Head of Mission Support  

Position status: Full Time

Location: Coordination office - Sana’a

Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, humanitarian, non-governmental organisation providing assistance to people in need as a result of natural and man-made disasters, irrespective of race, religion, ideology or politics.

Main Purpose

Support to the Head of Mission in networking and coordination with local and national authorities, as well as other external stakeholders, to ensure strong engagement, facilitate smooth collaboration, and secure operational access. This includes actively monitoring the humanitarian and security context, providing timely analysis to inform decision-making, and contributing to the overall planning of activities, including the review and update of the country policy and action plan. Additionally, managing key mission documentation, providing translations and interpretations in accordance with MSF protocols, and ensuring effective communication to enhance mission coordination and strengthen MSF’s operational presence in the country.

Accountabilities (Global)

• Support HOM in promoting and protecting the MSF image externally and assisting in context analysis, disseminating relevant context information to the coordination team, regularly informing them on key issues, updating general in-formation on the context for MSF internal documents and advising on cultural appropriateness of organized activities and individual behaviours.
• Analyse the risks and the security level of the context of the mission and assist in conducting risk assessments and in the development of security plans for the mission and projects. 
• A good understanding of security levels with pertinent input to the PCs and HOM overview on aspects of security management in the mission.
• Establish and maintain external relationships with relevant authorities and stakeholders. Keeping good knowledge of counterparts in different administrations and departments and keeping up to date records of field contacts (other NGOs, UN agencies, local authorities, etc.) verifying their accessibility to facilitate contacts and meetings.
• At the request of the Head of Mission, assisting the HOM or representing MSF in meetings (NGOs, official bodies, and administrations, etc.) and preparing full report.
• Ensure the follow up of relevant administrative dossiers such as the MSF registration in the country, working permits, immigration policies, national protocols, etc.
• At the request of the HOM, prepare and conduct an information briefing, focusing on the country context for Inter-national Regional and Relocated Staff.
• Guide and facilitate the management of MSF information and essential records and documents by the mission team, following MSF policies and guidelines.
• Translation of documents and an interpreter when needed. Write letters and correspondences with officials and partners, prepare reports, internal memos and formal requests as directed by HOM. Monitor mission correspondences in the absence of the HOM.

MSF Section/Context Specific Accountabilities

Key Responsibilities – Head of Mission Support (Yemen)

(i)    1. Context Analysis and Stakeholder Mapping

• Conduct comprehensive actor mapping at the national, provincial, and regional levels, analysing authorities, conflict dynamics, and power structures to support the Head of Mission in context analysis.
• Identify and map key actors, including non-state actors, de facto authorities, influential community figures, ethnic groups, and customary and political structures.
• Develop profile papers on key actors as required.
• Assess MSF’s perception among health professionals, the general population, and relevant stakeholders, including political authorities, armed actors, and religious leaders, to inform engagement strategies.

(ii)    2. Networking and External Relations

• Establish and maintain a formal and informal network of contacts to monitor trends, identify emerging risks, and deepen MSF’s understanding of humanitarian and political dynamics.
• Utilize these networks to secure access, overcome operational challenges, and advance MSF’s strategic objectives.
• Leverage on these networks to facilitate contacts, meetings and discussions with key authorities and other external stakeholders.
• Maintain an up-to-date mission contact list, including key national and local authorities (Presidency, Governorates, Ministries), security forces (Police, Military, MoI), tribal leaders, political power brokers, INGOs, NNGOs, UN agencies, and regional stakeholders.
• Support the Head of Mission in official representation and, when delegated, represent MSF in ex-ternal meetings.
• Document and share meeting minutes while maintaining a structured logbook of engagements with key stakeholders for strategic follow-up and decision-making.

(iii)    3. Security and Risk Analysis

• Produce in-depth context briefings for new arrivals, outlining social, economic, political, and security trends that may impact MSF operations.
• Analyse the implications of local dynamics on staff safety and security, as well as their broader humanitarian impact.
• Enhance security awareness among staff through regular briefings and updates on the evolving risk environment.
• Advise on the review, update, and implementation of the Country Security Plan, risk analysis, and risk mitigation measures in alignment with MSF’s Security Policy.
• Ensure the MSF Incident Logbook is consistently updated, with key incidents documented and up-loaded to SINDY for monitoring and response.
• Conduct thorough reporting on security incidents affecting MSF personnel, tracking developments and their potential impact on operations.
• (iv)    4. Information and Documentation Management
• Oversee the regular updating of the MSF Yemen KOMPAS mission site with relevant documentation to ensure accessibility and accuracy.
• Coordinate with departmental teams to ensure timely updates and maintenance of critical documents.
• Work closely with the Operations Liaison Officer to draft, translate, respond to, and submit external correspondence, reports, and official documents (Annual, Biannual, Quarterly, Monthly) to relevant authorities (MOFA, MoH, MoI) within designated deadlines.
• In collaboration with the Operations Liaison Officer, ensure the timely renewal of Principal and Sub Agreements with the relevant authorities in respect to the expiry dates of such documents.

Requirements

Education    

• University degree or similar level of education

Experience    

• Experience in humanitarian aid. Essential strong understanding of the workings of the different administrations of the country. Demonstrated capacity for analysis, networking and facilitating access to high level authorities 
• Experience working in Humanitarian issues in the country.

Languages        

• Mission language (English) and local language (Arabic) essential

Knowledge    

• Computer proficiency in MS Excel and Word
• Good analytical skills, at ease with figures and economics data
• Excellent communication and diplomatic skills, including writing skills

Competencies:     

• People Management and Development L2
• Commitment to MSF Principles L2
• Behavioural Flexibility L3
• Results and Quality Orientation L3
• Analytical Thinking L3
• Teamwork and Cooperation L4