Médecins Sans Frontières, an international medical humanitarian association founded in 1971, provides medical assistance to populations whose lives are threatened: mainly by armed conflict, but also by epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. The French section is present in over thirty countries, with its headquarters in Paris.
As part of a new position, we are looking for a Head of Surgery & Critical Care Unit
Background :
The Medical Department’s mission is to contribute, along with the Operations Department and other departments, to the association’s social mission through its leadership, expertise and advocacy in the following key areas:
- Co-construction of medical and operational strategies
- Medical support for the field in terms of expertise, strategy, training and research
- Continuous improvement in the quality of care and respect for medical ethics
- Medical training
- Research, scientific watch, introduction/monitoring of medical innovations
- Internal and external advocacy on medical issues
The department is headed by a medical director and 3 deputy medical directors. The management team is rounded out by an executive assistant, a project and information manager, a research coordinator and a trainee. The department is made up of thematic activity clusters grouping together the medical referents for the specialties concerned, mainly based in Paris and other locations in France, but also in New York, Sydney, Dakar and Nairobi.
The Surgery & Critical Care Unit is a multidisciplinary unit comprising emergency medicine, intensive care, anesthesia and surgery (visceral and orthopedic), and physical therapy. It also includes those responsible for training in these specialties. There is frequent collaboration with other medical and referral activity centres, such as those responsible for maternal and child health, hygiene and infectiology referrals, and the hospital management team….
MSF carries out surgical activities in the context of armed conflicts or natural disasters, but also in areas where access to care is limited. Some of these activities are specialized (care of burn victims, orthopedic or plastic reconstruction surgery, treatment of fistulas, oncological surgery, etc.). Anesthesia is a key component of this surgical care, and anesthesia techniques are evolving to ensure greater safety for our patients. Anesthesia teams are also heavily involved in the fight against pain, one of MSF’s institutional challenges, and in other cross-functional issues such as care safety and palliative care. Intensive care and emergency care have developed considerably in recent years in response to patient influxes, either in emergency departments or in intensive care units, with MSF keen to develop critical care for adult patients with severe pathologies (acute illnesses or decompensation of chronic pathologies). Rehabilitation (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.) has made great strides in post-trauma care, and should continue to develop in other medical fields too (gyneco-obstetrics, oncology).
In 2022, at MSF’s Paris Operations Center, more than 16,000 patients underwent surgery, nearly 43,000 anesthesia procedures were performed, more than 300,000 patients were seen in our emergency departments and more than 30,000 patients were hospitalized in intensive care.
Mission :
You will be in charge of the Surgical & Critical Care Unit and will participate in defining and implementing the association’s policies and medical-operational strategy. You are the managerial leader of a multidisciplinary team of medical department referents. You are an expert in one of the medical specialties represented in the cluster, and act as a referent in your field.
Main responsibilities :
Reporting directly to a Deputy Medical Director, you will be responsible for :
Participate in defining and implementing the medico-operational policies of your division:
- Participate in defining strategy in these areas for MSF sites.
- Define priorities in terms of access to diagnostics and treatments and participate in their implementation
- Contribute to the organization of the medical department’s multidisciplinary support to operations with cells, coordinations and fields, and lead workshops.
- Work with your team to define research, training and access priorities related to surgery, anesthesia, burns, rehabilitation and critical and emergency care.
Manage the surgery and critical care team:
- Identify the human resources needs of his team and report them to the Medical Director to whom he / she reports.
- Recruit team members with the medical director to whom he/she reports.
- Identify the team members responsible for each file or project
- Set guidelines, define with the team the medico-operational objectives for the specialties concerned, ensure their implementation, set priorities.
- Support, advise, motivate and unite team members to help them achieve their objectives.
- Supervise and coordinate the team and ensure cohesion between team members.
- Evaluate team members on a regular basis and conduct annual performance reviews.
- Participate with operations in steering MIO (Mobile Implementation Officer) positions.
- Ensure the department’s contribution to cross-functional/inter-departmental projects.
Monitor and analyze the activities of the surgery and critical care unit:
- Monitor team progress, ensure that cell and field needs are met, coordinate team field visits.
- Coordinate the analysis of activities and medical data for the division, as well as the annual report.
- Monitor the division’s budget.
- Define quality objectives and indicators for the division.
Provide advice and support in its area of expertise:
- Actively participate in the strategy, development and monitoring of operational projects in its area of expertise.
- Ensure that cell medical managers and medical coordinators are familiar with and disseminate the policies, procedures and tools of their specialty.
- Monitor scientific and medical developments in the field of its expertise.
- Participate in the design and implementation of training courses related to its area of expertise.
- Propose, develop and monitor operational research projects in collaboration with Epicentre and/or other research partners.
- Participate in knowledge management and sharing.
Ensures that his or her area of activity is represented to other departments, to the MSF movement and externally:
- Communication within MSF and external bodies (international organizations, NGOs, academia)
- Participation in the development of a network of medical, scientific and humanitarian players and partnerships.
Profile :
Education/Experience :
- Doctor or paramedical profession: anaesthetist, surgeon (any specialty), anaesthetic nurse, operating theatre nurse, nurse, physiotherapist, emergency doctor, intensive care doctor
Experiences :
- Experience with MSF or a medical humanitarian organization.
- Experience in team management and coordination.
Skills and Abilities :
- Sense of initiative, strategic vision.
- Leadership and excellent organizational and prioritization skills.
- Excellent multidisciplinary and collaborative work facilitation skills.
- Excellent analytical, summarizing and writing skills.
Languages :
- English B2
- French is an asset
Status: Full-time permanent contract. Executive position, based in Paris.
Salary conditions : 60,36k gross per year over 13 months.
22 days of RTT per year. Health insurance paid at 100% by Médecins Sans Frontières. Restaurant vouchers with a face value of 11€ (60% paid by Médecins Sans Frontières). 50% reimbursement of public transport fares.
Position to be filled: Asap
How to apply
Up to and including 27/09/2023
Please send your application (covering letter and CV) to :
CLICK HERE TO APPLY
Only candidates whose applications have been accepted will be contacted.
