Emergency Logisticians at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Context

• To fulfill our mission of assistance to victims of conflicts, epidemics and natural disasters, MSF OCG requires an Emergency Logistician able to be deployed at any time to all contexts, for short periods, capable of evaluating a situation, starting up or closing down a project or a mission and coordinating emergency or existing projects/missions in the field of Logistics, all families.
• The candidate is expected to work in all contexts set by the Emergency Desk and have the flexibility to work in different positions (project, coordination, specialist) such as Mission Coordinator, Field Logistician, Team Leader, Specialist (depending on needs, context and set up) and fill gaps in regular missions, when needed.

Duty Station

• The Emergency Logistician is based in the field, in all countries where the Emergency Desk opens activities or has already some, which requires an urgent response. On call, the Emergency Logistician should be available within 48 hours for rapid and short (6 weeks to 3-4 months) interventions.
• She/He is part of a core group of medicals, para-medicals, admins and operational members deployable to respond, among others, to:
  • Exploratory missions
  • Epidemic outbreaks
  • Nutritional crisis
  • Displaced populations and/or refugee camps
  • Conflict contexts
  • Natural disasters
  • Short gaps filling in the field on regular missions
  • Assistance to Technical and Logistic department for specific dossiers at home or HQ in Geneva

Job Description

• Implementation of and participation in exploratory missions and evaluations, on the request of Emergency Coordinator
• Assessment, definition, implementation of an adequate logistic strategy (including a global supply chain) according to the main objectives of the emergency intervention ;
• Identification and management of the necessary means for the logistic implementation of an emergency intervention respecting MSF Switzerland standards for the medical structures in terms of rehabilitation/construction, water supply, sanitation and vector control
• Restriction of risks taken by the teams, by checking the presence, reliability and good use of the methods and means settled for the security
• Participation to the implemented tools supporting the teams and Emergency Desk for the mission’s follow-up and decision making (sitrep, logistic activity report, security guideline, specific report) ;
• Depending the assignment, the Emergency Logistician can be asked to work as field logistician or Logistic Team Leader and/or to fulfill tasks and responsibilities of a Logistic Coordinator ;
• During standby at home, the Emergency Logistician can be asked to work on specific dossiers.

Requirements

• An excellent technical working knowledge of MSF logistics families
• Able to set up, recruit and train a functional logistic team (in close collaboration with Admins)
• Capacity to identify priorities in an emergency context
• Proven skills in negotiation, diplomacy and decision making skills
• Proven capacity for coordination and organisation ;
• Capacity to work in a volatile, insecure context and deal with stress
• Ability to work as part of a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team
• Availability, flexibility, mobility
• Fluency in both French and English is essential
• Other languages represent an advantage: Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese
• Significant experience in Logistic with MSF, at field and coordination level
• A medical clearance for missions is required.

Conditions:

• During missions’ standby at home, the Emergency Logistician commits herself/himself to be available at any time in order to be deployed within 48 hours ; she/he must be reachable in all circumstances
• Field-based contract, fixed-term for one year, renewable
• Per-diem in the field during assignments
• The compensating rest between 2 missions (in addition to 25 days of legal paid leaves) will be defined each time of return with the Emergency Desk in Geneva, according to operational needs.
• Wages: between 3,500 and 4,500 CHF according to MSF field experience.