Application Guide

How to Apply for Safeguarding Coordinator

at Médecins Sans Frontières

🏢 About Médecins Sans Frontières

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is unique as an independent, neutral medical humanitarian organization that operates in conflict zones and crisis areas where others cannot or will not go. Working for MSF means joining a movement of medical professionals and support staff who prioritize human dignity and medical ethics above political agendas, offering a rare opportunity to directly impact vulnerable populations in the world's most challenging environments.

About This Role

As Safeguarding Coordinator, you'll be responsible for implementing MSF's safeguarding policies across a country program, ensuring protection mechanisms are operational in high-risk humanitarian contexts. This role is impactful because you'll directly shape how MSF prevents harm and responds to safeguarding concerns for both beneficiaries and staff in complex emergency settings.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve virtual meetings with field teams across different time zones to discuss safeguarding concerns, adapting training materials for local contexts, reviewing incident reports while maintaining strict confidentiality, and collaborating with medical coordinators to integrate safeguarding into daily operations. You'll balance policy development with practical support to teams working in challenging environments.

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🎯 Who Médecins Sans Frontières Is Looking For

  • Has 2+ years of hands-on safeguarding experience in humanitarian or international development contexts, not just theoretical knowledge
  • Demonstrates specific experience designing and delivering safeguarding training for multicultural teams in challenging environments
  • Shows current understanding of international safeguarding standards (particularly IASC and CHS) as they apply to humanitarian operations
  • Has proven ability to handle sensitive cases with discretion while maintaining survivor-centered approaches in high-pressure situations

📝 Tips for Applying to Médecins Sans Frontières

1

Highlight specific experience with safeguarding in humanitarian or medical contexts, not just corporate environments

2

Demonstrate understanding of MSF's principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence in your application materials

3

Provide concrete examples of how you've adapted safeguarding approaches to different cultural contexts

4

Show familiarity with MSF's existing safeguarding framework and how you would build upon it

5

Emphasize experience working remotely with field teams across time zones and in low-connectivity environments

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your practical experience implementing safeguarding in humanitarian or emergency settings', "How you would adapt safeguarding approaches to MSF's medical humanitarian context specifically", 'Your approach to building trust and promoting safeguarding in multicultural, high-stress environments', 'Examples of balancing policy implementation with operational realities in resource-constrained settings']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → MSF's specific safeguarding policy framework and recent public reports on safeguarding
  • → MSF's operational contexts and challenges in specific countries where they work
  • → The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) and Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) requirements
  • → MSF's organizational structure and decision-making processes in country programs
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you approach implementing safeguarding policies in an MSF project facing active conflict?
2 Describe a time you had to handle a sensitive safeguarding case in a multicultural environment
3 How would you train medical staff with no prior safeguarding knowledge in a remote field location?
4 What specific challenges do you foresee in mainstreaming safeguarding in MSF's medical humanitarian work?
5 How would you measure the effectiveness of safeguarding initiatives in a country program?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using corporate or private sector safeguarding examples without connecting them to humanitarian contexts
  • Failing to demonstrate understanding of MSF's medical humanitarian mandate and operational constraints
  • Presenting safeguarding as purely a compliance exercise rather than a core protection function

📅 Application Timeline

⏰ Deadline: June 30, 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

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Good luck with your application to Médecins Sans Frontières!

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