Médecins Sans Frontières recruit 01 Head of projects

Promoting cross-functional and transformative HR initiatives that will help us to move towards a more inclusive, equitable and operationally-focused management of MSF OCBA’s global workforce.

General context

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international independent medical-humanitarian organization, which offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

MSF is a civil society initiative that brings together individuals committed to the assistance of other human beings in crisis. As such MSF is by choice an association. Each individual working with MSF does it out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF.

The MSF movement is built around several operational directorates. MSF OCBA is one of those directorates. The operations are implemented by field teams and the mission coordination teams; together with the organizational units based in Barcelona and decentralized in Nairobi, Dakar, Amman and Bogota. The field operations are guided and supported by 5 Operational Cells, the Emergency Unit, and other departments supporting operations.

Context and general objective of the post

The OCBA HR Direction would like to incorporate a new role who will support the management and follow up of some transformational and cross-cutting projects; playing a pivotal support to coordinate all technical, tactical and strategic inputs from the different HR stakeholders and subject matter experts; ensuring all initiatives are specifically discussed, appropriated and enriched by main field interlocutors; guaranteeing a timely and adequate feedback by all actors concerned, both in the HR Department and at OCBA level.

This coordination role will be a new key player within OCBA HR Management Team (HR CMT) by contributing and adding value to the definition of OCBA HR strategy. S/he will directly report hierarchically & functionally to the HR Director, and in close coordination with the Deputy HR Director to ensure field representation in all the projects; and will work hand in hand with the Heads of Area in the HR Department and with other specialists and counterparts within OCBA and at movement level. This new position will work by projects and dossiers, directly delegated by the HR Direction; all of them strategic, relevant and requiring a harmonized coordination, an extensive change management and an important level of transversality within the HR Department (and beyond).

This position will contribute to different projects in parallel, whenever will be possible and advised. For the first half of 2023, we can anticipate certain space for this role to contribute to other cross-functional and transformational HR projects; either because they are closely linked with the Rewards Review project and entail certain degree of alignment (as the review of OCBA’s Staffing Model), or because their scope, transversality and transformational impact will require a more focussed coordination from the HR CMT to accompany the change. For both reasons, we can consider that the Review of the Performance Management System in OCBA will be also a priority for this role during 2023.
The objectives of this project will be to promote a more transparent and fruitful Culture of Feedback and at the same time more adapted to organizational principles and values, a performance management which will consider the diversity of our staff, teams, and contexts where we work.

Main responsibilities, functions and tasks

General responsibilities

• Ensure that the projects supported by him/her are connected and following the strategic requirements and direction established by OCBA (at HRD and MT levels).
• Engage with different counterparts and actors in OCBA and in other MSF OCs and Partners to support international initiatives (on behalf of the HRD).
• Contribute to the development of the required transversality within HR Department by ensuring alignment and coherence from all Heads of Unit/Service/Area concerned.
• Ensure field actors are included in the discussions and contributing to these initiatives.
• Define and deploy the change management associated with the achievement and implementation of the different phases in each process.
• Ensure existing dynamics, processes, policies, and tools are aligned or adjusted following the changes established.
• Support timely communication about the project, adapting the messages to the different audiences; this will be done in coordination with OCBA HR KM & Internal Comms Officer.

Priorities/dossiers for 2023

• Coordinating OCBA’s contribution/positioning to the Rewards Review International Project.
• Rewards Review (RR) will represent the first and most important priority for this new role in 2023 and probably beyond.
• The Rewards Review is a process to transform MSF’s contracting and rewards policies and practices to ensure that they are adapted to a global workforce that is diverse at all levels and meet our evolving operational and organisational needs. The project is currently working in 3 main deliverables: Contracting and Reward Strategy (with a new approach for staff segmentation), Minimum
• Standards for pay and benefits, and a Common Framework for Grading positions in Field and HQ.
• In October 2022 the Full ExCom voted in favour of the overall direction of the proposed segmentation model and to go ahead with further analysis of the model; therefore, a risk analysis of the proposed segmentation has been planned for the first part of 2023.

Responsibilities for this new coordination role related to Rewards Review:

• Act as point of contact for the International Rewards Review team to ensure consultation and engagement of all stakeholders in OCBA.
• Coordinate Change Management and communication within OCBA on Rewards Review; adapting messages, strategies and feedbacks to OCBA’s reality, needs and requirements (together with OCBA’s HR KM and Internal Comms).
• Provide a framework to ensure a consistent approach and promoting diversity and transparency.
• Coordinate that the required input of the different actors within OCBA about the Rewards Review is provided, ensuring thematic and technical input when required.
• Together with the Head of Comp & Ben Unit in OCBA, support the HRD and GD in the preparation for decision-making moments.
• Contribute to the organizational impact analysis and coordinate input from OCBA to it; support HRD and GD in the link with MT stakeholders, and specifically Dir Ops and Dir Fin contributions.
• Ensure the coherence and the information flow from Rewards Review to other related projects in OCBA such as the ICO, the
• Review of the Staffing Model or the deployment of the new L&D strategy.
• Attend monthly Rewards Review Focal Point meetings with the International HR Team to update on progress and issues.
• Coordinating the adjustment and deployment of OCBA’s Performance Management System.

Responsibilities supporting this project:

• Assess the current performance management system in OCBA, detecting gaps and best practices.
• Explore previous experiences and similar exercises in other MSF entities on this regard.
• Support the design and deployment of more adapted tools supporting OCBA Performance Management.
• System (together with subject matter experts in HR Department and other stake holders in OCBA).
• Facilitate change management and adapted dissemination.

Selection criteria

• Strong organizational, analytical and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated experience in project management and change management.
• Demonstrated experience at different levels in HR.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, conflict management and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to adapt messages to different interlocutors from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Excellent communication skills in English (written & oral); French, Arabic or Spanish are an asset.
• Solid digital skills (Word, Excel, Power BI, SAP…).
• Minimum 2 years MSF field experience will be an asset.

Conditions

• Position based in any MSF-OCBA Hub (Barcelona, MSF-Spain office delegations, Amman, Dakar or Nairobi). Final location will be subject to the employability of the preselected candidate (residency, work permit, etc.).
• Full-time position.
• Minimum commitment of 3 years.
• Annual Gross Salary: level HQ-5 (divided in 12 monthly payments) + secondary benefits based on MSF OCBA Reward Policy. Subjected to local conditions.
• Starting date: February 2023.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter.

Closing date: February 8th, 2023, 23:59 CET (Central European Time).