Emergency Coordinator (m/f/x) – Brussels – MSF Belgium

MSF International; Belgique; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meal Vouchers

Hospital Insurance (DKV)

Pension Plan

Public transport reimbursement

1 day homeworking per week

Job summary

MSF OCB Brussels seeks an Emergency Coordinator to lead emergency responses, shaping strategies and mobilising HR, supply and finance with a multidisciplinary team. The role reports to the Emergency Pool leadership and ensures timely data collection and donor reporting.

The candidate will require 5+ years of MSF senior management experience, fluency in English and French, and readiness for 3–4 field deployments per year across missions in various crisis contexts.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ MSF senior management experience (Country Coordinator/Representative or HQ level).
• Experience managing complex emergencies across conflicts, epidemics, disasters, displacement.
• In last 5 years, involvement in at least two major emergency interventions with coordination role.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage an emergency as first-line coordinator and mobilise HR, supply and finance.
• Coordinate with medical coordinators and other desks to steer intervention strategy.
• Organise training, establish budgets, and prepare donor-facing materials as needed.
• Monitor security, maintain regular updates to management, and ensure continuous operations.
• Engage in cross-disciplinary tasks and support field teams with advisory guidance.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Team management

English

French

Job description

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 70 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation.

CONTEXT

The Operations Department of MSF OCB (Operational Centre Brussels) consists of 6 managerial and technical teams called Cells each in charge of a portfolio of countries and 1 Emergency Unit (E-Pool) for the management of intense emergency interventions. These teams directly supervise and support the interventions implementation.

The main responsibility of the E-Pool is to intervene with medical activities, directly and quickly in crisis situations like conflicts, epidemics, and natural disasters, while guaranteeing the quality of interventions. As such, we are responsible anywhere, anytime for monitoring, identification, and implementation of operations in any crisis situation that may arise.

The E-Pool includes 2 Emergency Coordinators (EMCOs) based in Brussels. Each Coordinator may be required to manage 1 or 2 or more specific emergencies simultaneously depending on the volume and complexity of the response.

The EMCOs (whether medical and non-medical profile) work closely with the medical coordinator of the E-Pool to develop, review, implement, and monitor the medical strategy. EMCOs are seconded by a team of specialists in supply chain, logistics, pharmacy, administration, human resources, and finance.

The E-Pool includes 25 to 30 emergency responders (Emergency Mobile Coordinators and implementors) coordinating emergencies in the MSF countries of intervention. An ad hoc task force may be created inside the E-Pool for specific and acute emergency operations.

As Emergency Coordinator, you are in charge of an emergency response and you monitor various aspects of the intervention (operations strategy, as well as logistics and supply strategy, and HR and finance strategy) with the support of the other E-Pool members and OCB departments. You report to the Coordinator of the Emergency Pool.

You will travel to MSF countries of intervention 3 to 4 times per year, with each visit lasting 2 to 4 weeks. The objectives may include starting an emergency intervention, supporting operations, conducting exploratory visits, filling a strategic gap, coaching an EMCO in a country of operation, evaluating an intervention, meeting with authorities, etc.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct management of an emergency (first line coordinator)

At the beginning of the emergency

Assess the situation through different information sources and available data

Contribute to the decision about the type of intervention

Discuss the best medical strategy and activities with the Medical Emergency Coordinator

Organise a Project Committee with the different information on which to base the decision to intervene and its mode of management

Establish the strategy and mobilise the resources (HR, supply, finance ...)

Assess the safety and security in contexts of conflict and tension

Determine supply routes

Ensure that the various departments are mobilised to respond appropriately to the identified needs

Coordinate emergency-related activities with the Emergency Desks of the other MSF Operational Centres

Organise short ad hoc training for Mobile Staff leaving to emergency projects when the situation requires it

Estimate budget needs for first months and present to Directors of Operations for approval

Prepare budget and narrative for donors when requested

During the emergency

Monitor the situation and refocus, readjust the strategy and the resources (HR, supply, finance)

ensures effective collaboration with other OCs / HRT (eDesk or regular cells) via InterDesk or bilateral channels

Keep regular contact with the programme and give feedbacks to the team on ongoing operations, mirror effect

