Purpose of the Role

The Medical Director DirMed of MSF Ubuntu provides visionary leadership to the Operational Directorate. As part of the Executive Management Team, the DirMed is accountable for working closely with the Director of Operations to shape and oversee MSF Ubuntu’s medical humanitarian strategy, ensuring its responsiveness to the needs of patients and communities through people-centred approach, high- quality services delivery, and ethical care. This role champions innovation, collaboration, and accountability, and positions MSF Ubuntu as a medical leader within the MSF movement and beyond

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Medical Leadership

• Lead the development and implementation of MSF Ubuntu’s medical strategy in alignment with organisational goals and community priorities.
• Represent MSF Ubuntu within international platforms e.g., DirMed and MedOps, contributing to MSF-wide medical direction and positioning.
• Ensure alignment between MSF global medical vision and MSF Ubuntu strategic vision.
• Forge and maintain strategic partnerships with academic institutions, health authorities, and civil society actors, enriching MSF Ubuntu’s medical intelligence and innovation.
• Work with the Director of Operations and the wider Management Team of MSF Ubuntu to develop an effective and efficient OD that places communities and patients at the centre of our activities.

Clinical Governance and Medical Quality

• Establish and uphold high standards of clinical governance across all operations, encompassing quality assurance, patient safety, and ethical medical practice.
• Oversee the development and review of medical policies, protocols, and evidence-based care models tailored to humanitarian contexts.
• Lead operational research, innovation, and medical ethics processes, ensuring community-informed and contextually appropriate care.

Medical-Operational Integration

• Guide the integration of medical strategy with operational planning in collaboration with the Director of Operations and MedOps platform.
• Ensure robust medical support to project teams, prioritising emergency response capacity, community health integration, and continuity of care during times of crisis.
• Ensure systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the medical impact of programmes, leading adaptations based on learning and contextual shifts.
• Develop appropriate MEAL Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning metrics for MSF Ubuntu and ensure the medical teams routinely report against the identified metrics, both quantitively and qualitatively.

Team and Talent Leadership

• Lead, inspire, and manage the Medical Department, creating a performance-driven, collaborative and inclusive team culture.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment and development of medical professionals within MSF Ubuntu and its wider pool.
• Strengthen field-facing capacity through mentoring, simulation training, and academic partnerships, enhancing technical excellence.
• Directly manage a Patient Safety Officer, Pharmacist and other Medical Department Managers.

Interdependent Collaboration and Representation

• Actively contribute to cross-functional leadership platforms within MSF Ubuntu and across the wider movement.
• Leverage MSF Ubuntu’s expertise in community leadership and bring lessons from a network of local and regional stakeholders, including local academia, to support intersectional initiatives.
• Represent MSF Ubuntu externally in policy, advocacy, research and institutional partnerships.
• Collaborate with MSF Access to ensure communities and patients we serve have continued access to appropriate treatments, diagnostics and care.

Experience, Qualifications, and Skills

Essential

• Qualified Medical Doctor with postgraduate training in Public Health, Tropical Medicine or a related discipline.
• Minimum eight years’ field experience in medical-humanitarian settings, including senior MSF roles e.g., Medical Coordinator, or Director of a Medical Unit within MSF.
• Proven ability to lead strategic planning, manage complexity and influence policy at senior levels.
• Experience working in multicultural environments and low-resource settings.
• Fluency in English required

Desirable

• Prior experience with MSF or similar INGO.
• Additional languages such as French, Portuguese, Swahili or Arabic

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Medical and Operational Excellence
• Team and People Development
• Ethical and Inclusive Leadership
• Innovation & Adaptability
• Stakeholder Engagement