Emergency Lead

CONTEXT  

Médecins Sans Frontières’s mission is to alleviate suffering, promote health, and save lives in increasingly complex, unpredictable humanitarian scenarios. Our programs require strategic support and an agile surge response; to achieve these goals, our People and Workforce posture is becoming integrated, context adapted and future oriented.  

In 2025, the MSF Operational Center Brussels (OCB) resolved to move from an administrative HR approach to a more strategic People and Workforce model, strengthening the collaboration with the operations department. 

As of January 2026, the People and Operations Delivery (POD) model will be introduced: a structure built on clear interfaces with Operations, HR Officers and back-office. It will bring key people-related expertise such as workforce planning, administration and compliance, duty of care, and emergency readiness closer to MSF OCB programs and projects realities. 

The model will continue to evolve throughout the MSF OCB 2026 - 2031 Strategic Ambitions cycle, to increase synergies and reinforce workforce planning, retention, learning, matching, mobility and overall operational support. 

As Emergency Lead, you will lead and coordinate the emergency workforce readiness and deployment processes for Operational Centre Brussels, ensuring rapid mobilisation of qualified staff across emergency and regular contexts, reporting directly to the People and Workforce Deputy Director for Operations. 

You will work transversally with the Emergency Desk, e-pool, HROs, HR Coordinators, Administration, and Mobility PODs (and OCB sections) to align on priorities, validate rosters, and streamline deployment coordination to strengthen operational reactivity and uphold quality of care in crisis settings. 
You will also contribute to institutional learning by documenting key readiness outcomes, challenges, and best practices that inform strategic decision-making and continuous improvement, across MSF OCB operational contexts. 

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES 

Lead and Manage the Emergency People and Operations Delivery team 

Emergency Readiness Strategy  

• Lead the implementation of OCB’s people and workforce emergency readiness strategy in alignment with operational priorities; to ensure adequate and timely staffing capacity for rapid emergency response 

• Coordinate and support the emergency POD team through alignment on priorities and deliverables 

Readiness Monitoring and Analysis 

• Establish and monitor readiness indicators (e.g., availability, validation rates, surge capacity, and response timelines) to assess preparedness level and inform strategic and operational adjustments 

• Co-chair readiness reviews with Operations and Medical departments to validate preparedness levels, integrate People and Workforce perspectives, and support planning surge responses, pipeline management, and lessons learned 

• Consolidate People and Workforce readiness findings and report to leadership in Operations and People and Workforce departments on gaps and progress 

Workforce Deployment and Coordination 

• Coordinate and validate emergency rosters and staffing pipelines across the e-pool and projects to ensure quality, fairness, and readiness of deployable staff in key technical and coordination roles 

• Ensure effective coordination of deployment by liaising with Admin POD, Mobility, and Operations teams to streamline contracting, onboarding, and follow-up processes and minimize response delays 

• Provide strategic advice to emergency response managers on workforce configuration, scalability, and deployment feasibility to strengthen decision-making and align human resources with response needs 

Process Standardization and Tools 

• Develop and maintain readiness procedures, SOPs, and tools (roster database, dashboards, validation lists) to standardize processes, improve data consistency, and enhance institutional preparedness 

Capacity Building and Continuous Improvement 

• Build capacity and promote learning within People and Workforce and Operations teams by facilitating training, simulations, and knowledge-sharing activities to foster shared ownership of emergency readiness and continuous improvement 

• Promote proactive collaboration to anticipate and manage surge demands 

REQUIREMENTS 

Education & Experience 

• Education or training or relevant professional experience in Human Resources, International relations and/or Humanitarian and/or Emergency Management studies or equivalent by experience  

• Minimum 5 years of MSF international experience in Emergency Management or Human Resources Operations in an emergency pool or emergency desk 

Competencies 

• Leadership and Collaboration: Stakeholder and team management, collaborate effectively at cross-functional level, strategic thinking and decision-making with problem-solving attitude 

• Organizational and Planning: Strong knowledge of MSF’s emergency response mechanisms and emergency-pool functioning, crisis management 

• Communication and Interpersonal: active listening and report writing for capitalization 

• Digital and Technical: Data analysis, Proficient in standard software tools and application (e.g., MS Office, internal systems for database) 

Languages 

• Proficient level in English, written and spoken is mandatory 

• Proficiency or good knowledge in French, Spanish or Arabic is an asset 

CONDITIONS 

• Expected starting date: 26 January 2026 

• Location: Brussels (Belgium) 

• Contract type: Open ended contract – Full time 

• Mobility: 20-30% visits to the projects/year

• Homeworking possible 50% per week  

• Salary:  according to MSF-OCB HQ salary grid  

• Meal vouchers – Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs 

• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment 

• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments 

Deadline for applications: 28/12/2025  

How to apply? 

• Submit your application via the 'Apply here' button 

• You will be directed to the online application form for this position 

• It should take 5-10 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for having your CV and motivation letter, in PDF format, ready to upload 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted 

MSF values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. 

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