Application Guide

How to Apply for FRENCH AND ENGLISH-SPEAKING FIELD FINANCE COORDINATOR

at Médecins Sans Frontières

🏢 About Médecins Sans Frontières

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is unique as an independent medical-humanitarian organization that operates on principles of neutrality, impartiality, and medical ethics, often working in conflict zones and crisis areas where others cannot. Someone might want to work here to directly contribute to life-saving operations while navigating complex financial challenges in humanitarian contexts, combining professional finance skills with meaningful humanitarian impact.

About This Role

This Field Finance Coordinator role involves designing and implementing financial strategies for MSF missions in developing countries, ensuring compliance with both MSF policies and local legal frameworks while managing treasury, accounting, and budget analysis. The role is impactful because it directly enables MSF's medical operations by maintaining financial integrity in challenging environments, allowing resources to flow efficiently to frontline medical teams treating populations in distress.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve morning video calls with field teams in different time zones to review daily treasury positions, followed by analyzing budget variances for medical supply purchases, then developing training materials for local finance staff on MSF procedures. The role requires constant adaptation as security situations or medical needs change, balancing spreadsheet work with real-time problem-solving for field operations.

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🎯 Who Médecins Sans Frontières Is Looking For

  • Has 3+ years of finance coordination/management experience specifically with international organizations (INGOs) in developing countries, not just corporate finance experience
  • Demonstrates proven budget management expertise within humanitarian or development contexts, understanding donor restrictions and field operational constraints
  • Possesses native or near-native proficiency in both French and English, with experience using both languages professionally in finance contexts
  • Shows experience building and mentoring finance teams in cross-cultural, high-pressure environments typical of humanitarian missions

📝 Tips for Applying to Médecins Sans Frontières

1

Quantify your INGO experience: Instead of 'managed budgets,' specify 'managed €2M annual budget across 3 countries with 15% efficiency improvement'

2

Highlight specific developing country contexts: Name countries where you've worked and describe financial challenges unique to those regions (currency volatility, banking limitations, etc.)

3

Demonstrate bilingual capability: Submit application materials in both English and French, or at minimum include a note about your proficiency level in each

4

Reference MSF's principles: Show understanding of how financial decisions align with medical ethics and neutrality in conflict zones

5

Provide examples of adapting financial systems to resource-limited settings: Describe innovations you implemented when standard corporate tools weren't available

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Specific examples of managing finance teams and systems in developing country INGO contexts, not just general management experience', 'Demonstrated ability to implement financial controls in challenging environments with limited infrastructure', 'Experience balancing donor compliance requirements with operational flexibility needed in emergency responses', 'How your language skills have enabled effective financial coordination across multicultural teams and with local authorities']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → MSF's specific financial challenges in recent operations (e.g., responses in Ukraine, Sahel region, or Bangladesh refugee camps)
  • → The organization's 'témoignage' (witnessing) principle and how it might intersect with financial operations
  • → MSF's operational structure: how field missions relate to operational centers and how finance flows between them
  • → Recent MSF financial reports or audits to understand their current financial priorities and challenges
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Describe a time you had to adapt financial procedures during a sudden emergency response or security deterioration
2 How would you handle a situation where medical needs conflict with donor budget restrictions?
3 Walk us through your approach to building financial capacity with local staff who may have limited formal finance training
4 What specific challenges have you faced managing treasury in countries with banking instability or currency controls?
5 How do you ensure financial transparency and accountability while maintaining operational security in conflict zones?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on corporate finance experience without demonstrating understanding of humanitarian finance constraints
  • Overemphasizing French or English proficiency without providing concrete examples of professional use in finance contexts
  • Applying with a generic INGO application rather than tailoring to MSF's specific medical-humanitarian mandate and field-based operations

📅 Application Timeline

⏰ Deadline: March 18, 2026

We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Médecins Sans Frontières!

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