Key information for applicants

Transcription

1 Key information for applicants MSF OCBA

2 What are the different steps of the recruitment process? In MSF, the recruitment process is made of different steps: Website registration As an essential part of the recruitment and hiring process, applicants are asked to fill in an application form in our website: The CV and cover letter screening All applications received are considered, depending on our needs in the field, we contact the applicants who meet the requirements to begin a recruiting process. Due to the high volume of applications received, this process may take several months. The phone interview A conversation about the professional background of each applicant and their motivations, and about the main challenges in the field, like security as well as work and living conditions. Technical, language and personality tests If necessary, depending on profiles. Assessment Centre or Second interview - The so-called assessment centre is a whole day of individual and group exercises where we assess the competences necessary for working in the field, such as behavioral flexibility, teamwork or cultural awareness. Assessment centres take place in different cities throughout the year. - The second interview is by phone or skype and aims to further assess the necessary competences to work in the field. For some positions, it may include a practical, simulation exercise.

3 For some specific positions like Project Coordinators the recruitment process may include some additional interviews. The feedback about the process is provided to every applicant in about a week after completing it. What are the next steps if I succeed? Successful candidates join their professional group pool and will be offered an assignment in the field by the Profile Manager according to the field vacancies and their availability date, in the following months. The Profile Manager is the person responsible for developing and following up of some specific professional groups within the organisation (Eg. Medical Doctors, Administrators, Nurses, etc ). Prior to going to the field, the new recruits will be required to take part in the internal induction training course called PPD (Preparation Prior to Departure). There are 2 versions of PPD: face-to-face and on-line. Depending on the operational needs and the candidates availability, the Profile Manager will offer them to take part in one of the version of this training course. The face-to-face PPD is a two-week course that takes place in Barcelona and all participant s expenses are covered by MSF. Taking part in this PPD training involves committing yourself to going to the field. Once done, participants who do not fulfill this commitment will have to return the cost of the training to MSF.

4 How long is the waiting period before a first mission is assigned to me? Can I work with MSF for a short period of time or taking advantage of summer vacation? How long my mission will be and which type of contract will I have? Specifically for the first assignment, you will have to show patience and flexibility. In fact, field positions are based on the needs in our projects, which are very dynamic and likely to change at the last minute. The waiting period before the first assignment could be anything between 1 to 6 months after completion of the PPD. We need people interested in building a long-term career with MSF and willing to engage on a two-three-year commitment with us. This long-term commitment has to do with the responsibility level that MSF field workers will assume while on mission, the required initial training period, the time they need to adjust to new conditions, and the necessity to ensure a degree of continuity in the interest of our beneficiaries and our local staff. Therefore, we would prefer people after short-term international experience, abstain from applying. On the other hand, we understand you may need to have a first mission experience to confirm whether this is the job and the organization you would like to be part of in the future. Shorter assignments ( three months projects ) are only possible for very specific profiles like surgeons, anesthesiologists, gynecologists and the like. The average assignment (mission) is six months, and one year for coordination roles, for regular projects. For emergencies, assignments are often shorter due to the particularly harsh nature of the contexts. You will have a formal contract for the length of your assignment. You will not be under an MSF contract during the break periods between missions.

5 Can I choose the destination of my mission? Unfortunately this is not possible. Based on operational needs, the Profile Manager decides the destination, especially for first assignments, having matched the candidate s specific qualifications with field needs. It is of the outmost importance that, during the recruiting process, candidates are properly informed about the contexts where MSF intervenes and the living and working conditions. It is equally essential that candidates provide accurate information about their willingness to work in any context and their availability and notice period. Can I take my partner or family with me? The security, living and working conditions in the field are often incompatible with the presence of other persons who do not work in the projects. Therefore, the presence of a partner or families in the projects rarely occurs, except for some coordination positions based in capital cities. In any case, no position is accompanied during the first twelve months in the field. Upon completion of that period, MSF field staff whose partner also works for MSF in field positions may request a joint mission, although this is not always possible.

6 How important are my language skills to work in the field? As an international organization, teams consist of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Teams need to adapt to a common working language which will be the language most spoken (usually official language of the country). Apart from communication with the team, all field work is carried out in close cooperation with local, national institutions and, what is more important, in contact with the beneficiaries. There are other reasons why your language skills are of utter importance, one being for one's personal safety and another about the equipment we use. The ability to speak French and English are mandatory for most of our professional profiles. Candidates who also have a good command of other languages as Arabic or Spanish will have more placement opportunities. What are the main difficulties / challenges in the field? Situations and context, team composition and working environments can change quickly in the field. Flexibility and adaptability are critical to the successful accomplishment of your assignment. MSF field workers live and work together. Often, the hours are long in living conditions that may be basic or offering little privacy. Field workers need to be tolerant, and have strong interpersonal and stress management skills. The ability and willingness to interact with people of diverse nationalities and cultures is essential. Note that in any MSF project the majority of workers are national staff, that is, from the country we work in. Be also aware you will have to follow the security protocols, and you may have a limited freedom of movements (including curfew or even confinement) depending on the context. You may also expect to have communication restrictions, as in some of our projects internet connection and even phone network are not available or unreliable.

