Social Science Operational Research Advisor (f/m/x) — Association d'aide médicale humanitaire

CONTEXT

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides aid 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 race, religion, creed, or political affiliation.

MSF Luxembourg

MSF Luxembourg is a historical partner section of the MSF movement created in 1986. With 35 staff members, the section’s team works to raise awareness on humanitarian issues among Luxembourg’s population, raise funds needed to finance humanitarian interventions, supports MSF volunteers who go into the field and carry out operational research projects directly linked to health programs to help improve their efficiency and effectiveness.

Operational Centre Brussels (OCB)

Operational Centre Brussels (OCB) is one of the, at current 6 Operational Directorates or Operational Centres, the others are Operational Centres Amsterdam (OCA), Barcelona (OCBA), Geneva (OCG), Paris (OCP), Nairobi (Ubuntu) and Western and Central Africa (WaCa). OCB is made up of nine MSF partner sections (Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, South Africa and Sweden) and the Lebanon Branch Office.

The OCB Medical Department is a network of units, the Brussels Medical Unit (BRUMED in Brussels), the Southern African Medical Unit (SAMU) in Cape Town, the Luxembourg Operational Research unit (LuxOR) in Luxembourg, the Middle East Medical Unit (MEMU) in Beirut and the Brazilian Medical Unit (BRAMU) in Latin America and the Abidjan Medical Unit in Abidjan. The medical operations of OCB are covered between seven Operational Cells that support different countries.

Luxembourg Operational Research unit (LuxOR)

The Luxembourg Operational Research Unit (LuxOR) was founded in 2009 by MSF Luxembourg and is a part of the MSF-OCB Medical Department but collaborates widely with all entities in the MSF movement. Operational Research helps MSF take an in-depth look at its programs and operations, evaluates what is working well, and shows what can and needs to be improved. Since 2019, LuxOR added to OR the support and a coordination role for the different epidemiology advisors and field epidemiologists, providing technical support, guidance and advice to the field-epidemiologists in the different OCB missions with the aim to improve data quality, analyses and visualization to support operational decision-making.

MSF OCB Abidjan Medical Unit (AMU) and WaCa (West and Central Africa)

The OCB-Abidjan Medical Unit (AMU) is hosted in Ivory Coast, Abidjan and hosts different medical and technical referents from different OCB departments with the aim to be closer embedded in the region of operations in west and Central Africa (through OCBs operational Cells 1 and 2). MSF-WaCa is a newer MSF entity with the ambitions to become an Operational Centre in the future. The OCB-AMU is hosted in the same building as WaCa and the entities work with each other through an agreement model established between the medical departments of OCB and WaCa. Operational research and epidemiology support executed by LuxOR are also part of this agreement.

The position will be working as an OR advisor supporting global operations of OCB but will also focus on strengthening capacity in the West and Central African region.

FUNCTIONAL INTERACTIONS

The LuxOR Director is the overall medical department reference person regarding guiding global policy and strategic aspects of operational research and the routine epidemiology advisor support structure in OCB and provides overall strategic guidance and management to team members. Through the director, as appropriate there are designated interactions with larger member of MSF through Circles, Platforms, and others.
The LuxOR Coordinator is co-responsible for team management, research system support, OR coordination, budget and communication activities of the unit.
The LuxOR team consist of Operational Research advisors, field epidemiology advisors, medical editor and research process coordinator. Staff is based in different locations based in different countries/MSF-OCB medical units, there is no functional hierarchical link between positions and all team members report to the LuxOR Director and Coordinator.

MAIN PURPOSE:

The Operational Research Advisor guides and supports all stages of operational research—from developing study protocols and ensuring methodological and ethical quality to analyzing data, disseminating results, and advising on strategic research priorities for research. The role also strengthens research capacity, promotes OR engagement within and outside MSF, and fosters collaboration across teams, partners, and thematic units.

The Operational Research Advisor will support operational research activities at different level: project(s), country(ies), HQ and movement level. These can be elaborated as:

1. Support Operational Research (OR) activities:

OR cycle: Assist and provide guidance with every step of the Operational Research process, including Operational Research Committee/existing mechanism
Research questions, Concept Notes and protocols:
- Assist in creating and refining research question(s) as base of developing rigorous concept note and study protocols.
- Ensure that the methodologies chosen is adequate and appropriate to the research question.
- Draft or review study documents to ensure adherence to MSF Ethics Review Board (ERB) guidance and requirements for ethical review.
- Provide technical support and guidance to Principal Investigator(s) and research team at large, strengthening their research skills.
- Provide editorial and writing support of OR outputs: assist in writing manuscripts, research or policy briefs, and other outputs related to OR.
- Data analysis: Provide direct support to ensure appropriate data management, solid data analysis, and theoretical interpretation of findings, including statistical analysis where applicable, based on reflexivity, positionality, and acquired theoretical knowledge on the specific topic.
- Research dissemination:
  - Support the sharing of research findings, both internally and externally, including publications and presentations at conferences/workshops.
  - Mentor other researchers for abstract and presentation development for scientific days/conferences.
  - Develop collaboratively dissemination plan that translate to policy/practice.
Provide advise as scientific research expert in MSF activities that interact with OR.
Monitor and implement OR activities within his/her domains.

2. Research design, Data Analysis & Technical Support

Provide input on appropriate study design(s) or method(s) used in any OR, including data sources, data collection tools, data encoding process and quality assurance.
Support advanced data analysis, triangulation of data and theoretical interpretation of findings and/or provide statistical support for operational research databases.
Provide technical support to the projects, cells when needed

3. Promote OR engagement within MSF:

Work closely with in-house experts to align research with MSF's strategic ambition, particularly medico-operational needs and priorities.
Contribute to developing OR priorities and strategies in their field of expertise that align with operational needs.
Drive the OR agenda and strategic decision making in their field of expertise by active participation in the OCB circles and the intersectional thematic discussion group.
Contribute to the LuxOR strategic cycle and plan.
Actively promote LuxOR strategies and the role of humanitarian research within MSF and beyond.
Build, network and strengthen relationships with other researchers to support research collaborations and exchange of research findings
Contribute to maintaining and updating the annual OR agenda.
Advocate for translating research findings into practical changes and policies.

4. Promote MSF OR engagement outside MSF:

Engage with thematic related research with external partners such as expert networks, academia, regional public health institutions
Represent MSF(OCB) on international conferences related to their field of expertise

5. Support research capacity building:

Project visits – conduct necessary project visit per year (up to 30%) to provide on-site research support and operational assistance.
Contribute to identifying gaps in research skills and organize training in particular on data literacy, analysis and methods and address the gaps adequately.
Participate in learning and development activities on operational research, like SORT-IT courses and OR workshops.
Lead or support capacity building sessions and training around their thematic expertise.
Knowledge management: Maintain an organized library of research guidelines and protocols and support training for data teams.

6. Support in advancing social sciences in MSF in coordination with public health intelligence:

Contribute to advancing of community and patients' participation and engagement in the OR environment and knowledge production in MSF
Information sharing, coordinate with OR, epidemiology, and data teams, especially in areas like surveillance, outbreak response, and data analysis.
Ensuring conducive data environment in collaboration with relevant other units
Team linkages, facilitate collaboration between different MSF units involved in OR projects.
Documentation: keep up-to-date with and help organize technical documentation related to OR and epidemiology.
Lead and coordinate the write-up of reports in their field of expertise.

7. Specific OR advisor competencies

Social Sciences and Medical Anthropology focus: Provide specialized support for research in relevant domain, in close key stakeholders (medical referents, cell and operational team, etc).
As needed, support and coordinate development of guidelines, indicators and tools for monitoring and evaluation in their field of expertise, and in concordance with MSF practices.
Support in the implementation of social sciences knowledge in MSF research and operational environment and ensure these are shared in the proper technical referent groups.
Promote the importance of quality OR across teams as an essential activity.
Participate in relevant Luxor meetings and activities in coordination with the Luxor team.

8. Ensure regional anchorage (West Africa)

Contribute to the development and implementation of OR studies in the West Africa region, conducted by any OC/OD.
Support the capacity building initiatives in the field of OR for the teams in the West Africa region.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Education

Postgraduate training in Social sciences, Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Qualitative Methods for Public Health (MSc, level, PhD is a strong asset).
Specific training and practical competence in applied medical anthropology is an advantage.
Advanced studies on research methodologies are desirable.
Possess valid and updated certification in good clinical practice (GCP)

Experience

Proven track record of field research experience in MSF or another humanitarian NGO, including having conducted ethnographic works in a low resource settings.
Experience in designing and implementing complex studies in humanitarian settings; or experience in managing research with different methodologies
Science communication experiences is an advantage

Languages

High fluency in English (C1 or above)
French is a requirement (C1 or above).

Knowledge

A Social sciences profile is required. A specific orientation towards medical anthropology or anthropology of global health and humanitarian settings is an asset
Understanding of the main theoretical debates on social sciences applied in health and humanitarian contexts

Competencies

Proficiency qualitative methods and analysis for public health
Strong skills in study designs, analytical methods, reflexivity, positionality and data analysis and interpretation. Knowledge of different software packages is an added value:
Nvivo or similar for data analysis
Data collection tools (Kobo, RedCap)
Experience in scientific protocol writing and proven use of different qualitative study designs, including profound understanding of the concepts of bias
High degree of understanding and practicing reflexivity and positionality throughout all phases of research process
Understanding of theoretical debates on social sciences and medical anthropology
Capacity to develop mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) research designs in coordination with other research advisors
Capacity to quickly get familiar with the literature on different topics related to the operational priorities.
A high degree of initiative and work autonomy, team interaction and diplomacy are required to be able to interact at various levels within the department, in MSF and outside.
Ability to adapt to changing circumstances, contexts, tasks, responsibilities, and people.
Willingness and ability to function in a team, transparent communication with colleagues.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for interacting with stakeholders
Solid scientific integrity, transparency, attention to detail.
Ability to handle multiple projects or activities simultaneously, and to deliver quality outputs within deadlines.
Proactivity and leadership capacity to drive operational epidemiological activities.
Flexibility for regular travel (up to 30% of working time), possibly at short notice. Ability and willingness to spend time in often difficult and unstable contexts.
Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments.

CONTRACT CONDITIONS AND BENEFITS

One year contract with probationary period and possibility of extension - Full time
Based in Abidjan within the newly established OCB Abidjan medical Unit. This can be a family duty station
Monthly gross salary will depend on the residency, professional experience and years of MSF experience
Health insurance, transport allowance as per relevant MSF policy.
Contract start date: April/May 2026

Deadline application date: 16^th March 2026