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MSF UK Trustee with Safeguarding Expertise
médecins sans frontières/doctors without borders (msf)
  • Salary This post is not remunerated. Note: All reasonable and proper expenses incurred to fulfil the role will be reimbursed.
  • Location City of London, London, Greater London (On-site)
  • Job Type Contract
  • Category Governance
  • Sectors Health, Medical
  • Job Reference :

Job Description

About Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural disasters. MSF combines the provision of emergency medical care with a commitment to speaking out about the suffering people endure and the obstacles encountered in providing assistance.

MSF is set up as a not-for-profit movement and was founded by doctors and journalists in 1971. The movement is made of legally independent sections based in more than twenty countries. Besides a common brand and shared values and principles, the sections coordinate the allocation of funds and human resources. Five partner sections act as operational hubs, or “operational centres”, and manage the provision of healthcare in the ‘field’.

MSF is a worldwide organisation with national offices across the world and an international coordination office in Geneva, Switzerland. The work of MSF is carried out by 45,000 national and international health professionals, logistical and administrative staff around the world. We fundraise in more than 30 countries and run projects in more than 70 countries. In 2017, our global combined income was €1.5bn.

About MSF UK

MSF UK is a regulated UK charity and is set up as a company under company law. Along with the MSF UK Association, whose members have all worked for MSF, we make one of the key sections of the MSF movement. MSF UK’s offices are based in Central London near Chancery Lane, where about 100 employees work.

In 2017, we raised £50m from the public and other private sources and received no government funding. The bulk of our income is subsequently granted to partner sections in other countries to contribute to their field operations. We hired 300 individuals on temporary contracts and we seconded them to partner sections to work on projects. We run a medical research team in London. We have advocacy, communications and programmes teams to raise the profile and effectiveness of our work, ultimately to the benefit of our patients.

MSF UK does not manage operations in the field. For that reason, the safeguarding duties associated to patient care and contacts with local populations reside with legally independent operational centres in other countries. However, MSF UK has a growing safeguarding role to play both as a grant-making entity and in the context of the recruitment of UK nationals sent to the field, but also to promote good practice across the movement.

About the MSF UK Board

Most of our trustees are elected by the MSF UK Association, whose members have worked for MSF. They all have worked in the field in a medical role or in finance, logistics and other administrative and management jobs. From time to time, the Board co-opts trustees to complement the skills of elected trustees. The safeguarding role is a co-option by the Board.

Trustees are engaged in committee work in the UK and internationally. Although the formal legal powers of the Board of MSF UK are limited to the UK charity itself, individual trustees can make a contribution in international committees. By doing so, they help monitor the use of MSF UK’s funds, help ensure that the people it seconds to partner organisations are adequately supervised and protected, and promote the success of the movement.

You will join a committed Board of experienced and passionate individuals. The right candidate will have the opportunity to engage with the MSF movement and to make a positive contribution in multiple ways. This is a unique opportunity to build on MSF’s 50 years of experience in the area of patient care and safeguarding.

The role

Safeguarding has been at the core of MSF’s work since the creation of the organisation. The Board of MSF UK has now decided to strengthen its own capability further in that area. We need to ensure that our operations with partner sections remain fully compliant in a changing environment for international NGOs operating in the UK. We also need to oversee MSF UK’s security, safety and well-being policies and risks as part of MSF UK Board’s risk management process.

More broadly, the UK trustees recognise that the UK charity sector is currently leading the debate globally on best practice in safeguarding. The UK Board believes that it has a role to play to help our partner sections learn and benefit from ongoing developments in the UK. Legally, however, most safeguarding duties associated with MSF’s work will remain fulfilled by legally independent operational centres overseas.

The selected candidate will join the Board of MSF UK as a trustee and will be expected to drive the work of our Board in the area of safeguarding and duty of care. This is a senior role requiring leadership. We would expect the individual to participate in (and in some cases to lead) committee work in the UK and with one or more operational centres. As a trustee, the individual will also be expected to contribute to the overall good governance of the charity.

We would expect the job to take 3-4 days a month initially, including face-to-face meetings once or twice a month. The Board of MSF UK meets about 7 times a year for half a day, in Central London. You should expect a limited amount of international travel, mostly to visit operational centres in continental Europe.

About the candidate

The right candidate will have a strong background in safeguarding and / or duty of care to employees and beneficiaries, most likely acquired in a UK regulated environment (e.g. charities, healthcare). We expect the individual to have a strong and broad understanding of the UK regulation and best practices associated to the protection of children and vulnerable adults.

A key part of the role will be to monitor our systems and procedures to eliminate exploitation, harassment and abuse across the organisation. In that context, we are keen to find candidates with an understanding of the suitable audit, compliance and investigation tools used in a safeguarding context.

Candidates should be committed to our work and values. They will ideally have worked in international operations on the ground. We expect strong leadership skills and a proven ability to work in a complex, fast-changing, multi-cultural environment. Experience of implementing change in international organisations will be a plus.

The ideal candidate will likely display the following attributes:

- An understanding of audit, compliance, investigation and policy tools used in safeguarding;

- Experience in working with and delivering change in complex, networked organisations;

- A proven leadership experience as a manager or as a thought-leader and influencer;

- An understanding of UK charity regulation and governance;

- An understanding of the work of INGOs, ideally with direct field experience;

- Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence and inspire;

- The ability to navigate stakeholders in a complex multi-cultural, international environment;

- Board-level experience would be a plus.

MSF UK is committed to diversity. We encourage applications from all sections of our diverse community and welcome applications from candidates from a BME background.

To apply: please apply on our website by submitting a copy of your CV together with a short letter of motivation (in one document) by the closing date.