North Balkans Project Coordinator

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 60 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation.

CONTEXT

Bosnia

Migrants stranded or transiting the Balkan route are living in precarious conditions in squats and camps at the northern border towns of Bihac and Velika Klaudusa in Una-Sana Canton (USK) of Bosnia and Herzegovina. These two border towns with Croatia are considered as main exit points for the new Balkan route since the spring of 2018, where people are trying to cross the borders and reach their final destinations in Europe. A significant percentage of people on the move, the majority of whom are young single males, are living outside of the official Temporary Reception Centers (TRC) in informal settlements with little access to medical services, shelter, food or sanitation services.

Tensions reached a new height on December 23rd when the IOM closed TRC Lipa without any alternative after weeks of unsuccessful lobbying. Home to around 1400 migrants, Lipa TRC first appeared as part of a tented response to Covid19 in April 2020 but local authorities failed to do their necessary work as part of the winterization plan (connection to the water and electricity supply network) forcing the EU to withdraw its funding to the camp. This event resulted in heightened tensions between federal government, cantonal authorities, EU and INGOs that will most likely further complicate the local humanitarian landscape. An MSF mobile team will be deployed in USK around mid-March.

Serbia

After the beginning of the refugee crisis in 2015 and the first wave of emergency response, Serbia remains a main transit country and Belgrade an important hub for people on the move taking the Balkan route towards Hungary, Croatia or Bosnia. Several accommodation sites are open and operational, managed by the state authorities but there is a high number of migrants, the majority of whom are young single males, passing quickly through Serbia or living under the radar of recording mechanisms, with extremely limited access to health services. Push- backs from Croatia and Hungary are a daily occurrence with a mild to severe use of violence. The northern corridor Sid – Sombor – Subotica – Kikinda being one of the hotspots for border violence, the project is conducting mobile activities in the region since mid-January 202.

Albania

We’ve received report of an increase of migrant homeless population in Tirana and Durres, as well as makeshift camps at the border with Greece. The project will conduct exploratory mission to assess the situation on the ground.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In close collaboration with the Mission Coordination Team, implements the operational and advocacy strategy for the project. Being responsible for MSF’s operational response in the project and coordinating MSF’s programme execution and identifying the population’s health needs and the humanitarian issues at stake. Ensuring compliance to MSF’s charter, ethical standards and policies in order to realize organizational objectives and improve the target population’s health conditions and humanitarian situation.

• Monitor the Health and Humanitarian situation of migrants in the Balkan region and conduct exploratory missions / interventions as per emergency preparedness (EPREP) scenarios, with alert database, explo reports, intervention reports)
• Ensure effective data and testimony collection and oversee the redaction of the report on border violence (with violence data base, report on border violence)
• Lead the redaction of Annual Revision of Operations (ARO) for 2022 building on lessons-learnt in 2021
• Finalize the pending registration of MSF in the southern areas of operations (Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia depending on progress made by previous Project Coordinator) and strengthen the network where strategically relevant)
• Actor mapping, contact list, registration

Number of HR directly managed: 4

Budget managed (in euros): 777,353

Project size (number of staff): International staff, 4 and National staff, 9

REQUIREMENTS

Competencies & Experience

Given the complexity and dynamism of the regional context and the specificity of the migration thematic, we are looking for a person with good analytical skills and strong strategic vision.

The operations taking place in a set of complex sub-contexts:

• Knowledge and/or work experience in the Balkan region
• Migration NGO and/or Community Based Organizations (CBOs) work experience in the Balkans region (minimum 1 year)
• Knowledge of the specific local contexts is an advantage (i.e USK in Bosnia, Vojvodina province in Serbia, etc.)

Excellent networking skills are mandatory:

• Ability to interact with a wide range of actors from official bodies to I/NGOs and CBOs/ Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as well as the various networks involved in migration context
• Ability to cultivate and develop sustainable network opportunities
• In-depth knowledge and experience of and with local CBOs and CSOs
• In-depth knowledge and experience of networking and local stakeholder collaborations

The position having a strong advocacy component:

• Excellent writing skills are essentials
• Fair data analysis skills are required
• Knowledge of strategic litigations actors and processes
• Experience in testimony collection is a plus

Skills in both people management and teamwork are mandatory

Experience with emergencies in migrations will be a plus, in order to strengthen the EPREP component of the project.

Mandatory B driving license and willingness to drive in the Balkans as the position will involve a lot of movements, possibly in autonomy.

Language: English, fluent

CONDITIONS

• Expected starting date: 25/04/2021
• Contract type: 9-month fixed term contract, based in Belgrade; with regular travels in multiple Balkan countries
• No family position
• Salary according to MSF-OCB Field salary scale. transport, accommodation, vaccinations are taken in charge by MSF. Per diem + medical insurance
• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments

CONDITIONS

• Expected starting date: 25/04/2021
• Contract type: 9-month fixed term contract, based in Belgrade; with regular travels in multiple Balkan countries
• No family position
• Salary according to MSF-OCB Field salary scale. transport, accommodation, vaccinations are taken in charge by MSF. Per diem + medical insurance
• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments