Head of Association

MSF Eastern Africa is looking for a Head of Association Do your skills and experience not precisely match the requirements? MSF is an organization committed to promoting diversity and equity by providing equal access to professional opportunities. We understand that women, people of color, indigenous individuals, members of the LGTB+ community, and other underrepresented groups often hesitate to apply for employment if they don't meet all the requirements. At MSF EA, we strive to create a diverse, inclusive, and genuine workplace. Therefore, if you're interested in this position but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the selection criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the ideal candidate for this or other positions. Introduction Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organisation that provides assistance to people affected by conflicts, epidemics, and natural or human-made disasters and excluded from healthcare. We provide this assistance without discrimination, irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. About MSF Eastern Africa MSF Eastern Africa is the regional institutional office of MSF. It focuses on representation and networking, recruiting and supporting staff from the region, communications and fundraising, as well as working on other dossiers of importance to MSF such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Data Protection, mutualization, training, medical operational support and environmental health. Rationale/Objective for Position The Head of Association is responsible for leading the Association and Board team, ensuring that the board operates and conducts its governance and practical duties and responsibilities optimally and overseeing all the operations of the Association office. The jobholder serves as the liaison between the Board and all relevant key stakeholders including members, EA executive, Associations of other MSF sections, regional operations among others. This position will be hierarchically accountable to the MSF EA Board , and functionally accountable to the MSF EA Board President. Tasks & Responsibilities Strategic Responsibilities: Advise and guide the Board’s conception, organization, implementation, and articulation of its position and mandate. Identify, develop and implement the team’s strategic and tactical priorities and goals, and facilitate the work of team members. Technical and Operational Responsibilities: Leadership and Administration. Oversee the identification, creation, upkeep, and implementation of relevant governance and associative policies and processes. Act as an extension of the Board and MSF EA President towards MSF EA and other stakeholders and ensure visibility of the governance of MSF EA to represent the Board’s priorities, decisions, and concerns. Act as a conduit for information and analysis to the Board and Association regarding topics of importance within MSF EA, UBUNTU Operations, and MSF International. Drive and enable the MSF EA Association to act as the accountability and higher governance body in the organization. Work with the President and Board, develop, review, and ensure implementation of the MSF EA Association Annual plan and budget, including reporting onimplementation progress. Associative Support Strengthen and coordinate development of the EAA associative focal persons network by ensuring each country and project has focal persons and supporting member countries with recruitment, induction, training, capacity building and Associative Life stimulation. Ensure the General Assembly is organized in such a way that its objectives can be met, in the interests of effective and responsible governance. Partner with the Operational Centre Associative Coordinators to coordinate and support implementation of intersectional Field Associative Debates (FADs) in the Eastern African countries with MSF presence. Membership Oversee membership recruitment, applications processing, database management, effective communication, and reporting. Oversee the development and maintenance of associative websites and stimulate discussions on online platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp, slack, souk, e-voting system, etc. Collaboration and Engagements Keep in touch with the Associations of partner sections, and organize various events to exchange views, opinions, practices and create connections. Represent the Association in public or in MSF events when necessary. Aid the organization of international MSF events & conferences when needed. Other Responsibilities Supervise, mentor and coach staff in the Asso and Board office. Participate in International Projects/Coordinate and implement new initiatives as agreed by the EAA board e.g. planning and implementation of the urban space’s initiative in EA. Ensure accurate integration of EDI & Safeguarding aspects into all policies and practices within the MSF EA Association. Recognize, respond, and document any form of abuse or inappropriate behavior and alert the safeguarding unit of any suspected potential abuse. Compliance Assurance - Ensure that all data processing activities within the MSF EA Association comply with relevant data protection laws and regulations, including the Data Protection Act, 2019 and support your team to receive necessary training in this area. Policy Adherence - Enforce data protection policies, procedures, and guidelines within the MSF EA Association, ensuring that all team members are aware of and adhere to these protocols. Proactively participate in the individual performance management process including objective setting, performance monitoring and performance evaluation. Recognize and reinforce strong performance in the EA Association team; identify and encourage improvement where needed; and ensure quality and timely performance management process is carried out for the EA Association team. Qualifications Education A bachelor’s degree in international relations, Art and Humanity, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or an equivalent qualification from a recognized institution. Experience At least five (5) years of MSF experience in the field, headquarters, or coordinating MSF Associations Strong working knowledge of the Eastern Africa context and of global humanitarian affairs. A good understanding of the financial procedures and policies of MSF is an added advantage. Fluency in English is required, and knowledge of either Swahili, French or Arabic is an asset. Competencies Technical Competencies Computer literacy with excellent MS Office, Outlook, power point and excel. Ability to effectively navigate through social media and interactive platforms. Good database management skills. Excellent writing and editing skills: report writing, agenda, minutes and speech drafting Behavioral/General Competencies Committed to humanitarian principles. Attention to detail. Proven leadership skills. Willingness to work beyond official working hours. Willingness to travel within and outside the country. Ability to relate with people of all cultures. Strong planning and organizing skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. What We Offer: Contract: A three(3) Year, full-time employment contract through MSF East Africa Section Office in Nairobi, Kenya. For global staff, the contract is renewed every 3 years as per the law. Salary: An annual salary of EUR 40,582 at HQ Grade 10 based on a full-time appointment with an annual increment of 2% every year up to a maximum of 10 years. Work-life balance financial benefit; ranging between EUR 620 to 1,159/month based on individual & administrative status. This amount may be used to cover accommodation and utilities, transportation, etc. Other benefits include; Annual Leave: 25 days of annual leave per year. Other Holidays: sick leave, circumstantial leave, maternity leave (21 weeks), paternity leave (4 weeks), own affairs days off, etc. Employer Pension contribution : 10% of basic salary: International insurance for both medical and disability. Relocation support for non-Kenyan residents ; based on MSF EA terms/conditions. Only applicable if the contract is more than 1 year. Work-life balance : Daily flexi-hours and 2 days working from home possible. School fees benefits : for eligible dependents, based on individual & administrative status. Diverse team composition ; Collaborate with a global network of talented professionals, bringing diverse perspectives and expertise from around the world. Career Development : MSF provides many learning resources (online learning resources, regular trainings – including language, Peer to peer learning. Mobility : You will have opportunities to travel abroad for work, meetings, trainings and workshops; giving you a chance to experience different cultures and broaden your professional network. Annual home leave ticket : To be taken once every year for both staff and eligible dependents back to their home country for vacation. Only applicable to non-Kenyans and based on individual & administrative status.

- If you recognize yourself in this profile, we welcome you to apply directly via [this link](https://msf-ea.odoo.com/jobs/detail/head-of-association-175)or from the [MSF EA website](https://msf.or.ke/work-with-us), ReliefWeb, LinkedIn, or the MSF International website. - Applicants are required to upload a Letter of Motivation + Curriculum Vitae (in English) in PDF format as one combined document. - The closing date for applications is on 1st January 2026. - If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact [email protected] before the vacancy closing date. Kindly use this email only for technical issues related to your application, for example, if you do not receive an automated response or encounter problems uploading documents. Applications sent directly to this email will not be considered. ### Information The protection of your personal data is important to MSF. By submitting your application, you consent to MSF using your personal data only for the recruitment process to have all the information and documents necessary to proceed with the recruitment, validation of your application and selection of the most suitable candidate. Your personal data will be treated confidentially. MSF will not use your personal data in any other way not foreseen for purposes of recruitment. MSF is an equal opportunity employer and does not charge any application/ recruitment fee.