MSF Access Executive Director

Location: Strong preference to be based in one of the five MSF Access Regional Hubs (Rio de Janeiro, Dakar, Brussels, Nairobi, and Kuala Lumpur). Placement in associated strategic locations may be considered.

Duration: MSF office contract, minimum 3 years commitment, extendable by 3 years, according to MSF practice and subject to national labour laws

Deadline to Apply: 31.01.2026

Compensation and benefits: MSF practice is to offer the C&B package current in the MSF entity establishing the contract.

Reporting to: The MSF Access Executive Board

Start date: Beginning of Q2 2026 preferred with some flexibility depending on individual circumstances

MSF INTERNATIONAL

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural disasters. MSF offers assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. MSF International is the legal entity that binds MSF’s 24 sections, 28 associations and other offices together. Based in Geneva, MSF International provides coordination, information and support to the MSF movement, and implements international projects and initiatives as requested. MSF is committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our employees. We welcome applications from individuals of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, nationalities, races, religions, beliefs, ability status, and all other diversity characteristics.

POSITION BACKGROUND

Ensuring access to key medical tools is critical to MSF's Social Mission. MSF has been engaged in a wide variety of ways to improve the access situation over the past decades through the vehicle of the Access Campaign. In 2023, MSF’s International General Assembly unanimously voted a Vision that is anchoring addressing Access to Products Healthcare as being integral to its Social Mission:

“Over the coming decade, MSF will pursue and accentuate its activities aimed at delivering tangible improvements in Access to Products for Healthcare for people who are deprived of them. Whilst our actions will be as specific to operational contexts as possible, they will also be as global as necessary to achieve the specific improvements sought. This work will expose and address problems faced by patients and by operational teams, will involve the mobilization of the entire movement towards common ambitions, and will leverage the potential of partnerships. It will also preserve space for innovation and reflect the multiple expressions of our social mission. These activities will be in-depth, diverse in nature and adequately resourced, and we will learn from their successes and failures. These ambitions will be reflected in how we structure and govern this work.”

Médecins Sans Frontières works tirelessly to improve the accessibility, availability, affordability, appropriateness and quality of products for health care for the populations it assists and their communities. While this is a collective effort across the organisation, the MSF Access team plays a central role as it identifies and implements a priority selection of access projects, offers expert support for access activities elsewhere in MSF, and brings together information and analysis relevant to MSF’s access work. The MSF Access team, overseen by an Executive Board, is based around five regional hubs: Kuala Lumpur, Nairobi, Brussels, Dakar and Rio de Janeiro.

PLACE IN THE ORGANISATION

The Executive Director (ED) will be accountable to the MSF Access Executive Board for the proper oversight and management of the MSF Access resources and the execution of MSF Access’s mandate.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The ED is responsible for the overall strategic, institutional, and representational leadership of MSF Access. The focus of the ED’s role will be on shepherding the vision, strategy, management, external engagement of MSF Access. Working closely with the Deputy Executive Director (DED), the ED focuses on strategic direction, high-level external representation and engagement, and internal governance and institutional management while the DED ensures medical relevance, rigour and operational grounding.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Executive Director’s primary responsibilities will include:

Strategic Leadership, Governance and Accountability

• Implementation of the strategy vision of MSF Access

• Leading development, implementation, monitoring and periodic revision of the MSF Access Strategic Plan by means of the annual/multi-year plan and budget

• Executive leadership of the MSF Access team, including management of the MSF Access management team alongside the Deputy Executive Director

• Final responsibility for, ongoing engagement with and reporting on the strategic progress, performance, annual budgets and expenditures, and risk mitigation strategies of MSF Access to the Executive Board, and when necessary, other MSF leadership and decision-making platforms such as the Full Executive Committee

• Promoting processes for reflection, learning and continuous improvement across MSF Access

External Representation and Engagement

• Representation of MSF Access in critical high-level global health and access discussions including in multilateral fora and processes, in government engagements where requested, with private sector leaders and other relevant stakeholders alongside the MSF Access MT

• Steer MSF Access’s overall external partnership strategy in alignment with the broader MSF Access strategy and cultivate engagement with key global health and access stakeholders

Internal Leadership and Management

• Management and coordination of key MSF Access functions (as articulated below) alongside the management team

• Report to the MSF Access Board on key strategic and governance decisions and with informational updates of note, including but not limited to, major decisions relating to the content of MSF’s Access work, any material engagement with MSF leadership and governance structures, management of the MSF Access MT along with the DED, regular budgetary updates and accountabilities, and alongside the Head of Human Resources any HR issues requiring the attention of the board.

• Alongside the DED and management team, translating the MSF Access Strategic Plan into annual plans for each respective body of work, including through individual projects and initiatives

• Oversee development of MSF Access administrative policies and processes and addressing critical human resources issues

• Development and finalization of the MSF Access annual plan and budget alongside relevant members of the management team

• Representing MSF Access on the Medical Operational (MedOps) platform (which includes all medical directors and directors of operations across MSF) including participation in MedOps meetings as required

The ED is also responsible for ensuring that MSF Access fulfils its articulated responsibilities to the movement, which are:

• Advise the Movement on the Common Priorities

• Provide or source support on access issues to all entities that request it within MSF

• Design and implement access initiatives to respond to the Common Priorities

• Maintain an overview and report on access initiatives movement-wide on an annual basis

• Survey and analyze the external access landscape

• 15+ years of senior management and leadership experience in global health policy, advocacy, institutional management, or humanitarian affairs

• PhD or Master’s degree in health sciences (medical, (bio)medical, pharmacy) or international relations, public policy, public administration, public health with significant experience working in and knowledge of global health and access issues.

• Demonstrated experience in global health and access issues in a broad range of subjects relevant to MSF’s medical humanitarian mission and operations.

• Deep understanding of MSF’s operational and medical nature and its medical humanitarian mission.

• Advanced managerial capabilities and experience with excellent project management capabilities, multidisciplinary teams and ability to work effectively and independently in a fast-paced environment.

• Experience in developing and maintaining professional relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and organizations, including government officials, multilateral representatives, medical professionals, civil society, community organizations, academia, and global health donor organizations.

• Experience in strategy development processes and demonstrated strategic thinking capabilities.

• Proven track record of external engagements and external representation; ability to actively participate in public speaking engagements, including—but not limited to—presenting at conferences, conducting print and broadcast media interviews, and representation in external meetings.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

At MSF, we are committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our employees. We welcome applications from individuals of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, nationalities, races, religions, beliefs, ability status, and all other diversity characteristics.

MSF is committed to preventing abuse, inappropriate behaviour, lack of integrity and financial misconduct in its work and care spaces. MSF expects all staff to share this commitment and promote an environment where abuse and misconduct is not tolerated.

We are committed to removing barriers for people with specific accessibility needs. If you need an adjustment to the recruitment process to be considered for the role, please let us know from the beginning of the selection process.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to reference checks and to appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her/their understanding of these recruitment procedures.