Partnerships Manager, Southeast Asia

Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent, international medical and humanitarian organization that provides care to people in need, people affected by natural or man-made disasters, and victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and without regard to race, religion, creed or political affiliation (MSF Charter).

The OCG Strategic Plan (2020-25) outlines the evolution of OCG as a “multicentric organizational structure that builds on the synergies of our MSF and OCG network and partnerships with local, regional, and international institutions.” 

In line with the OCG strategic plan to become a more networked organization, our ambition is to anticipate and respond to the humanitarian needs arising in Southeast Asia, including those needs arising from the consequences of climate change and health. Our intention is to partner within and outside of MSF to develop relevant operational initiatives to fulfil our social mission and balance OCG presence in Southeast Asia relative to our operational portfolio.

In 2023 OCG conducted a review of the South-East Asia region and decided to increase its footprint in the region. To do so, the development of operations is paramount. OCG will undertake exploratory missions in SE Asia (not the Pacific) during the last half of 2024 that will look at (a) the administrative setup in countries where we could establish a mission coordination style setup, and (b) the medical operational opportunities in the region from which we will establish up to two new projects, possibly before the end of 2024.

The initial objective of the Partnerships Manager is to facilitate the work of the team conducting exploration missions by engaging with locally based MSF partners. A second objective of the position is to actively engage and strengthen relations with existing MSF partners in the region, leveraging local expertise and knowledge.

To date, OCG presence in Asia includes operations in Myanmar for over twenty years, and in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 2009. In 2012, the MSF Korea branch office was established jointly between OCG and MSF Japan. Currently, the MSF Australia office hosts and provides back-office support for OCG missions in DPRK and Kiribati. The renewed APAC partnership in 2024 between MSF Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea provides opportunities for collaboration with OCG.

The Partnerships Manager, Southeast Asia reports directly to the OCG Deputy Director General, External Affairs, and works in partnership with MSF partners and department directors to develop: 1. annual planning, 2. General management and 3. Partnership stewardship and network

• Develops annual plan of activities for 2025 for OCG in Southeast Asia
• Manages resources allocated to OCG presence in Malaysia, prepares and monitors budgets
• Engages actively with other MSF entities and external organizations in the region to discover synergies.
• Internally and externally represents OCG in Malaysia and stakeholders in the region
• Engages with other OCG staff based in Kuala Lumpur (Mental Health Referent, explo members), ensuring good team dynamics, building strong connections and the link with other sections present.

Education

• Advanced university degree in management, human sciences or international relations (Masters in Public Health, Public Policy, International Relations or related field)

Experience

• Operational experience in the humanitarian field, preferably in the Southeast Asia region.
• Senior management experience (minimum 5 years)
• Strong interpersonal skills and capacity to build constructing and trusting working relations
• Ability to think strategically
• Strong experience in partnering and networking

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English a must
• Other languages are an asset: local regional languages, French, or German

Personal Abilities/Qualities

• Excellent ability to work in a multicultural environment, committed to demonstrate and support for diversity, gender-responsiveness, inclusion, and non-discriminatory behavior and attitudes
• Commitment to MSF’s Principles
• Leadership – encourages, engages, and motivates people
• Strategic Vision
• Negotiation and networking skills, ability to build relations.
• Planning and Organization
• Teamwork and Cooperation

• Full-time position 100%
• Fixed-term contract, 24 months
• Working place: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with regular field visits
• Ideal start date: As soon as possible
• Salary: according to MSF international salary scale (IRP2)

Candidates submit their application following the requirements: CV 2 p. max. – letter of motivation 1p. max. – in French or English.

Deadline for application is September 8th, 2024.

We reserve the right to close the position early if we consider the number and quality of applications received to be sufficient.

The applications will be treated confidentially.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Only applications submitted on our recruitment platforms will be considered.

Please note that we do not wish to use the services of recruitment or placement agencies.

At MSF, we are committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our staff members. We strive to create workplaces where teams of people with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together for the social mission of MSF to create better outcomes for our patients and the communities we work with.

We welcome applications from individuals of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities, background, religions, beliefs, ability status, and all other diversity characteristics.

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference checks.