Médecins Sans Frontières is looking for a Safeguarding Advisor

Application deadline: 2026-09-21

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Contract type: Full-time (100%, 40h/week), Open-ended contract

Start date: As soon as possible

Salary: Gross annual salary from CHF 94’440.- to CHF 108’348.- (commensurate with equivalent experience and internal salary grid)

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. OCG is strengthening its institutional safeguarding capacity. As part of this evolution, the former Abuse and Behavior Unit will become the Safeguarding Unit, reflecting MSF’s commitment to the four pillars of safeguarding: prevention, detection, reporting, and response.

The Safeguarding Unit will be reinforced by two Safeguarding Advisors and a Case Management Lead. The Safeguarding Advisors will provide technical expertise and support departments in developing policies, tools, and solutions that advance safeguarding objectives. The Case Management Lead will ensure the timely, effective, and high-quality management of complaints and reports received by the Unit, including allegations of abuse, fraud, and corruption.

In parallel, the Operational Department will establish an Operational Safeguarding Manager position. This role will lead the implementation of safeguarding across programmes, provide strategic support to operations, and coordinate the deployment of the flying safeguarding team to support the achievement of safeguarding objectives according to the context and needs of each mission.

The Safeguarding Advisor is a key role in providing analysis, tools and policies to foster an environment free of abuse for MSF staff, patients and communities.

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Bring in relevant external expertise to facilitate the safeguarding need analysis closely with departments and field teams to identify challenges, risks and gaps in the implementation of safeguarding objectives.
• Lead the development of guidance, solutions, policies, tools, learning content at OCG level to strengthen capacity, promote effective knowledge transfer, and support consistent implementation across departments and field teams.
• Apply a pedagogical approach to the design and delivery of safeguarding content to ensure it is accessible, engaging, context-appropriate, and relevant to different roles and levels of responsibility (including staff, patient caregivers, and community members).
• Consolidate organizational knowledge on the prevention, detection and reporting of abuse to translate lessons learned into practical tools, training and coaching modules on safeguarding.

Your profile

Education

• Master's degree or equivalent in a field relevant to this profile (e.g. law, social or organizational sciences, psychology, social work etc.)

Experience

• 2 to 5 years of experience in MSF programs and/or in any comparable non-governmental organisations.
• Proven experience and technical expertise in a relevant field, preferably within NGOs, charities, or international organizations is an asset.
• Experience in leading and conducting workplace administrative investigations in the Humanitarian sector is a plus.

Languages

• Fluency in at least two of the following languages: French, English, Arabic, or Spanish.

Skills / Qualities

• Active Listening, Effective Verbal Communication, Written Communication, Persuasion & Influence, Cross-Cultural Sensitivity, Analytical Thinking, Critical Thinking, Creativity & Innovation, Integrity & Ethical Judgment, Commitment to Humanitarian Principles, Accountability, Compliance & Policy Adherence, Transparency & Honesty.

Terms of employment

• Paid vacation: 25 days per year, prorate temporis, plus any Swiss public holidays falling within the contract period.
• Pension plan: Pension contribution covered 3/4 by MSF, 1/4 by staff member.
• Relocation: Support available for eligible candidates.

How to apply

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

• CV (maximum 2 pages)
• Cover letter (maximum 1 page)
• Documents must be submitted in either English or French.

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.

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