7 Which security risks will I face? As an MSF field worker you will often find yourself in an insecure environment where conditions are constantly changing; working in these particular situations involves an inherent risk. For the coming years, MSF has chosen to place its operational focus on emergencies and victims of acute and protracted conflicts, which means MSF will work in even more insecure and unpredictable contexts. Nowadays, our main projects and teams are in South Sudan, Central African Republic, Congo and Syria. We accept that it is impossible to eliminate all risks, but we do our utmost to diminish and manage these risks through strict security guidelines and protocols. Specific safety regulations and plans are in place for each mission. These protocols respond to the nature of the risks that our teams are facing in the field and provide procedures to follow when confronted with various security threats. All MSF staff must strictly observe security rules and regulations. At the end of the day, it is your behavior and attitude in the field that proves to be one of your best safeguards. Working for MSF is a choice, so please, be aware that by accepting to work for MSF, you are accepting the inherent risks humanitarian workers are exposed to. Serious incidents, (even as serious as kidnapping or live threatening ones) very rarely occur, but we sadly acknowledge they are a very real and existing risk of which we have been victims in the past. On the other side, minor incidents, such as an armed robbery or threats happen more often and most of our humanitarian workers have experienced them while working on the field at some point. As a responsible employer we feel we must inform you about the above mentioned threats of the humanitarian work although it is your responsibility, before starting the recruitment process, to read extensively about the different contexts you could find yourself in and to make an informed decision.

8 Do I need any special condition? Humanitarian field workers need to have a medical and physical condition that allows them to cope with the often harsh living conditions in the field without compromising their health. In the field, you may experience extreme weather conditions, long journeys on bumpy dirt tracks, field latrines, limited access to water and electricity or shared accommodation, among many other. For your own safety, please make sure you are fit enough to be in such conditions. Please, carrying out a medical evacuation in the remotes areas where we work is often difficult and costly so good health is of utmost importance. If you suffer from a chronic disease, you will need to take your medication for the length of the mission and having spoken with your GP about potential side effects in such contexts. You will be asked to follow the MSF medical and vaccination protocols (costs are covered by MSF) and might be also asked to fill in a confidential medical questionnaire. Will I have a health cover in the field? MSF provides all staff members in the field with a private insurance covering medication and hospitalization, disability, as well as any type of evacuation. This insurance does not include dependants (unless you are in an accompanied positions) and expires at the end of mission. Therefore the person is not under cover for the in-between missions periods (except for on-going or field work related conditions). According to statistics, major risks for humanitarian workers have proven to be road accidents, stress, diarrhoeas, skin diseases, hepatitis, malaria and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including AIDS.

9 Are the professionals collaborating with MSF paid or participating on a voluntary basis? MSF needs qualified professionals, so we always provide formal employment conditions, and unfortunately we do not accept any other form of collaboration. All staff have a formal contract, for the duration of their assignment. EU citizens follow the framework of their own country, while non-eu citizens have a contract from MSF Switzerland. Remuneration in MSF is modest by choice. Salary conditions are not the primary motivation of people working in MSF, yet the organization understands the necessity for a minimum coverage of our field workers needs. Staff receive a monthly salary during assignments. Housing is provided and also a perdiem for daily basic expenses. MSF has an International Remuneration system, where salaries are fixed according to level of responsibility and experience. There is a different salary grid depending on the country of residence. MSF salaries are non-negociable.

10 How is my salary fixed? Indemnity When you start working with MSF in the field, the first 12 months, your salary will usually be the indemnity salary. As shown in the salary grid, the indemnity is the same for every position, regardless of the responsibility level. You could skip indemnity if you have over 2 years of international experience as an NGO (*) humanitarian worker. If under 2 years experience, we will take this into account when calculating the length of the indemnity period. Salary range After the indemnity period, your salary will be fixed at the lower point of the salary band for your position, unless you have extensive (over 4 years) experience in the same or equivalent position. If this is this case, your salary will be fixed at the mid point. The entry salary will never be placed at the higher point of the salary band. You will move up (to the mid point and later to the higher point) in the salary band for your responsibility level after every 2 years experience in MSF. At the end of the successful recruiting process you will be asked to register your working experience in the website and to forward your work certificates to us so we can verify and validate your professional experience for salary calculation purposes. (*) UN agencies and governmental agencies excluded.

