General coordinator (head of mission) (F/M)
Job description
For more than 40 years, Médecins du Monde, a campaigning medical organisation committed to international solidarity, has been caring for the most vulnerable populations here and abroad. It has continued to bear witness to obstacles that exist in accessing healthcare and has secured sustainable improvements in health-for-all policies.
Those working for this independent organisation do not solely dispense care and treatment but condemn violations of human dignity and rights and fight to improve matters for populations living in precarious situations.
MdM France currently works in 30 countries across all continents to facilitate access to healthcare through 6 political battles:
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights
- Migration, Exile, Human Rights and Health
- Harm Reduction
- Environment and Health
- Humanitarian Space
- Healthcare systems and rights
MdM in the Philippines
Médecins du Monde has been present in the Philippines for several years, historically focusing on health and environment and, more recently, on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
The mission is currently at a strategic turning point:
- limited and unstable funding;
- need to reposition activities toward resilience and disaster preparedness;
- ongoing attempts to secure structuring, multi-year funding;
- a small but committed national team navigating programmatic transitions.
About the role
As General Coordinator, you will lead a mission in a highly dynamic yet fragile phase, where your ability to combine strategic vision, operational pragmatism, and interpersonal finesse will be key.
You will take over a mission with limited funding but strong potential, where success depends less on maintaining existing systems and more on your capacity to adapt, reposition, and build new opportunities.
What you’ll do
👉 Provide overall strategic, operational, and team leadership for the mission
👉 Lead the repositioning of the programmatic strategy, particularly towards:
- resilience to natural disasters
- community-based approaches
- alignment with donor expectations while preserving MdM’s identity
👉 Drive fundraising efforts, including:
- maintaining and expanding donor relationships
- identifying new funding opportunities (institutional and private)
- supporting proposal development and strategic positioning
👉 Ensure effective management of a small national team, including:
- supporting team structuring and performance
- navigating sensitive intercultural dynamics
- fostering collaboration, trust, and accountability
👉 Oversee the implementation and potential scale-up of ongoing programs (notably SRHR), depending on funding outcomes
👉 Ensure coordination with partners, authorities, and donors, and represent MdM at national level
👉 Anticipate and coordinate emergency responses, particularly in a context prone to natural disasters (e.g. cyclones).
Who you’ll work with
You will manage a small team (approximately 14 staff) composed mainly of national staff, including project managers and support functions.
You will be the only international staff member, with direct reporting to the desk at headquarters.
What you’ll gain
- You will develop strong expertise in leading missions in constrained and uncertain environments.
- You will strengthen your ability to design adaptive strategies and reposition programs.
- You will gain advanced experience in humanitarian fundraising and donor engagement.
- You will build high-level skills in intercultural leadership and complex team management.
Your conditions of employment
Contract & status:
- Gross monthly salary: € 3,664
- Fixed-term contract (12 months), starting as soon as possible
- Single posting
Work environment:
- Position based in Manila, Philippines
- Regular field visits
Benefits:
- 13th-month salary (for employees with more than 6 months’ seniority)
- Expatriation allowance: 10% of gross monthly salary
- Coverage of travel (home – mission), visas, and vaccinations
- Accommodation: individual housing with a monthly housing allowance of up to €870
- Health insurance (50% covered by MdM and 50% by the employee)
- Repatriation insurance
- MdM promotes training and internal mobility
Essentials:
- 5 weeks paid leave + 22.5 RTT days per year
- More info: https://www.medecinsdumonde.org/en/working-internationally/
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion
MdM is committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities and to fighting all forms of discrimination.
If you are officially recognized as a person with a disability and/or require workplace accommodations, please let us know.
Your profile
You are the right match if you:
- Bring extensive experience as General Coordinator / Country Director (or equivalent senior leadership role);
- Thrive in uncertain and under-resourced environments, and are able to define and continuously adapt a mission strategy despite fragile funding and shifting operational realities;
- Have a proven ability to unlock funding opportunities in difficult contexts, maintaining momentum even when pipelines are weak, fragmented, or repeatedly unsuccessful;
- Demonstrate high intercultural sensitivity and emotional intelligence, and naturally adjust your communication style to avoid misunderstandings and build trust in nuanced relational environments;
- Are comfortable working as a highly autonomous leader in relative isolation, maintaining clarity, engagement, and decision-making capacity without strong peer support;
- Know how to progressively strengthen team performance, especially when working with long-standing teams used to stable routines, by combining tact, patience, and accountability;
- Are able to turn strategic ambiguity into concrete action, moving things forward pragmatically even when direction, resources, or timelines are only partially defined.
This role may not suit you if:
- You rely heavily on established systems, large teams, or stable funding to operate effectively;
- You prefer direct, confrontational communication styles without adaptation to context;
- You are uncomfortable with uncertainty, ambiguity, or slow-paced structural progress;
- You are not motivated by fundraising and strategic repositioning challenges;
- You are not aligned with MdM’s values and activist approach.
Recruitment process
If shortlisted, you will first meet with our HR team. Technical and managerial interviews, which may include practical case studies, will follow.
Please note: as part of our anti–money laundering and counter-terrorism policy, international background checks may be conducted. Data is processed confidentially and securely. More info: https://www.medecinsdumonde.org/en/working-internationally/
All successful candidates must provide a criminal record extract (B3).
Ready to apply?
We only need your CV and a cover letter.
If this role sounds like the right fit for you, apply now – we’d love to hear from you!
