Working in the field

Every year, MSF sends around 2,700 professionals (including doctors, nurses, logisticians, experts in water and sanitation, administrators and other profiles) to its projects, to join another 30,000 locally hired staff. Together they run medical humanitarian projects in over 60 countries around the world, providing assistance to victims of armed conflict and violence, natural disasters, epidemics and neglected diseases, and of exlcusion from healthcare.

In 2015, between international and locally hired staff. MSF Spain had more than 4,000 workers employed in the field.

In addition to medical profiles (doctors, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, midwives, etc.), we also need people from other fields (logisticians, experts in water and sanitation, financial officers, administrators, human resources officers, humanitarian affairs specialists, etc.). We also hire and promote people to coordination posts: heads of mission (MSF's top position in any given country), medical coordinators, logistics coordinators and project coordinators.

Thank you for your interest in joining MSF.

If your application is successful you will join our staff pool and be assigned to one of our projects in Africa, Asia or Latin America, depending on your profile, availability and current vacancies. Coordination positions are based in the country's capital (or in the city where the mission's central office is). Project coordinators and all other positions work where the projects are located, generally in rural areas. Please see our field organisational chart for more information.

Before applying, you should be sure that you really want to work and live in the field. Living conditions can be basic, at times rudimentary, and the work will always be challenging in both quantity and quality. You will be asked to observe certain security rules and your freedom of movement may sometimes be restricted.

You will work with people from different countries and cultures and at times you will share your working and living space. It is important to bear in mind that the context of projects, and even your job, can suddenly change, which means that flexibility and adaptability are vital.

We are looking for qualified people with work experience. Candidates must speak fluent English and French.

Médecins Sans Frontières provides equal opportunities for men and women in the selection process.

If you want to join MSF to work in the field and you meet the requirements of the position, please read the FAQs.

In MSF we are searching for

Administrators
The administrative organisation of a project includes tasks ranging from managing employee contracts to writing job profiles. On the financial side, the administrator is in charge of monitoring the accounts, treasury management and drafting the monthly financial report, among other things.
Anaesthetists
To work with us as an anaesthetist, you must be flexible enough to work in isolated contexts and with other staff who often have little training. In addition to working in the operating room, anaesthetists are responsible for studying the surgical needs, following up patients and training national staff.
Surgeons
Surgeons are increasingly in demand in MSF projects. Resources in operating rooms can be limited (in some cases there is not even an x-ray machine) and many of the operations we perform are on patients who have been victims of armed conflict and of violence , although we also work in other contexts.
Logistics Coordinators
The logistics coordinator is part of the mission coordination team,and is therefore based in the capital of the country, or in another location selected by MSF. You will be responsible for implementing the organisation’s policies and strategies in each of the logistics families to provide adequate logistical support to the different projects in the country.
Project/Field Coordinators
The project coordinator, also called the field coordinator, is part of MSF's coordination team for the mission in any given country. You will ensure the correct implementation and management of the activities and resources, in accordance with the objectives set out for each project, as well as their everyday management.
Medical Coordinators
The medical coordinator is part of the mission coordination team, and will therefore work at the MSF base in the capital of the country or in another location selected for this purpose. You will be responsible for implementing and developing the medical policies, strategies and programmes defined for MSF's projects in the country.
Nurses
Our nursing staff must be able to train and supervise a large number of people and work in very different types of projects: vaccination campaigns, mother-and-child health programmes, assisting displaced populations that are fleeing conflicts, etc.
Human Resources Coordinators
His/her main responsibilities are to take part in HR planning, ensure that HR policies and processes are implemented and oversee compliance with best practices in the mission as a whole and its projects. Before you can work in the field as HR coordinator, it is necessary to have completed a first mission as field administrator.
Gynaecologists
Gynaecologists are increasingly in demand on MSF projects. To work for us as a gynaecologist, you need be prepared to work with limited resources, in isolated contexts and with other staff who sometimes have little training.
Heads of Mission (Country)
The head of mission (also known as the general coordinator) has ultimate responsibility for all the MSF projects in the country. He/she leads the country coordination team and therefore works at the MSF base in the capital of the country or other city designated for the purpose.
Logisticians
The logistician is a key position for all MSF projects and entails a range of responsibilities that cover all the activities related to non-medical assistance. The logistician is in charge of the planning , coordination and supervision of all logistical activities.
Midwives
Our midwives work in different cultural contexts and have to be able to adapt to the ways of the local community and the reality of the reproductive lives of women there.
Doctors
The work our doctors do is the backbone of MSF’s action. Their task is to meet the medical needs of the population, by providing direct care of patients and training and supervision of local staff.
Other professionals
We sometimes need: pharmacists to ensure best practices in managing medicines and medical equipment; lab technicians to set up, organise and manage the project laboratory; nutritionists to implement and ensure the quality of nutritional programmes; epidemiologists to monitor the epidemiological
Pediatrician
The work our doctors do is the backbone of MSF’s action. Their task is to meet the medical needs of the population, by providing direct care of patients and training and supervision of local staff.
Psychologists - Psychiatrists - Mental Health Specialists
Our psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health specialists work on both emergencies and regular projects. The diversity of our projects calls for profiles with a wide range of skills and experience.
Financial Coordinators
The financial coordinator is part of the management team and is responsible for managing the financial resources of the mission, ensuring transparency, supervising the financial tasks and working in collaboration with the field coordinators.