Tuberculosis (TB) Technical Advisor

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Dakar, Nairobi, Brussels, or Kuala Lumpur

Contract: Full time (100%)

Duration: Indefinite

Starting date: As soon as possible

Deadline to apply: July 07, 2025

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

This job description may evolve according to the finalized MSF ACCESS Strategic Plan, although its main parameters (scope, area of expertise) should not be essentially altered. Until that key stage, the incumbent is expected to demonstrate a degree of flexibility in the performance of their work. 

I. 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, 27 associations and 18 branch offices together. Registered in Switzerland, MSF International provides coordination, information and support to the MSF Movement, as well as implements international projects and initiatives as requested.

MSF Access 

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.

II. POSITION BACKGROUND

Access to Products for Healthcare (APH) is critical to MSF's Social Mission. It refers to the accessibility, availability, affordability, appropriateness, and quality of products for healthcare for the populations MSF assists and their communities. MSF has been engaged in a wide variety of ways to improve APH in past decades.

In 2023, the MSF International Board approved the set-up of a new organisational model for access to products for healthcare work in MSF. A central part of this model is the creation of a new access team that supports the APH agenda and is overseen by an Executive Board.

Access to TB treatment, diagnostics and prevention is one of the priorities for MSF in 2025 and in the new strategic plan circle of 2026-2031. The TB Technical Advisor works on technical and strategic issues pertaining to R&D and access for treatment, diagnostics, and prevention for drug sensitive and drug resistant TB, latent TB, pediatric TB and preventive treatment.

III. PLACE IN THE ORGANIZATION

The TB Technical Advisor works in the Analysis Department of MSF’s new Access Team, reporting to the Head of Analysis. S/he works in a multidisciplinary team of the Analysis Department consisting of experts on medical, pharmaceutical, legal and policy issues related to access to health products and technologies.

The NCDs Technical Advisor maintains a close working relationship with MSF technical working groups, medical referents and other technical experts at MSF projects and headquarters.

The TB medical work is done in collaboration with other key internal counterparts of MSF including the TB Working Group, MSF TACTIC Initiative, operational medical references, TB pharmacists in International Office (IO). The medical advisor plays a key technical and advisory role in strategy development, reporting and representation.

IV. OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION

• Lead and coordinate the development of strategy, plans and activities for the TB dossier of MSF’s new access team, addressing access barriers on TB.

• Lead research, analysis, and horizon scanning on the TB dossier, priority objectives and domains.

• Provide technical and strategic advice on new product-related areas and issues that require research, analysis and strategic development within the domain of TB, including other emerging priorities identified by operations or technical working groups.

• Support and provide input into the development and implementation of advocacy strategies in relation to priority TB products.

V. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACTIVITIES

1. Lead research, analysis, and horizon scanning on the overall TB dossier, priority objectives and domains

• Support the Head of Analysis in developing and managing the overall strategy and plan for TB related research and analysis of annual plans and the Strategic Plan 2026-2031.

• Reviewing, collating and synthesizing medical literature, research and development and global policy guidance related to TB.

• In collaboration with the pharmacist advisor, co-lead data collection and analysis on the pipeline and novel products, formulations, technologies, sources and prices.

• Provide technical input and review for MSF’s new access team’s global and regional TB work, including communication pieces, publications, analysis, strategies, plans and others.

• Coordinate the overall TB dossier work in MSF’s new access team, including regular team calls and discussions on dossier strategies and plans. Collaboration with the other MSF key entities &HR working on TB (IO Pharmacists, TACTIC, TBWG, key operations).

• Maintain an overview, documentation and regular update of TB related activities, including research, analysis, strategies and technical support, in line with the Knowledge and Information Management Guidelines.

2. Support and provide input into the development and implementation of advocacy strategies in relation to priority TB domain and products

• Work closely with pharmacist advisors, support the engagement with pharmaceutical companies, product developers and key funders to be abreast of the landscape and advocate for medicines, products, and tools that are suited to low-resource contexts.

• Anticipate the availability of new products, formulations, technologies, as a basis for informing a relevant access and advocacy strategy.

• Work closely with advocacy colleagues to provide support to position development, bringing the medical and operational perspective to this work.

• Provide a link between MSF operational needs/constraints and advocacy opportunities to inform response and MSF positioning in TB policy forums.

• Maintain an external and internal network of relevant stakeholders, representing the Access Team MSF’s TB International Medical Platform. 

3.       Specific Projects (time-bound):

 a.      Pediatric TB and TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) linked to the TACTIC project.

• Provide strategic and medical/technical advice for advancing access and advocacy objectives on pediatric TB and TPT, in liaising with TB Working Group, the TACTIC team and IO TB pharma advisor.

• Propose, plan, lead/coordinate research, analysis and publications needed for articulating access challenges around pediatric TB preventive treatment, especially in DRTB and shorter DSTB preventive treatments (3HP/1HP) context, at global and regional/national level, in collaboration with IO TB pharma advisor, TACTIC and TB Working Group.

• Support engagement and advocacy with key institutions and donors for prioritizing resources needed for implementing TPT/pediatric TPT. 

b.      TB Poland Project

• Being the Access Team focal point for providing strategic and medical/technical advice to the TB Poland project, in liaising with MSF OCB and other internal counterparts.

• Support operational strategies and advocacy in removing access barriers on DRTB treatment and TPT in Poland, especially access and scale up of 3HP, and improving procurement/distribution for TB medicines.

• Support advocacy in key policy forums in sharing MSF analysis and recommendations on access challenges on DRTB/TPT in Poland and in Europe, including at WHO EURO regional workshop, TB UNION Conference, and other relevant platforms.

Qualification and knowledge

• Medical expertise, with qualifications as medical doctor, paramedical, public health or other relevant fields of NCDs.

• Knowledge of access to products for healthcare priorities in developing/humanitarian settings and the political or policy constraints in MSF contexts.

• Understanding of global health policies and the key actors/stakeholders in the global health arena.

Work experiences

• Minimum 5 years of experience directly relevant to the responsibilities of the position.

• Experience working in resource-limited settings, preferably with MSF at field and/or HQ levels.

• Project management skills, teamwork, team management, strategic planning and priority setting an advantage.

• Strong skills in writing technical documents and/or scientific publications, knowledge synthesis skills (including literature reviews).

• Excellent communication and team working skills; and willingness to speak at public events when required on behalf of MSF.

• Genuine interest in and commitment to the humanitarian principles of MSF.

• Appreciation of cultural and gender diversity, and strong commitment to equity and inclusion.

• Proficiency in oral and written English language; other languages are an advantage.

• Frequent international travel.

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.