Climate and environmental Health Specialist

Job Description

MSF is looking for climate and environmental Health Specialist who share our commitment to a safeguarding culture, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. At MSF, we do not tolerate any form of abuse or inappropriate behavior, whether towards colleagues, patients, donors, or any other party involved in our operations.

Additionally, we strive to promote and uphold Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in all our actions and practices. By doing so, we strengthen our mission and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute and grow within the organization. Applications that demonstrate alignment with these values will be highly valued.

In line with the values that guide our organization’s actions worldwide, we will prioritize candidates who meet the established requirements and identify with one or more underrepresented groups, including: Black individuals (Afro-descendant and mixed-race), Indigenous people, Trans individuals, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), and people over 40 years old.

JOB CONTEXT:

In the various contexts where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) operates and responds, climatic and environmental factors exacerbate health problems, including outbreaks, nutritional crises, environmental disasters, conflicts, and shifts in epidemiological patterns. Humanitarian actors have the responsibility to assess their operations through a climate and environmental lens. As a result, Climate and Environmental Health (CEH) has become an integral part of MSF’s reflections, analyses, interventions, and operations. Since the environment directly impacts the vulnerability of affected communities and the quality of humanitarian action, we must continuously evaluate the connections between the environment and health in every context where we intervene.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE A CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST AT MSF-BRAZIL:

The Climate and Environmental Health Specialist will play a critical role in ensuring that MSF’s health interventions are adapted to and mitigate the effects of the climate emergency. This includes providing expert guidance on vector control strategies through a climate crisis perspective and addressing the intersections between environmental changes and the transmission of climate-sensitive diseases.

You will contribute to MSF’s reflections and actions on climate and environmental health and support operations accordingly. The goal is to connect project realities, challenges, and response models with innovative perspectives and observations that enhance field responses. Additionally, you will work closely with various relevant stakeholders working on this topic within MSF, focusing on the Latin America region.

WHAT DOES THE DAILY ROUTINE OF THIS POSITION LOOK LIKE?

Main areas and activities

• Propose relevant practices to address the climate and environmental health needs of populations;
• Advise on policies and protocols addressing health risks exacerbated by climate change, with a primary focus on vector-borne diseases;
• Provide expertise on the impacts of climate change on health to support the organization’s advocacy strategies;
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary specialists inside and outside MSF to design and adapt vector control programs, considering the challenges imposed by climate change and prioritizing climate-sensitive approaches;
• Support the assessment of environmental risk factors, such as temperature changes, floods, and ecosystem alterations that contribute to outbreaks of vector-borne diseases;
• Ensure the inclusion of climate-adaptive measures in emergency response plans, particularly in areas prone to extreme weather events;
• Support and expand MSF’s climate adaptation efforts through analysis and product development (such as briefing notes, exploratory reviews, maps);
• Contribute to strengthening climate adaptation capacity within MSF projects.

Support for projects

• Provide technical advice and strategic guidance to medical coordinations on climate and environmental issues, especially in monitoring, evaluating, and interpreting entomological and epidemiological data on vector-borne diseases;
• Conduct field visits to support the analysis and implementation of quality climate and environmental health interventions;
• Support needs assessments and provide expert advice on project setup;
• Support innovative initiatives within projects;
• Contribute to advocacy strategies in the field through data analysis and technical advisory;
• Recommend integrated climate and environmental health strategies in relevant projects;
• Ensure that project strategies reflect a decolonial approach, prioritizing the voices and leadership of affected communities and co-creating solutions with them.

Information and training 

• Support the development and review of policies, guidelines, protocols, and tools related to climate and environmental health;
• Maintain, document, and disseminate up-to-date knowledge on vector control and vector-borne diseases;
• Ensure that tools, materials, and activities are needs-based, community-centered, and inclusive;
• Develop and deliver training on vector-borne diseases in collaboration with medical departments, working groups, and external specialists;
• Co-develop additional training and guidelines as needed, strengthening the organization’s capacity for climate adaptation.

Field research and advocacy

• Contribute to the development of operational research in the field alongside the Brazilian Medical Unit, other MSF medical units, and external partners;
• Engage and collaborate within MSF to integrate climate and environmental knowledge into the organization’s work, including communication collaborations on témoignage/storytelling and support for other MSF-Brazil departments with onboarding materials and key messages;
• Organize and participate in strategic webinars, workshops, discussions in other sections, and within MSF’s associative environment;
• Maintain continuous awareness and a proactive stance on the need to decolonize humanitarian and climate action, involving MSF colleagues, communities, Indigenous knowledge, and young people from areas most impacted by climate change in research, testimonies, and narratives.

Collaboration and strategic representation

• Collaborate with other specialists in the medical and operational departments on common interest topics;
• Communicate with the Environmental Health Unit at the Brussels Operational Center, members of the Medical Unit in Canada, and other colleagues involved in adaptation (and mitigation) within MSF and related initiatives, ensuring complementarity of work;
• Share knowledge, tools, and resources with the MSF Movement on climate crisis adaptation issues and participate in internal and external networks and platforms;
• Build and maintain partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, and other stakeholders in Climate and Environmental Health initiatives;
• Contribute to the creation, testing, and dissemination of climate adaptation tools/products, based on comparative analyses of other emerging tools within and outside MSF, promoting methodological and approach harmonization.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO HAVE?

• A degree related to health topics or related fields
• Solid experience in health and environmental interventions (climate adaptation, environment and/or climate change, public health, humanitarian action, or emergency response)
• Proficiency in English (spoken and written)
• Proficiency in Portuguese or Spanish (spoken)
• Strong relationship-building skills and ability to work in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teams
• Knowledge of diversity and sensitivity to traditional peoples
• Knowledge and experience in vector control
• Proven experience in climate-related research and engagement with multiple stakeholders

WHAT INCREASES YOUR CHANCES?

• Background in public health and specialization in medical entomology are advantages
• Master’s degree or higher academic levels in related topics
• Previous experience with MSF

WHAT ARE THE NECESSARY COMPETENCIES?

You will need multicultural awareness to incorporate standards and adjust your behavior depending on the environment and culture, as well as behavioral flexibility to establish mechanisms that minimize the impact of change on others. Additionally, initiative and innovation will be required to create opportunities for improvement within MSF’s structure, along with analytical thinking to anticipate the needs of others.

Join the Brazilian Medical Unit of Médecins Sans Frontières Brazil!

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 03/09/2025

FEEDBACK:

We are very happy about your interest in working with MSF! We would like to emphasize that all candidates will receive feedback at the end of the selection process.

*If you are unable to complete your application and need support, please send an email to “vaga.msfbrasil@rio.msf.org”.