Medical Coordinator – Burkina Faso At ALIMA

Mission description:

Since 2015, the escalation of violence in Burkina Faso has led to an unprecedented deterioration in the country’s humanitarian situation. In 2025, the HRP estimates that more than 5.9 million people will need humanitarian assistance. But only 3.7 million people targeted for humanitarian assistance. More than 500,000 children under 5 years old and 131,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women need nutritional care.

The Humanitarian Access Working Group (ATG) has identified at least 39 hard-to-reach areas, housing approximately 1.1 million people, including Dori, Barsalogho, and Titao, who are in our intervention areas.

The most affected regions are the Sahel, the North Center, the North and the Eastern’ region.

Faced with the increase in the medico–nutritional needs of host and displaced populations, the ALIMA/KEOOGO/SOS Médecins BF consortium has strengthened its response to emergencies in the regions of the North (Ouahigouya and Titao), the Center-North (Barsalogho, Kaya, Boulsa and Pissila) and the Sahel (Dori) for:

• Restore access to care through the reopening of closed health facilities: ALIMA and its partners support the reopening of closed health facilities in conjunction with the Regional Health Directorates, District Framework Teams and Territorial Communities. Health facilities are supported by human resources, medicines and medical-technical equipment. The consortium also supports the system of references and counter-references and encourages the retention of health personnel in areas affected by the crisis.
• Reach the most vulnerable populations through the implementation of advanced posts /mobile clinics: ALIMA and its partners are setting up advanced health posts /mobile clinics to provide medical, nutritional and psychological care to displaced populations grouped together on transit or official sites. Cases requiring hospitalization treatment are referred to the nearest health facility.
• Improve the provision of community-based care in health areas in difficulty: ALIMA and its partners support the strengthening of the provision of community-based care in health areas in difficulty in conjunction with the Regional Health Directorates and the District Executive Teams and also train mothers of children under 5 years of age. years to screening for acute malnutrition using the Shakir strip, which allows early detection by measuring the upper arm circumference.
• Strengthen rapid response mechanisms to health emergencies: ALIMA and its partners participate in the RRM mechanisms through the GCORR: (i) health, humanitarian and epidemiological monitoring (ii) identification, training and monitoring of medical and support staff from national NGOs for emergency response interventions (iii) investigation and confirmation of alerts (iv) deployment of rapid response team within 7 days after confirmation of the intervention.

The alliance operates in the following health regions and districts:

• North Central Region; DS of Barsalogho (SSP, SSR, SSS, SMSP, PCIMA); DS of Kaya (municipality of Kaya and Pissila: SSP, SSR, SMSP, PCIMA); and DS of Boulsa (SSP, SSR, SSS, SMSP, PCIMA);
• Sahel region: DS de Dori (SSP, SSR, SMSP, PCIMA);
• Northern region: DS of Ouahigouya (SSP, SSR, SSS, SMSP, PCIMA), and DS of Titao (SSP, SSR, SSS, SMSP, PCIMA);
• Central Region: DS of Nongr Masson, DS of Sig Noghin, DS Baskuy, DS Bogodogo, and DS of Boulmiougou (Supplementation to MMS)
• South Central Region: Kombissiri DS (Supplementation to MMS)

ALIMA has operational bases in Dori, Ouahigouya, Kaya, Titao, Boulsa and Barsalogho, and a coordination and project office in Ouagadougou.

Security context:

On the socio-political level in 2024, 3 attempts to destabilize the government, with several arrests including military officers and civilian figures.

On the security front, there has been an intensification of land and air operations by the FDS/VDP, which are the target of attacks, ambushes and the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This situation disturbs the tranquility of populations often subject to displacement.

In 2024: 3,625 security incidents recorded by INSO, including 54 NGO incidents (burglary/theft, Arrest by the FDS, Attack/aggression, assassination, Kidnappings, threats, irregular detention, harassment, etc.). The humanitarian community in Burkina Faso recorded 5 deaths of humanitarian workers in 2024.

Incidents in our regions and/or intervention areas represent 45%, including 370 incidents in the Center North region, 215 in the R. North, 381 in the R. Sahel, and 281 in Ouaga.

From January to June 2025: The overall security situation in Burkina Faso was marked by the persistence of attacks in the Sahel, North, Center-North, East, Center-East and Boucle du Mouhoun regions. These attacks targeted the Defense and Security Forces, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP) and local populations.

The continuation of violence during the first half of 2025 generated considerable humanitarian needs in all sectors including food security and health. According to the UNICEF report for June 2025 (UN News – world news – A human perspective) on the nutritional level, more than 10,000 children were admitted throughout the country for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in April, more than half of whom come from regions affected by violence (Boucle du Mouhoun, North, East, Sahel, Center-North).

From January to April 2025, more than 36,000 were admitted for treatment, including more than 20,000 in insecure areas.

At the end of May 2025, 179,000 people (28% of the 1.3 million people in need), including more than 25,000 children, were treated for acute malnutrition. In this batch, more than 8,000 children suffered from severe acute malnutrition.

More broadly, the deterioration of the security situation affects humanitarian operations, hindering access, increasing operational risks and the assistance needs of affected populations.

During the beginning of this year, we recorded attacks on places of worship (mosques and churches), but also camps for internally displaced people (Séguénéga, Pissila, Djibo, Wendou, …).

In Ouagadougou, in line with the context, security controls have been strengthened and exemptions lifted.

Despite this state of affairs, there is a restriction of humanitarian access, impacting humanitarian aid activities to vulnerable populations, even if humanitarians are not targeted.

Priorities:

The medical coordinator must define the objectives and technical orientations of the mission, propose strategies consistent with the medical and humanitarian needs of the intervention areas and technically support all of the mission’s medical teams.

1. Analyzes, defines and adjusts the medical objectives of ALIMA projects in its mission country. Collect data and analyze it, interpret and define the mission’s medical operational strategy in accordance with ALIMA’s mandate
2. Implementation of ALIMA programs, participate in the pharmaceutical management of projects and contribute to the organization of medical projects
3. Monitoring and evaluation of programs: monitors developments in the situation (epidemiological, health and humanitarian) and adapts activities accordingly. He ensures the efficient and appropriate deployment of resources. Collects information for activity reports.
4. Team health: Develops the staff health policy in the country and organizes with the mental health mission manager, the ‘psychological support of staff. Also participates in the analysis of psychosocial risks.
5. Animation, support and supervision of the team: Leads, supervises and supports the team by promoting understanding of the issues linked to the project and the mission.
6. Team security: he.she must be experienced in security management, analysis and assumptions. He.She builds and maintains a network of formal and informal relationships around the project. It assesses the risks and threats linked to the implementation of project activities;
7. Representation and negotiation: Represent the NGO to local authorities. Negotiate access to humanitarian space.
8. PSEA Policy: it. She ensures that her team, partners and community members are aware of ALIMA policy and have access to information (complaint reporting mechanism, focal point…).

Project-specific required profile elements:

The Medical Coordinator (COMED) must:

• Education: Doctorate in Medicine
• 3 years of experience in a similar position with a medical INGO
• Able to work in a volatile security context
• Experience in developing calls for proposals and donor reports
• Monitoring-evaluation
• Database management in Excel; ENDOM
• Clear strategic vision in line with ALIMA’s action plan
• Team management in a multicultural context
• Investigations (SMART, CAP…)
• Computer science (Word, PowerPoint, advanced Excel)
• Fluency in French is essential.