You are employed in Sweden for the entire duration of the mission. Those of you on your first mission receive a salary between 17965 SEK -39268 SEK/month. Compensation increases thereafter with experience and responsibility.
The salary is intended to cover operating expenses in Sweden and it is pensionable. MSF pays for travel, accommodations, and help with pocket money to cover meals etc. We provide excellent insurance coverage, medical examinations before an assignment, and any necessary vaccinations.
12 months in our projects
An assignment usually lasts for 6-12 months. We therefore require you to be available for that length of time. Depending on your project and your role, assignments may be longer or shorter. You are entitled to vacation during your assignment, though there might be specific regulations around duration and timing based on the operational needs.
Prior experience
Much can be new on your first assignment. You will often find yourself with more responsibility than you are used to at home. For this reason, we attach considerable importance to previous travels in low-resource areas as these experiences can be good preparation for work in our projects and can help you better imagine what the job entails. Previous work experience from humanitarian organisations are seen as a benefit as it shows motivation.
Language
Our working language is English and international mobile staff are required to be fluent in English, both spoken and written. Most of our projects, however, are conducted in French-speaking countries and for that reason we are always interested in recruiting personnel who speak French. Knowledge of French is a requirement for some profiles and it's considered an important merit for all. Other languages are also an asset such as Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese or Russian.
MSF as an employer
MSF is an association consisting of current and previous staff of the organisation. Engagement in the association is voluntarily. For MSF, volunteering is an individual commitment and personal responsibility. However, our project colleagues receive salary while on assignment.
We are looking for colleagues who are morally committed to humanitarian action and accept the risks of the assignment. They demonstrate flexibility in their work and accept to be sent abroad according to humanitarian needs. Finally, they respect the MSF Charter as well as the Employee Charter, and must adopt a modest lifestyle during missions.
The management of MSF’s human resources is based on the concepts of volunteering, equity, transparency and recognition of the value of each individual.
MSF salaries reflect the humanitarian spirit of volunteerism, while recognizing the high levels of professional skill of our project staff. Increases are based on expertise and experience. MSF offers the opportunity to attend trainings and workshops, organised internally or externally, relating to specific career development or individual growth.
Médecins Sans Frontières has put up mechanisms and procedures to fight abuse, exploitation and harassment in the work environment.