Evaluate needs of for advocacy & positioning with direct support of the Analysis and Communication Departments

Keep the relevant Directors of Operations informed, as well as the departments and other emergency desks on the evolution of the activities

Assure, in collaboration with the medical coordinator and epidemiologist, appropriate and timely medical data collection and analysis

Produce and share daily or weekly update

In insecure contexts, monitor the security and take appropriate measures in close coordination with Security Focal Point and Security Mobile Implementation Officers in insecure contexts

Assess the possibility of launching an evaluation of the response as early as possible during the course of the emergency response

After the emergency

Prepare activity and financial reports

Assess the response and draw the lessons learned on medical and logistics strategy, supply, ... After Action Review (AAR):

Organise meetings to discuss lessons learned and agree on follow-up actions

Launch emergency response in the countries of interventions, make field assessment at the onset of an emergency / epidemic / etc. and perform gap fil as EMCOin ongoing E-response

Outside of the direct management of an emergency

Support and advise the different cells on emergency response

Support and collaborate with local Emergency Pools, such as Pool d’Urgence Congo (PUC), MEET (Ethiopia), ALERT (Lebanon) and SEP (Sudan), through training, visits, technical support, exchanges of expertise and staff detachments to and from these projects

Support project teams in setting up local emergency teams

Participate in various trainings on demand such as the Populations in Precarious Situations, Project Coordination Course, and regional trainings

Participate in project committees when there is an “emergency” component

Attend meetings of the Operations Department (Project Committees, review of multi-year/annual plans, budgets and goals, ad hoc meetings ...)

Monitor ’at-risk’ medical issues, such as malnutrition and outbreak-prone diseases, including cholera, dengue, Ebola and malaria, as well as other humanitarian crises, such as population displacement, refugee movements and medical-humanitarian access constraints, in different countries or regions

Strategies with other departments to improve intervention, based on recommendations of AAR & evaluations

Develop vulnerability risk charts (security, political, economic, social, climate, environmental, health) per region/country with the collaboration of missions & cells in order to feed Emergency Preparedness Research Evaluation & Practice (EPREP) plans and trigger timely action

Implement appropriate indicators and analyse them regularly

Cross-disciplinary tasks as Emergency Coordinator

Develop different supply options according to the Emergency Scenarios and potential constraints (shutdown of airlines, disturbance of the supply chain, etc.) together with the Emergency Log/supply and Pharmacy Manager

Adapt existing emergency training programmes and develop new ones in collaboration with the HR team

Work with the Risk Management Unit to update the security tools, training and policies

Work with Safeguarding Unit to implement MSF OCB safeguarding minimum standards

Work with the Knowledge Management Unit of the Logistics Department and other Information Management experts, with the aim of ensuring that all Emergency Responders working in MSF programmes and projects have immediate access to the best available information

REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

Minimum 5 years’ experience with MSF in a senior management role such as Country Coordinator, Country Representative, Emergency Coordinator at project level, Medical Coordinator, or at HQ

Experience in managing complex emergency responses across multiple crisis typologies, including conflict, epidemics, natural disasters, and population displacement

In the last 5 years, having participated in at least two major emergency interventions, including one in a position of coordination is mandatory

MSF experience in OCB is an asset

Strategic vision and decision-making

Strong leadership and management capabilities

Excellent written and verbal communication, diplomacy and negotiation skills

Strong interpersonal skills and awareness of team dynamics

Ability to work under pressure, with good self-awareness and management of personal well-being

Commitment to team well-being, mutual support and the prevention of professional exhaustion

Flexibility and autonomy

Knowledge of international humanitarian law is an asset

Languages

Proficiency in English and French, both written & spoken is mandatory

Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic is an asset

Other

3 - 4 project visits per year related to the emergency (sometimes on an emergency basis)

CONDITIONS

Expected starting date: as soon as possible

Location: Brussels (Belgium)

Contract type: open-ended contract – Full-time

Salary according to MSF-OCB HQ grid

Meal Vouchers - Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs – 1 day homeworking per week

Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment

• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments

Deadline for applications: 1st of Novembre 2026

MSF values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.