Application Guide
How to Apply for Travel Referent
at Médecins Sans Frontières
🏢 About Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is the world's leading independent medical humanitarian organisation, delivering emergency aid in over 70 countries to people affected by conflict, epidemics, and disasters. Working at MSF International means supporting a global movement of 24 sections and 28 associations, where your coordination directly enables medical teams to reach those most in need. It's a unique opportunity to combine professional logistics expertise with a deeply human mission.
About This Role
The Travel Referent manages all travel arrangements for MSF International staff based across multiple MSF entities, liaising with finance, procurement, partner sections, decentralised hubs, the GPU, and external suppliers like AMEX and accommodation providers. You are the central point ensuring that staff movements—often to challenging field locations—are efficient, compliant, and cost-effective. This role is pivotal in enabling MSF's operations to run smoothly, directly supporting the organisation's ability to respond rapidly to emergencies.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve booking urgent travel for a staff member deploying to an emergency, coordinating with AMEX to adjust an itinerary, and liaising with finance to ensure cost allocation across MSF entities. You'd also handle visa applications, update travel policies, and troubleshoot issues for staff in different time zones—all while keeping MSF's humanitarian principles at the forefront.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Médecins Sans Frontières Is Looking For
- 3–5 years of experience in travel management, corporate travel coordination, or logistics, preferably within an international NGO, humanitarian, or multi-entity organisation.
- Strong knowledge of global travel booking systems (e.g., Amex GBT, Sabre, or similar), visa and immigration requirements, and duty-of-care protocols for staff travelling to high-risk areas.
- Exceptional coordination and communication skills to work across multiple MSF entities, external suppliers, and internal departments (finance, procurement, HR) in a decentralised environment.
- Fluency in English (French is a strong asset) and valid work authorisation in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, or Paris—the role is remote but anchored in one of these MSF hubs.
📝 Tips for Applying to Médecins Sans Frontières
Explicitly state your work authorisation for one of the five listed locations (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, Paris) in your CV or cover letter—applications without this will be immediately disqualified.
Highlight any experience coordinating travel for staff in high-risk or remote locations, as MSF's field operations often involve complex itineraries and duty-of-care considerations.
Mention specific travel management systems (e.g., Amex GBT, Concur, Sabre) and your familiarity with multi-entity or decentralised organisational structures.
Demonstrate understanding of MSF's humanitarian principles and the unique travel needs of field staff—show that you grasp the urgency and sensitivity of their operations.
Submit your application well before the 20th October 2026 deadline, as MSF may review applications on a rolling basis and the start date is not until January 2027, indicating a thorough selection process.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
In your cover letter, emphasise: (1) your hands-on experience managing complex international travel, ideally for humanitarian or field-based staff; (2) your ability to coordinate across multiple entities and external suppliers in a decentralised environment; (3) your commitment to MSF's humanitarian principles and how you would support staff travelling to challenging contexts; and (4) your valid work authorisation for one of the specified locations and availability for an 80% permanent contract starting January 2027.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Learn about MSF's structure: the 24 sections, 28 associations, and how MSF International coordinates between them—this is crucial for understanding the multi-entity travel coordination aspect.
- → Research MSF's field operations and the types of locations staff travel to, including high-risk contexts, to appreciate the duty-of-care and logistical challenges.
- → Familiarise yourself with MSF's travel policies and any public information on their procurement and finance processes, as the role liaises closely with these departments.
- → Look into the specific MSF entities in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, and Paris to understand which one you'd be contracted by and any local employment conditions.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Failing to confirm your work authorisation for one of the five specified locations—this is a hard requirement and omission will lead to automatic rejection.
- Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't address MSF's humanitarian mission or the unique travel needs of a medical NGO.
- Underestimating the complexity of multi-entity coordination—avoid giving examples only from single-company travel management without showing adaptability to decentralised structures.
📅 Application Timeline
⏰ Deadline: October 20, 2026
We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Médecins Sans Frontières!