Head of Emergency

Do your skills and experience not precisely match the requirements? At MSF EA, we strive to create a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace, recognising the need to increase access to professional opportunities for historically underrepresented groups. If you're interested in this position but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the selection criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the ideal candidate for this or other positions.
Firmly committed to safeguarding patients, community members, staff, and all those in contact with the organisation from all forms of abuse, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH), we will take all necessary steps, through rigorous vetting processes, to ensure that confirmed perpetrators of abuse do not join the organisation.
For this position, contact level with patients and children is categorised as High risk and will be monitored with this in mind.

Introduction

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organisation that assists people affected by conflicts, epidemics, and natural or human-made disasters and excluded from healthcare.
We provide this assistance without discrimination, irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.

About MSF Eastern Africa

MSF Eastern Africa is the regional institutional office of MSF. It focuses on representation and networking, recruiting and supporting staff from the region, communications and fundraising, as well as working on other dossiers of importance to MSF, such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Data Protection, mutualisation, training, medical operational support and environmental health.

MSF Ubuntu

MSF Ubuntu is the newest Operational Directorate of Médecins Sans Frontières, grounded in the philosophy of Ubuntu – “I am because we are”. With a strong emphasis on interdependence, interoperability, and locally grounded action, MSF Ubuntu aims to strengthen medical humanitarian response by placing communities at the centre of
decision-making.

Rationale/Objective for Position

The Head of Emergency team (E-team) is responsible for the set-up, strategic leadership, coordination, and oversight of MSF Ubuntu’s emergency prevention, preparedness and response activities.

The role ensures timely, effective, community-involving humanitarian medical responses to crises, in line with MSF Ubuntu principles, medical standards, and operational priorities.

The position plays a key role in shaping the emergency strategy of the OD, strengthening readiness, supporting country program teams, and ensuring quality, accountability, and learning across emergency interventions.

This position will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the Director of Operations (DirOps).

Tasks & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Emergency Preparedness

• Define and lead MSF Ubuntu’s emergency preparedness and response strategy (applying a ‘disaster management cycle’ approach) in alignment with MSF Ubuntu principles and operational priorities.
• Ensure MSF Ubuntu’s emergency preparedness and responses incorporate a strong community involvement and people-centeredness, and climate scanning and adaptation in all stages of emergency response.
• Ensure emergency preparedness and response policies, systems, and tools are in place (including surveillance, anticipatory action, early warning and action protocols, contingency planning, and surge capacity, etc.).
• Define emergency scenario stocks and supplies required in close collaboration and working with the medical and logistics departments.
• Identify and lead building strong capacity on specific areas (for e.g. nutrition, vaccination, community WASH, etc.), benefiting MSF Ubuntu and the MSF movement.
• Contribute towards the wider development of MSF Ubuntu’s strategic planning through critical reflections and learning.
• In conjunction with the DirMed and DirOp, set up the e-team unit, hiring appropriate staff and developing MSF Ubuntu-specific capacities.
• Promote interdepartmental collaborations and coherence, including Safeguarding, DEI domains

Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Management

• Lead exploratory assignment in identified locations and support opening and closing programs (includes stable settings).
• Continuous scanning and monitoring of contexts and identifying potential emergency intervention as per MSF Ubuntu’s strategic plan and priorities.
• Lead and coordinate responses to emergencies, epidemics, conflicts, and other crises.
• Provide strategic and technical guidance to emergency team members and country program teams during preparedness and response (including
• Emergency preparedness plans in country programs).
• Support decision-making on activation, scale-up, adaptation, or exit of emergency interventions, closely working with DirOps and Med-Ops strategic circle.
• Develop a “vulnerability” approach to emergency response that leaves communities better prepared for future disasters, reducing their vulnerability to chronic, recurring crises in particular.

