Project Coordinator

Médecins Sans Frontières; Australia; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Médecins Sans Frontières is seeking a Project Coordinator to coordinate programs between the capital and field teams, ensuring alignment with MSF guidelines and ethical principles. The role involves supervising staff, managing HR processes, and maintaining strong links with authorities and partners in challenging environments.

The candidate will monitor programs, oversee information flow, and contribute to strategic planning while upholding MSF’s commitment to medical and humanitarian excellence.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years recent experience in international humanitarian or emergency organisations.
• At least two years in a project coordinator role.
• Experience with relations with national authorities and partners (NGOs/UN).
• Strong understanding of MSF principles and medical activities.
• Availability to work a minimum of 12 months.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate programs between capital and project teams under MSF guidelines.
• Monitor program implementation and ensure alignment with strategy and resources.
• Supervise and support ground teams and facilitate participation in activities.
• Manage personnel policies and oversee HR-related processes.
• Ensure security procedures are followed and monitor field risk.
• Represent MSF to authorities and partners; maintain information flows.

Skills

Team leadership

HR management

Negotiation

Public speaking

Security management

Networking

Analytical thinking

Public health knowledge

Education

Public health background

Job description

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which we create and meet, the Gadigal of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.

A project coordinator coordinates programs under their responsibility, liaising between the team in the capital and the project team they supervise and represent MSF to local contacts.

Ensuring compliance with MSF's ethical and operational principles, the project coordinator supports, applies and disseminates these principles across all activities. They supervise and support the team on the ground and facilitates their participation in the momentum of MSF.

ACTIVITIES

• Define and implement programs: respond to the needs of patients, participate in the intervention strategy, by providing concrete up-to-date information and sharing the perspective of the team in the capital. The project coordinator sets up the necessary procedures and resources to deliver effective programs.
• Monitor and assess programs: ensure that operational strategy is aligned with the resources deployed and the needs of patients.
• Support and supervise the team: organise the team's work, ensure they are aware of the challenges of the assignment and facilitate their participation in the momentum of the association.
• Manage human resources: make sure the personnel management policy is implemented.
• Security of teams: ensure adherence to security procedures set up by the coordination team and monitor the situation on the ground.
• Process information: represent the project team to the team in the capital and local authorities, and establish information flows between the project and the capital to ensure all information is properly understood.
• Network: develop and maintain a network of contacts, such as partners and authorities, in order to be able to take appropriate actions as situations evolve.
• Minimum of three years recent experience working in international humanitarian or emergency organisations (NGOs), at least two years of which was in a project coordinator position
• Minimum of two assignments in two different contexts in humanitarian settings e.g. insecure contexts, emergency responses, hospital based activities
• Experience in managing relations with not only national authorities but also national and international partners (NGOs, United Nations, etc.)
• Strong understanding of Médecins Sans Frontières principles and programs and able to represent the organisation with both local and international counterparts
• Strong understanding of Médecins Sans Frontières’ medical activities and related issues (medical knowledge)
• Analytical, strategic thinking skills; capacity to develop an operational vision over the short and medium term (including ability to identify need for exploratory activities, development of new projects, project closures)
• Ability to take responsibility for delegated security management
• Strong negotiation/problem solving skills and a diplomatic approach
• Strong HR management experience in supervising, managing/coaching and training a team with more than 10 staff members
• Positive public communication skills (presentation, meetings, etc.)
• Availability to work for a minimum of 12 months
• Public health background/knowledge
• Previous experience in an international medical organisation
• Good understanding of current humanitarian issues and debates

MSF Medical-Operational Guidelines

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) develops medical-operational guidelines for use in resource-limited environments. These guidelines draw from practical experience and scientific data collected in MSF’s projects, as well as evidence published by the World Health Organization and other leading medical institutions and scientific literature.

Meet some of our experienced coordinators