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General requirements
For each job, you will find a description of the knowledge and experience required to work in our projects. Working on assignment with MSF is not for everyone, so in addition to professional experience, there are other important requirements that apply to all positions.
Upcoming Information Evening
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On-line webinar
General requirements
- Strong motivation for humanitarian work
- Identification with MSF’s humanitarian principles
- Identification with the MSF Charter
- Willingness to respect MSF protocols and procedures
- Flexibility, organizational skills and the ability to improvise
- Mental and physical resilience
- Ability and willingness to live and work as part of an international team
- Management skills and ability to lead a team
- Completed vocational training
- At least two years of work experience
- Very good knowledge of English, with knowledge of French required for some positions
- For selected medical positions, knowledge of tropical medicine
- Willingness to undertake at least two assignments or one 12-month assignment
- Time availability (at least 2-6 months depending on the position)
What is an advantage?
- International work or travel experience in different cultural contexts
- Experience working in a resource-constrained environment
- Experience in team management or training of staff
- Knowledge of other languages (Arabic French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish)
Length of assignments
The length of an assignment with MSF can vary greatly, from a few weeks to six to 12 months. The length depends mainly on the type of work you will be doing. Sometimes it can also depend on the environment in which the project takes place (shorter assignments in crisis situations, longer assignments in longer-term projects and relatively stable environments).
Common duration of assignments by profession:
- General medical practitioner (including paediatricians, internists): 6-9 months
- Surgeon: 3 months
- Emergency doctor: 3 months
- Anaesthesiologist: approx. 2-3 months
- Obstetrician-gynaecologist: 3 months
- Psychiatrist, psychologist: 6-9 months
- Epidemiologist: 1-2 months
- Pharmacist: 6-9 months
- General nurse: 6-9 months
- Midwife: 6-9 months
- Laboratory manager: 6-9 months
- Technical specialist (logistician): 6-9 months
- Human resources manager (administrator): 6-12 months
- Financial manager (administrator): 6-12 months
- Financial coordinator: 6-12 months
- Human resources coordinator: 6-12 months
We must have a healthy confidence in what we know
and humility in what we learn.
Simona Šmelková, Anaesthesiologist
We must have a healthy confidence in what we know
and humility in what we learn.
Simona Šmelková, Anaesthesiologist