancelation from the recruitment process and if found after employment it will lead to termination.

We strive to promote, create, and maintain a safe organizational culture for all people who work for and with MSF OCA, including our partners. Moreover, we ensure that the workplace, wherever staff are located, is built on respect, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion that delivers a safe and respectful environment.

At Médecins Sans Frontières we are committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization and encourage qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.