Working as midwife activity manager in the field

Une sage-femme au Soudan du Sud

Your application will be processed by a specific MSF office according to your country of residence. If you are already employed by MSF Switzerland, choose "OCG Field employee" or "OCG HQ employee".

Please notice that some offices do NOT recruit specific profiles. If that might be the case for your profile, please apply via MSF Switzerland.

Your role is to organise and ensure the implementation of all sexual and reproductive health activities in the project. You also manage, train and supervise the midwifery team.

1
Job description

Find out more about the position.

2
Testimonials

Read about experiences from the field.

3
Questions

Have questions? Find answers to your questions.

4
Apply

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1. Job description

Responsibilities:

  • Plan, organise and ensure the implementation of all sexual and reproductive health activities; this includes updating the annual project planning and budget, and planning any emergency activities or exploratory visits as required
  • Inform doctors about potential serious problems or complications related to the patients, or problems with medication
  • Assist and collaborate with the field doctors and nurses when needed (normal or complicated deliveries)
  • Ensure that newborn babies are correctly monitored from delivery to discharge and that all pregnant women and newborns are referred to the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)
  • Manage, train and supervise the Midwife and Maternity team through activities such as recruitment, defining job descriptions, capacity-building, briefing/debriefing and evaluation of staff
  • Ensure the implementation of protocols by all staff in order improve the quality of health care given to the population and prevent infection due to poor staff practices
  • In collaboration with the Project Logistician, supervise the distribution of drugs, keep track of consumption patterns, supply orders, monitor inventories and train staff to ensure that there are sufficient levels of stock to carry out the activities of the project and material resources are used rationally and appropriately
  • Supervise administrative procedures and documents, analysing routine data for monitoring purposes so as to have updated and correct information about the day-to-day activity in the project and to assist with decision-making

Requirements:

  • Qualification as a registered midwife
  • Minimum of two years’ professional experience as a midwife
  • Recent clinical experience (at least six months within the last 24 months)
  • Experience of labour wards and difficult case management
  • If working as an independent midwife, previous experience must include extensive numbers of deliveries as well as pre- and post-natal care and relevant experience in hospital settings 
  • IT skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
  • Fluency in English and/or French; any other languages are an asset (Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian)
  • Available for a minimum of six months
  • Commitment to MSF’s work and values
  • Strong team player
  • Willingness to work in all kinds of contexts worldwide, including unstable areas
  • Adaptable and able to work in a multicultural team
  • Flexible and able to manage stress
  • Self-driven with a solution-oriented approach
  • Ability to train others

Assets:

  • Diploma in tropical medicine
  • Training in emergency obstetrics (e.g. Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics)
  • Experience working in developing countries
  • People management experience


We encourage applications from people of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, backgrounds, religions, beliefs, abilities and all other characteristics of diversity.

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference and criminal record checks.

2. Testimonials

Ariane, Midwife Activity Manager

03:19 min

msf.related_videos.all_videos

External ressources

3. Questions

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It is rare that MSF advertises job openings for specific countries or projects.

Instead, in order to be able to respond to medical emergencies, MSF recruits applicants into different professional reserve lists, (also referred to as “pools”) throughout the year. Candidates within the pool will be matched to a specific position in a specific country based on their skill set, competencies, technical experience and background.

When applying to join our pool, you can indicate any geographic preferences you may have. However, in accordance with the MSF Charter, providing assistance to populations in distress must take priority over geographical preferences. As a candidate, you must be flexible and willing to work wherever your skills are most needed. Therefore, it is not always possible to fulfil specific country requests. MSF expects candidates to be flexible about where they work so that we can meet the needs of the field. However, if you have special skills, speak additional languages or have restrictions, those will be taken into consideration for each placement.

The standard duration of a first posting is six months. Medical specialists such as anaesthetists, gynaecologists and surgeons are placed in projects from six weeks to three months. This is not the case for general practitioners, paramedical or non-medical profiles.

For subsequent postings, depending on the needs of the country, the duration may be shorter for emergencies (several weeks to three months) or longer (perhaps six to 12 months) in more stable contexts. Coordinator positions are opened for a longer period, from one to two years.

We are mainly looking for candidates who are prepared to make a long-term commitment and work with MSF over several years. We therefore ask you to engage with MSF for more than one mission, or at least 12 months. This will probably include one or more breaks, as it is important to rest between assignments. You are invited to discuss the timing of your break with your career manager when you return from the first posting.

For all non-medical profiles, a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). For doctors, a minimum of three years is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). Surgeons need 2 years post-specialisation experience and specialists do not need post-specialisation experience. For all medical profiles, a minimum of three years’ experience is required (excluding internships and voluntary work). Previous work experience is essential as we expect a high level of autonomy from our staff in the field. Detailed criteria for each profile can be found under What’s your profile?.

All questions

Next information sessions

Come discuss with our team and learn about our criteria to go on a mission. All information sessions

4. Apply online

Your application will be processed by a specific MSF office according to your country of residence. If you are already employed by MSF Switzerland, choose "OCG Field employee" or "OCG HQ employee".

Please notice that some offices do NOT recruit specific profiles. If that might be the case for your profile, please apply via MSF Switzerland.

 

This application form is only for field missions. If you wish to apply for HQ positions, please consult our current jobs postings.

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