Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Referent (f/m/x) – Nairobi or Abidjan – MSF Belgium
Medical
Practical information
Country: Kenia
Location: Nairobi
MSF experience required: Previous MSF experience as an asset
Apply before: Wed, 11/18/2026 - 12:00
Contract type: Open ended
Length of contract: Indéterminée
Work model: On site
Language skills: French, English
Time allocation: Full time
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 medical department of MSF Belgium (OCB - Operational Center Brussels) plays a strategic role by defining the modalities of implementation of MSF’s medical strategy so that both coherence and quality can be safeguarded. Strategical support is given along the phases of the project cycle. It has a normative role and technical support function regarding implementation and follow-up of the projects. The medical department ensures knowledge transfer to the medical workforce and stimulates research and innovation by challenging current medical practices and scanning of new approaches.
It is composed of multiple specialists based across a network of units worldwide (Belgium, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Kenia, Luxembourg, and South Africa) and works in close collaboration with operations, other OCB departments and MSF movement. We are also supporting in some disciplines the projects of MSF WACA and Ubuntu.
In 2025, MSF-OCB treated 580,000 malaria patients. Over recent years, key priorities have included strengthening malaria prevention activities, expanding early diagnosis and treatment at community level, and improving the malaria response in emergency settings. MSF-OCB is also actively involved in operational research on malaria in pregnancy, on the performance of rapid diagnostic tests and antimalarial drug resistance, and on innovative vector control tools.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a divers group of diseases that primarily affect poor and underserved populations across a wide range of geographical settings. Within OCB the main ones are Leishmaniasis, Dengue and Chikungunya, Scabies and Snake Bites. Our main objectives for NTDs are to strengthen their integration into primary and secondary healthcare services and to maintain the capacity to respond to outbreaks.
The Malaria and NTD Referent serves as a technical expert on malaria and neglected tropical diseases across all MSF-OCB contexts, covering prevention, diagnosis, case management, and outbreak response, to ensure the quality and effectiveness of our interventions. The referent collaborates closely with the paediatric referents, vector control specialists, infectious disease and vaccination referents, and other medical department colleagues, as well as with the E-Health Unit, LUXOR, and the Learning & Development department.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy and Project Support
- To actively participate and contribute to OCBs medical strategy and strategic orientations and the realization of the medical department’s action plan.
- Provide pro-active and reactive technical and strategic support for malaria and NTDs to operations and projects:
- Identify major gaps in quality malaria prevention and care and co-define strategies for malaria interventions
- Ensure basic interventions in malaria prevention and care are offered in humanitarian emergency responses in contexts with moderate to high malaria transmission
- Ensure updates on malaria and NTD developments to staff in the medical department also involved in these domains (paediatricians, vector control specialists, Sexual and Reproductive Health care referents a.o.)
- Assure support on the development, implementation and monitoring of malaria and NTD activities through regular follow up meetings with project teams and project visits
- Provide tools and technical documents adapted to different epidemiological contexts to facilitate proper application of protocols and guidelines
- Conduct regular project visits to enable direct support and evaluation of activities and strategies
- Share reports of projects visited with relevant medical referents and operations department and provide active follow-up post visit
Normative and monitoring work
- Contribute to the development of guidelines and protocols, training modules and tools
- Keep up to date with new developments and research in malaria and NTDs and establish the relevance for MSF settings
- Proactively capitalize lessons learnt from different projects and disseminate to medical, operations and projects
- Ensure appropriate choice of indicators and related data collection tools, in collaboration with the E-Health Unit
- Contribute and be actively involved in the collection and analysis of the yearly project data and in the writing of the OCB’s Medical Activity Report
- Offer support on operational research in collaboration with LUXOR; guide or conduct documentation of good practices and experiences on (eventually innovative) strategies including during supportive project visits
Training
Update, review and validate content of the yearly malaria trainings or modules of other trainings as well as participate and conduct trainings
Collaborate and work closely with L&D department (map training needs, contribute to designing training strategies and activities), MSF Academy, etc
Information and Knowledge management
Responsible for updating and dissemination of the information through the intranet and inventory, and work in close collaboration with the IKM team
Assure the technical briefing & debriefing of relevant positions
Internal Collaboration
To actively support and participate in various OCB medical circles and in the medical department meeting
Lead the malaria circle
To participate in the intersectional malaria and NTD collaborative platform
External representation
- To contribute to the building of a relevant network of experts in malaria and NTD to foster exchange, influence, and partnership possibilities
- To participate in workshops, international expert groups organized by WHO, Malaria Venture, academic institutions or other validated initiatives when relevant and needed
Other
Flexibility to carry out project visits in all MSF relevant contexts
REQUIREMENTS
- Education and experience
- Medical degree
- A diploma in tropical medicine or completion of tropical medicine modules as part of a medical degree is a strong asset
- Master's in public health/international health is an asset
- Experience in low-resource settings for at least 4 years in the field of tropical/infectious diseases
- Minimum 2 years of humanitarian work experience
- MSF experience, for example as country or project medical coordinator, is a major asset
Competencies
- Demonstrable skills in teaching, training, mentoring
- Cross cultural awareness
- Behavioural Flexibility
- Analytical Thinking
- Strategic Vision
- Results and Quality Orientation
- Initiative and Innovation
- Good teamwork and cooperation capacity
- Good command of Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Languages
- Proficient level in English, both written and spoken is mandatory
- Good knowledge of French is required
CONDITIONS
- Expected starting date: asap
- Location: Nairobi (Kenya) or Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)
- Contract type: open-ended contract – full-time
- Mobility: up to 30% per year of visits to the projects
- The contractual terms and conditions will be established according to the place of work, legal constraints and in respect of MSF standard function and salary grids
- 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: 19 November 2026
How to apply?
- Submit your application via the 'Apply here' button
- You will be directed to the online application form for this position
- It should take 5-10 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for having your CV and motivation letter ready to upload (in pdf format)
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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.
Deadline for applications: 19 November 2026
HOW TO APPLY:
Submit your application via the 'Apply here' button. You will be directed to the online application form for this position. It should take 5-10 minutes to complete. Please have your CV and motivation letter ready to upload (in pdf format). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.