11 Function Grid Professional Categories Level Medical & Paramedical Logistics Job families Adm / HR / Finance Operations 6 Midwife Specialists & Supervisors 7 Clinical Psychologist Health Promoter Sup. Specialist Biomedical Technician 8 Epidemiologist Mental Health Sup. Nursing Team Sup. Humanitarian Affairs Off. Activity Managers, Clinical Medical Specialists 9 Doctor Anaesthetist Surgeon / Gynecolog. Medical Doctor Psychiatrist Wash Manager Logistics Manager All Round Logistician Project Admin Manager Accountancy Manager 10 Activity Managers Supply Manager Develop. Manager 11 Mission Pharmacy Manager Logistics Teams Leader 12 Project Medical Referent Dep. Supply Coord. Dep. Logistics Coord. Deputy HR / Fin. Coord. Dep. Project Coord. Coordinators 13 Dep. Medical Coord. Logistics Coord. Supply Coord. Finance Coordinator HR Coordinator Dep. Head of Mission Project Coordinator 14 Medical Coord. 15 Head of Mission Positions are classified according to the job family and professional category, depending on the responsibility level (Eg. Medical Doctor is level 9 in the Medical job family)

12 MSF salary grid (noncontracting sections residents) ANNUAL GROSS SALARY IN EUROS Professional Categories Level Indemnity Lower Mid Higher Specialists & Supervisors Activity Managers, Clinical Medical Specialists Coordinators Eg. Medical Doctor (level 9 according to the Function Grid) has an indemnitiy salary of , and a salary band from to (annual gross salary) for non-contracting sections residents.

13 Will I have holidays during my mission? You are entitled to 25 working days per year. In the field, you take one week off every three months of continuous work. It is not cumulative. If rest periods are not allowed in the same country for security reasons, MSF will pay for transportation to the nearest authorized location. Please, note MSF will not cover the transport or any other costs during the leave period. Can I build a career within MSF? MSF strongly encourages people to continue working for the organization, and we offer various career opportunities to our staff. You can broaden your professional experience by working on a variety of different aid projects and contexts and become eligible for coordination roles. MSF focuses on developing the careers of our members through a system of skill-building, promotion, international technical training, financial assistance, and access to external training possibilities. We have a training policy for staff who have a lasting commitment to MSF. Am I ready to start the recruitment process? Only you can answer that question. To make this decision, think things through and think about what being a MSF worker involves. For further information, next you can find a list of films and books about MSF, the Humanitarian aid or the situations that you could find yourself in in the field.

14 Living in emergency. Mark Hopkins For the first time ever, MSF gave a documentary crew uncensored access to its field operations. Set in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and post-conflict Liberia, "Living in Emergency" interweaves the stories of four doctors as they struggle to provide emergency medical care under extreme conditions. Access to the danger zone. Peter Casaer Directed by Peter Casaer and narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis, this documentary provides a harrowing look at the challenges of delivering humanitarian aid in armed conflicts. First Mission. Boris Paval Conen First Mission is a real life drama about the lives and work of a team of doctors on their remote outpost of International Frontline Doctors in South America. The team consists of young Doctor Marina, the Logistics Manager Barry, Project Coordinator This and local staff members Orlando and Diego; who all work under very difficult and dangerous circumstances. Marina, the lead character, finds out that on the torn continent of Latin-America, it is not about winning prizes, but about being part of the match it self, and that all that matters is to be able to make a difference, even if it is a small one Triage: Dr James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma. Patrick Reed Formerly the president of Doctors Without Borders, Dr. James Orbinski returns to Africa to reflect upon the medical services he rendered in the face of overwhelming suffering and maddening indifference. While taking stock of the past in this documentary, Orbinski also confronts the challenges of the future, offering a direct, impassioned set of views on the nature of humanitarianism and the urgency required for compassionate action. Invisibles. Various directors With the help of Médecins Sans Frontières, five well-known directors have come together to give voice to the real-life protagonists of the film, the victims of five of the most under-reported crises.

15 An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action for the 21st. Century. J. Orbinski In 1988, James Orbinski, then a medical student in his twenties, embarked on a year-long research trip to Rwanda, a trip that would change who he would be as a doctor and as a man. Investigating the conditions of pediatric AIDS in Rwanda, James confronted widespread pain and suffering, much of it preventable, much of it occasioned by political and economic corruption. Fuelled by the injustice of what he had seen in Rwanda, Orbinski helped establish the Canadian chapter of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders/MSF). As a member of MSF he travelled to Peru during a cholera epidemic, to Somalia during the famine and civil war, and to Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Staying alive. Safety and security guidelines for humanitarian volunteers in conflict areas. D.L. Roberts ICRC Offers expert advice on security to humanitarian volunteers operating in conflict zones. The knowledge provided by this book puts you in a better position to draw that critical line between the calculated and the unacceptable risk, a line that you, and those in your charge, must never cross Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. Fiona Terry Fiona Terry provide a practical aspect of Humanitarian aid through her experience in the field. Humanitarian aid involves working with governments and rebels sometimes it is hard to avoid working with people who has blood in their hands to help the innocents or victims. Further she talks about the negative consequences of humanitarian intervention. Great book from an author who has hands on experience on Humanitarian aid. A bed for the night. David Rieff It describes how many humanitarian organizations have moved from their founding principle of neutrality, which gave them access to victims, to encouraging the international community to take action to stop civil wars and ethnic cleansing. By calling for intervention, humanitarian organizations risk being seen as taking sides in a conflict and thus jeopardizing their access to victims.

16 For any further information regarding the recruitment process we recommend you visit the following websites: (Spanish) (Greek) (Spanish)