MSF Ubuntu OD Council Support Officer

About MSF Ubuntu:

The MSF movement is a vibrant movement made up of people from all corners of the world, who share a common purpose. These people come together into associations, owned by members. The associations make sure that MSF remains true to its purpose, principles and values and help shape the future of the MSF Movement. MSF Ubuntu is a proposed new Operational Directorate (OD), with association members from MSF Southern Africa and Eastern Africa. The members elect the Board of Directors, who then form a Council, who govern on their behalf. The OD Council is the main governing body for MSF Ubuntu. It appoints the Executive Director, provides oversight and guidance for MSF Ubuntu and works to guarantee that the MSF principles are respected. The Council delegates implementation of the strategy to the Executive Director and management team (MT), who run the organisation’s day-to-day.

Context & Environment

MSF Ubuntu is the newest Operational Directorate (OD) of Médecins Sans Frontières, grounded in the principles of Ubuntu – “I am because we are”.  With a base blended between the offices of MSF Southern Africa and MSF Eastern Africa and a strong emphasis on interdependence, interoperability, and maximising sustainable outcomes, MSF Ubuntu seeks to add a new approach to the delivery of medical humanitarian action to the movement by placing communities at the heart of decision-making. The Director of Operations is a key architect in turning this vision into transformative operational action.

Rationale/Objective for Position:

The Council Support Officer role works closely with the Co-Chairs of the MSF Ubuntu and the chairs of different council sub-committees to enable the council members to exercise their legal obligations for the oversight of the organisation. The Council Support Officers work closely with the executive to ensure there is effective council/executive communication and that decision-making is informed in a timely and accurate way. The Council Support Officer is also responsible for administrative support to council members as required.

The Council Support Officer also liaises with the association leads of MSF EA and South Africa to coordinate member engagement and ensure synergy between Ubuntu associative activities and that of the respective associations.

This position will be hierarchically and functionally accountable to the MSF Ubuntu OD Council.

Tasks & Responsibilities:

• Agenda setting, collation of meeting papers, preparation of minutes and maintenance of the action log to ensure that Council meetings (in person, hybrid and fully remote) are efficient, productive and enable the council members to exercise their legal obligations in the running of MSF Ubuntu.
• Provide administrative support to council members as required (e.g. travel arrangements, diary management for MSF Ubuntu engagements) to ensure that council members can participate fully in MSF Ubuntu governance activities.
• Maintain high standards of document control and ensure quality archiving of meeting papers and minutes, while responding to requests for documentation.
• Lead continuous improvement projects to identify enhancements in MSF Ubuntu's processes related to the Council.
• Supporting, facilitating, and coordinating the development and drafting of policies directly affecting council members, ensuring fairness between policies for council members and staff, while acknowledging justified variations. This provides the creation of a coherent suite of policies for council members that aligns with the broader MSF Ubuntu policy framework.
• Plan the annual governance calendar, ensuring that key governance moments are scheduled throughout the year to coordinate effectively with MSF Ubuntu’s planning and reporting cycles and to enable the council members to meet their legal and regulatory obligations in the running of the organisation.
• Secretariat to the council sub-committees (eg Audit and Risk Committee, Nominations Committee, Remuneration Committee, Safeguarding and Duty of Care Committee, Motions Committee etc) including agenda setting, collation of meeting papers, preparation of minutes and maintenance of the action log to support the effective governance and decision-making where functions have been delegated from the Council to Council sub-Committees.
• Support council members' onboarding and development to ensure the council has access to the necessary capacity building to run the organisation effectively. Collaborate with council members to identify and implement appropriate learning and development, ensuring the council remains effective.
• Support the council's social engagement and the internal communication needs of the Chair and council, including maintaining up-to-date governance information on the MSF Ubuntu website and internal portal. Fulfil other responsibilities or project work within the Governance and Associative teams of MSF Southern and Eastern Africa, supporting team members as needed to contribute to the overall success of the function.

Qualifications

• Qualification in, or experience of governance, servicing Board and committees, ideally within a charity or not-for-profit setting.
• Experience in maintaining systems and records in a governance or committee environment.
• Experience in taking minutes at formal board or management-level meetings.
• Planning skills, particularly scheduling the flow of business through governance structures.
• Knowledge of governance structures and interdependencies within a multi-centric or similarly complex organisation.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in the English language, including the production of briefings, governance papers, policies and internal communications and quality assurance that is produced by others.
• Experience in the practical use of personal IT equipment and the Microsoft Office 365 suite. The ability to effectively collaborate and communicate within a hybrid working environment utilising Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Yammer.

Competencies:

• Ability to work autonomously and meet deadlines, prioritising own workload and multitasking. Prioritise competing demands and manage expectations from multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to work autonomously and meet deadlines.
• Ability to navigate boundaries between executive and governance responsibilities appropriately and sensitively.
• Ability to actively listen, understand and accommodate the views of others while still achieving policy objectives and asserting legal, regulatory, contractual or other non-negotiable points tactfully.
• Ability to work flexibly, switching between topics as required.
• Ability to remain focused and calm under pressure to deal with ambiguities and conflict.
• Interpersonal and oral communication skills, with proven ability to work cooperatively in a networked organisation.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues across the organisation using diplomacy, tact and empathy.
• Ability to think systemically and structure information and workflow.
• Ethical judgement, critical thinking and the ability to analyse risk and issues to produce recommendations.

Conditions:

• Location: Nairobi (Kenya), or Johannesburg (South Africa)
• Contract Type: 12-month contract.
• Salary: R 25,645.00 In line with MSF reward policy
• 10% additional pension allowance.
• Transport allowance.
• Cell phone allowance.
• Position Level: Level 4.
• Start date: ASAP

The closing date for applications is 25 August 2025.

Other Benefits include:

• Work-life balance: Daily flexi-hours and 2 days working from home.
• Diverse team composition; Collaborate with a global network of talented professionals, bringing diverse perspectives and expertise from around the world.
• Career Development: MSF provides many learning resources (online learning resources, regular trainings – including language, peer-to-peer learning.
• Mobility: You will have opportunities to travel abroad for work, meetings, trainings and workshops, giving you a chance to experience different cultures and broaden your professional network.
• Medical insurance cover included.
• Annual leave and other types of leave are according to the policy of the office where you are based.

Apply here

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

NB: 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 than for the purposes of recruitment.

MSF values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, and all other diversity characteristics. We also encourage women to apply.

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.

By applying, the applicant acknowledges that he/she has read, understood and accepted this document.