Deputy Program Manager - Cell 4

We are looking for passionate candidates ready to contribute to our humanitarian mission.

Below, you will find the job details and the qualifications we are looking for.

Inclusivity and Diversity at MSF

Do your qualifications and experience not exactly match all requirements of the job?

At MSF OCG, we are committed to an inclusive culture that supports and amplifies 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 to advance MSF's social mission and create better outcomes for our patients and the communities we work with.

We understand that some people may hesitate to apply for employment if they don't meet all listed job requirements. Research shows that this is especially true for women. If you believe your profile is a good match for this position, we invite you to apply even if you don’t fulfil every listed qualification.

We encourage 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 undergo reference checks.

Context & mission

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 MSF movement is built around 5 operational centers supported by 24 sections and offices worldwide. MSF Operational Center Geneva (MSF OCG) is one of these centres.

We are looking for an experienced Deputy Program Manager (ARP) to join Cell 4.

Reporting to the Program Manager, the Deputy Program Manager plays a key role in steering MSF’s operations within Cell 4, contributing to operational decision-making and ensuring the relevance, timeliness and quality of MSF’s assistance. The role supports operational planning, resource mobilisation, programme monitoring, security and advocacy, while supervising and supporting Heads of Mission. As a central operational role within MSF, the Deputy Program Manager acts as a key interface between missions and headquarters, ensuring effective information flow, coherent HQ support and a shared understanding of operational priorities across OCG. The role also contributes to the internal visibility of programmes and to critical reflection on operational challenges and MSF’s social mission.

• In accordance with the Charter, the Chantilly / La Mancha agreements and OCG operational policy, the Deputy Program Manager ensures the overall relevance, timeliness and quality of MSF’s assistance to populations in danger within a selected group of countries.
• Is responsible for steering the operations planning cycle, ensuring that transversal internal processes are respected, that MSF policies are translated into action unless otherwise justified, and that resources are adequately mobilized to support operational objectives and the chosen intervention strategies.
• Ensures that key medical and/or humanitarian stakes are identified within each mission and project, prioritizes them, and carries them internally and externally through bilateral meetings, documentation, témoignage and communication; determines how MSF will address the issues at stake and defines its public position.
• Creates and maintains a network of relevant political, humanitarian, medical and academic contacts to ensure the best possible knowledge of the environment for teams working in the field, especially in tense contexts.
• Monitors the level of exposure to risk affecting teams in the field and validates the security framework proposed by the Heads of Mission for each project.
• Supervises, advises, supports and evaluates the Heads of Mission in the fulfilment of their overall responsibilities and duties; in this perspective, provides them with all relevant information and visits missions at key moments (exploratory missions, programme definition phases and/or reorientations due to evolving needs, context or policy).
• Organizes the best possible level of headquarters support to field operations by optimizing the input, expertise and control functions of professionals from different departments, each representing a technical field necessary for the effective running of projects in the field.
• Monitors programme implementation and the effective running of missions by analysing situation and programme reports submitted by the coordination and providing feedback; is accountable for timely reporting on operations, including institutional donors supporting MSF’s action in the field.
• Aims to continuously improve MSF’s medical assistance by evaluating results achieved, leading thematic working groups on intervention strategies, initiating critical reviews as needed, supporting operational research projects, and contributing to the design and delivery of training modules for coordinators.

Education

Languages

Personal Abilities/Qualities

Terms of employment

How to apply

Candidates are invited to submit their application exclusively through our recruitment platform, following these guidelines:

The application deadline is :

2026-11-01

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier if we receive a sufficient number of quality applications.

All applications will be treated confidentially.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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