Quality, Standards, and Medical-Operational Oversight

• Ensure emergency responses meet MSF medical, operational, ethical, and safeguarding standards.
• Promote integration of medical, logistical, human resources, and security considerations in emergency preparedness and during responses.
• Embed a strong learning culture as part of monitoring and evaluation of the responses via conducting AAR (After Action Reviews) and post-intervention evaluations, etc

Team Leadership and Capacity Building

• Line-manage and support Emergency team members.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and learning within the team and other departments.
• Identify training and development needs related to emergency prevention, preparedness and response.
• Contribute to the development of an emergency pool (an emergency roaster) and surge mechanisms, emphasising strengthening local and regional collaboration and capacities.
• Build a new way of working for MSF in the emergency team that recognises communities as first responders themselves and ensures their vulnerability to future, chronic and/or recurring crises is reduced.

Coordination and Representation

• Coordinate closely with other MSF entities, operational centres, and departments.
• Represent MSF Ubuntu in internal emergency coordination platforms and, when appropriate, external humanitarian forums.
• Support alignment and collaboration with medical, operational, and support departments.

Learning, Evaluation, and Innovation

• Promote systematic learning from emergency responses, including after-action reviews.
• Support evaluations, documentation, and dissemination of lessons learned.
• Encourage innovation and adaptation to improve emergency response effectiveness.

Organisational Positioning

• Sits within the Ops Department, reporting directly to the Director of Ops.
• Ad hoc meetings and discussions with the MedOps Strategic Baraza may be requested.
• Ad hoc meetings with the MT and/or the Council may be requested. 

Qualifications

Education

• A master’s degree in social or political sciences or public health, (or) in logistics, business administration, or a similar field) is desirable, but not essential.
• Fluency/excellent level of written and spoken English. Knowledge of French, Swahili and/or Arabic is an advantage.
• Excellent knowledge and experience in Policy formulation, security management, human resources and financial management, cross-cultural/multicultural communication and collaboration.

Experience

• At least 8+ years of field/programs experience in medical humanitarian aid and working in a senior management role.
• MSF experience as an Emergency coordinator/Emergency Manager is desirable
• Commitment to and experience of advancing multicultural collaboration, learning, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Competencies

Technical Competencies

• Excellent skills in Office Suite (advanced MS Excel and others)
• Solid knowledge of MSF tools (HR, Budgeting etc) is an asset.
• Excellent written and presentation skills across audiences of diverse backgrounds.

Behavioural/General Competencies

• Commitment to MSF’s Principles 
• Cross-cultural Awareness 
• Strategic Vision 
• Results and Quality Orientation 
• Service Orientation 
• Planning and Organising 
• Initiative and Innovation 
• Teamwork and Cooperation 
• People Management and Development 
• Networking and Building Relationships
• Security Awareness and Management
• Willingness to be mobile, with more than 50% of the year expected to be travelling from their home base.

Conditions and Benefits

• Job Location: This position will be based in one of the countries within its portfolio (to be confirmed). For the initial two years, the duty station is expected to be in Harare (Zimbabwe), Johannesburg (South Africa), or Nairobi (Kenya). 
• Contract: 3-year renewable, full-time contract (maximum 6 years).
• Start date: 1st October 2026.
• Annual Salary and other benefits: In line with MSF reward policy, subject to local conditions.

Application Process.

• The vacancy closing date is: 10th July 2026.
• This vacancy is open to Local and International Applicants.
• By applying to this position, the applicant confirms they have read, understood and agreed to fully comply with the MSF Charter, MSF Behavioural Commitments and Data Privacy Policy.
• In line with MSF’s Safeguarding Principles, successful candidates undergo a rigorous vetting/screening process that includes background checks and self-declaration.
• Applicants are required to submit a single PDF document containing a Letter of Motivation and a Curriculum Vitae (CV) (in English). Please note that applications submitted without a Letter of Motivation will not be considered.

APPLY HERE   

If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact recruitment@nairobi.msf.org before the vacancy closing date. Kindly use this email only for technical issues related to your application, for example, if you do not receive an automated response or encounter problems uploading documents. Applications sent directly to this email will not be considered.

Information

The protection of your personal data is important to MSF. By submitting your application, you consent to MSF using your personal data only for the recruitment process to have all the information and documents necessary to proceed with the recruitment, validation of your application and selection of the most suitable candidate. Your personal data will be treated confidentially. MSF will not use your personal data in any other way not foreseen for the purposes of recruitment.

MSF is an equal opportunity employer and does not charge any application/ recruitment fee.

Lately, 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 applying for MSF roles does so out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF.