Deputy Medical Director (m/f/x) – Brussels – MSF Belgium

## **CONTEXT**

The medical department of MSF Belgium (OCB - Operational Centre Brussels) plays a strategic role. It defines how the organisation’s medical strategy is implemented of implementation of MSF’s medical, to ensure coherence and quality. It provides strategic support throughout the project cycle. It has a normative role and technical support function regarding implementation and follow-up of the projects.

It also sets standards and offers technical support for implementation and follow-up. The medical department ensures knowledge transfer to the medical workforce and stimulates research and innovation by challenging current medical practices and scanning new approaches.

The team includes specialists based across a global network of units (Belgium, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Lebanon, Kenya, Luxembourg and South Africa). It works closely with Operations, other departments and the wider Médecins Sans Frontières movement. It also supports the projects of West and Central Africa programmes.

The medical department is composed of medical staff working in operational cells in a matrix set-up with the operation’s department and medical referents of different medical disciplines: Infectious diseases (including HIV, TB, and Hepatitis), Non-communicable diseases, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Emergency and Intensive Care, Anaesthesia, Surgery, Paediatrics, Nutrition, Vaccination, Pharmacy and Biomedical expertise, Mental Health; Nursing care and IPC, Health Promotion, Environmental health, Operational Research, Health information and medical data.

To strengthen multidisciplinary and interdepartmental collaboration, the department is organised into “thematic circles”, which can be assigned to short- or long-term assignments. Each referent contributes to several circles. Current circles include migration health, nutrition, outbreak control and knowledge management, among others. Most medical referents also participate in international medical working groups at MSF movement level.

As **Deputy Medical Director**, you hold one of the two positions of Deputy Medical Director, alongside the Medical Director.

As **Deputy Medical Director**, you oversee the management of medical referents in Brussels and lead key dossiers within the Medical Department. In parallel, the Operational Deputy Medical Director holds functional management responsibility for the Deputy Medical Managers of Operations and focuses on medico-operational coordination, including oversight of the operational portfolio.

While each role has distinct areas of focus, they are closely interconnected. The Deputy Medical Director also ensures follow-up on project implementation and monitoring at country level, working in close collaboration with medical teams in the operational cells. Conversely, the Operational Deputy Medical Director contributes to the Department through line management of selected staff, as well as by leading specific dossiers or internal working groups.

The allocation of responsibilities may evolve over time, depending on the composition of the management team and future departmental adaptations. The planned strengthening of management capacity may also influence this distribution.

## **MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES**

**As a member of the core management team, under the leadership of the Medical Director, you contribute to the department’s strategic governance as follows:**

**Strategic management**

- Define the medical vision and priorities of the department, as well as medical priorities within operations, in close collaboration with operational management
- Prioritise and oversee the development and adaptation of medical policies, strategies, guidelines, standards, and tools within OCB
- Ensure quality of care while fostering a culture of innovation
- Guarantee the efficiency and accountability of the medical support provided to operations, and drive change management within this support for the coming years
- Ensure alignment and strong linkages with operational leadership on key medico-operational decisions (e.g., strategic ambitions, critical choices, portfolio overview)
- Set priorities for medical advocacy topics and guide their development in collaboration with Operations and the Analysis department

**Contribution to medical–operational interaction**

- Support operational cells in the launch of selected projects (conceptualisation, design, coordination) and in the establishment of related working groups
- Participate in and help coordinate medical–operational interactions related to pre-AROs (Annual Review of Operations), AROs, new projects, and ad hoc issues
- Maintain effective connections with PMR’s (Project Medical Referent) and Medco’s (Medical Coordinator) in countries of operations
- Support the planning and prioritisation of topics for ‘Coordinators’ Week’ in collaboration with operations and medical referents

## **Specific responsibilities**

**People management**

- Provide direct line management to primarily Bru