MSF Sweden Innovation Unit:

Contract period: 3 months (with possibility for extension)

Expected time allocation: 50% (around 75h/month)

Expected start: November 2025

Work conditions: Remote, +/- 2H CET time zone

Background

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters, and exclusion from healthcare. MSF programmes are run through five operational directorates (ODs). The Manson Unit in MSF UK and the MSF Sweden Innovation Unit (SIU) in MSF Sweden support the operational centres through innovation and research projects with the aim to improve the quality in MSF operations.

Assessment of current need

The Inclusive Innovation team, a joint initiative with the Manson Unit and Sweden Innovation Unit, supports MSF staff to explore, develop and test innovative new approaches to challenges faced in MSF operations, to ultimately give people better access to medical care.

In 2025, we launched a Call for Implementation Support Applications 2025 | MSF UK, in which MSF teams were invited to submit their ideas on play therapy interventions that integrate play into their projects. The innovation team is currently designing an implementation model that will enable us to support multiple play initiatives across MSF.

Innovation Coordination

We are looking for an Innovation Coordinator Consultant to support the implementation of innovative projects in collaboration with local teams, technical expertise, a human-centred designer and key members of the Inclusive Innovation team. The consultant will support play therapy projects selected through the Call for Implementation Support as well as explore possibilities for peer-to-peer learning and capacity strengthening of local teams implementing play therapy activities in their projects.

Objectives

The consultancy will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of play therapy projects and initiatives in close collaboration with local teams, the innovation team and other key stakeholders in MSF. This includes engaging with selected local teams from the 2025 Call for Implementation Support to conduct an exploratory phase aimed at better understanding the project's needs, scope, and the role of innovation. The consultant will also facilitate co-design and planning for the projects and oversee implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and help consolidate learnings, processes, and best practices.

Expected Results/Outcomes:

The Innovation Coordinator Consultant will contribute to the implementation of play therapy initiatives and the peer-to-peer learning by delivering the following outcomes:

Support to Implementation Projects

• Coordination of the exploratory phase with 1–3 selected project teams from the Call for Implementation Support, tailored to the needs and engagement levels of each team.

• Facilitation of working sessions with local teams, play specialists, and relevant stakeholders to define project needs, scope, objectives and role of the innovation team in providing implementation support in 2026.

• Development of key documents, such as: needs assessment reports, implementation plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, learning framework, communication and knowledge dissemination strategy

Knowledge Consolidation and Framework Development

• Synthesis of insights and learnings from peer-to-peer learning activities and play therapy implementation projects, to inform the development and iteration of an innovation implementation framework

• Contribution to internal reporting and presentations to share progress, challenges, and recommendations with the Inclusive Innovation team and other stakeholders.

Peer-to-peer learning

• Coordination of the design process for the Play Therapy peer-to-peer learning in collaboration with a human-centred designer, play specialist, local teams, and other key stakeholders.

• Delivery of an initial design framework for peer-to-peer learning , outlining goals and objectives, communication and engagement strategy, structure, and monitoring plan to consolidate learnings.

• Liaising with selected applicants to gather input for design of peer-to-peer learning activities.

• Development of v.1 key documents, such as: implementation plan, communication and knowledge dissemination strategy, learning framework

Activities and deliverables

Coordination of implementation for play therapy initiatives

CoP design coordination

Play therapy project coordination

Engagement with local teams and key stakeholders

Facilitation of working sessions

Development of key project documents

Documentation of process and learnings

Knowledge consolidation

More project and context specific deliverables will be agreed on within a ToR once projects have been selected/identified.

Profile of consultant:

Essential:

• Demonstrable experience in project coordination and management, especially with diverse teams and in humanitarian or development contexts.

• A bachelor’s degree (master’s degree preferred) in public health, international development, social sciences, or relevant field.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to engage effectively with local teams and key stakeholders at multiple levels.

• Experience producing clear and structured project documentation, including assessments, project plans, budgets, communication plans and learning frameworks.

• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and adapt to evolving project needs and contexts.

• Experience facilitating participatory design processes or familiarity with innovation methodologies and human-centred design principles, particularly in low-resource or humanitarian settings.

• Experience working in public health, NGOs and/or the social sector.

• Experience working in humanitarian contexts.

• Experience working with local staff whose main language is not English, or French.

• Ability to convey complex information, clearly and concisely to a wide range of audiences.

• Excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable:

• MSF (or equivalent) experience.

• French or Spanish language ability.

• Working knowledge of Miro or equivalent software.

• Working proficiency of Microsoft 365 environment (Teams, SharePoint, etc.).

In your application, we ask you to submit:

1. CV
2. Examples of previous work – provide a summary of similar work that you have developed and delivered before (answer the question in the application form)
3. Hourly rate and NGO discount if applicable. (answer the question in the application form)

Deadline to apply: 5th November 2025 (midnight CET)