Global Health Advocacy and Policy Intern

The Global Health Advocacy and Policy team (GHAP) sits within the Programs Department at MSF-USA. It is the primary entity responsible for engagement with stakeholders within the United States on global health issues pertinent to MSF’s work, both for MSF-USA and the movement at large. The GHAP team monitors and analyzes policies and practices of US-based global health actors on several dossiers, including access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate. The GHAP team also engages with civil society organizations, develops public-facing advocacy communications, and collaborates across the MSF movement to advance global health policy objectives.

The GHAP team works closely with the Humanitarian Representation Team (HRT), which is responsible for carrying out humanitarian diplomacy on behalf of MSF’s global operations to ensure that the needs of our patients are understood by the people shaping international and medical policies. The US-based HRT includes the Humanitarian Representatives to the United Nations and the Humanitarian Representative to the United States.

Global Health Advocacy and Policy Intern should be prepared to help with research projects (some ad hoc and short-term, some more in-depth), legislative and events monitoring, admin support, including contact database management and meeting coordination. Legislative and events monitoring and research will focus on global health topics covered by the GHAP Team dossiers, which include: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate and environmental health. The intern will also assist with materials development and meeting preparation, such as drafting briefing documents and copyediting.  

Current or recent graduate-level students or law students pursuing work in a field related to the GHAP Team’s work, including public policy, law, global health, public health, or international relations, would best suit this position. Candidates with demonstrable interest in and experience with at least one of the GHAP Team dossiers: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, or climate and environmental health, would best suit this position. This role can be based either in our New York City or Washington, DC office location.

The Programs Department supports the medical humanitarian programs of the MSF Movement in different ways. Each unit contributes to one or more of these responsibilities: 

• Advocacy and Representation in support of Operations – develop strategies to influence public policy debates as well as private bilateral engagements on behalf of MSF.
• Research, Analysis, and Data Management in support of Operations – direct, perform, or facilitate research to address questions posed by Operations. Track and analyze specific policies and practices of governments, multilateral organizations, and others as requested by Operations. 
• Grant making in support of MSF medical humanitarian programs and movement initiatives.
• Monitoring of the Regulatory Environment - engages with regulatory issues affecting Programs specifically to ensure compliance in grant making and to inform Operations and the International Legal Department.
• Monitoring of the Policy Environment - engages with Policy issues to ensure information sharing and action based on medical and operational needs of the movement.  
• Stakeholder Engagement - identify, analyze, plan, and implement actions designed to engage with external and internal stakeholders to support medical humanitarian programming.
• Contribution to Medical Operational Humanitarian Projects - contributes to the management and implementation of specific medical operational humanitarian discreet projects that are managed by MSF USA.
• S. representation, engagement, and collaboration – is the representative to domestic social mission external relationships on behalf of the medical operational entities of the movement in order to create, maintain and expand stakeholder engagement. 

• Conduct strategic research and analysis for the GHAP dossiers and global health topics broadly
• Support literature and policy reviews, data cleaning and analysis, and drafting of research outputs
• Monitor and analyze legislative developments and events related to the GHAP dossiers and global health topics broadly
• Attend and summarize external meetings, events, and legislative hearings on topics relevant to the work of the team (primarily online)
• Assist in the preparation of briefing documents and other information for advocacy and policy engagements
• Oversee contact database entry and management 
• Assist with copyediting and proofreading  

• Strong research and analytic skills  
• {Some coursework in statistics and familiarity with programming software desirable but not essential}
• Excellent attention to detail, strong writing, and proofreading ability 
• Initiative and confidence to work independently and ask questions in a fast-paced work environment 
• Creativity, curiosity, and willingness to delve into new topic areas to build and share knowledge 

THOUGHT: How MSF USA staff understand the organization, manage complexity and contribute by creating new and different.

Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with MSF-USA goals.

Interprets and applies understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.

Anticipating and adopting innovations in organizational digital and technology applications.

The ability and skill to determine and analyze trends from data that is collected to assist in compiling reports that will help in decision-making.

The ability and skill to plan and manage small project work assignments within desired cost, time and quality parameters.

Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Serves as an example of adaptability and provides guidance and support to help others adapt to new situations. Considers the needs of clients, constituents, and the organization; shifts priorities appropriately.

Applying knowledge of MSF-USA and the industry to advance the organization’s goals.

This position will not have any supervisory responsibility.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• →Current or recent graduate-level students or law students pursuing work in a field related to the work of the GHAP Team (health policy, global or public health, international relations, or humanitarian action)
• →Demonstrated interest or experience working on at least one GHAP dossier: access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, global health governance and financing, sexual and reproductive health, and climate and environmental health
• →Demonstrated interest in medical humanitarian aid and the mission of MSF
• →Demonstrated interest (personal, professional, or academic) in international work
• →Familiarity with US global health actors, including policymakers, multilateral organizations, private sector stakeholders, and/or civil society organizations
• →Experience with legislative and event monitoring and/or policy analysis
• →Strong research and analytic skills
• →Excellent attention to detail, strong writing, and proofreading ability
• →Initiative and confidence to work independently and ask questions in a fast-paced work environment
• →Creativity, curiosity, and willingness to delve into new topic areas to build and share knowledge
• →Knowledge of or desire to learn about US politics, the UN system, policy development, international humanitarian actors, and contexts where MSF operates
• →Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Word and Excel
• →Experience using a CRM tool is an asset, but not required

No travel required for this position

COMPENSATION

$18 per hour is the hourly rate, max 20 hours per week

Location

Location: Washington DC (On-site or Hybrid) 

This role is based in our Washington, DC office, where most of this team are located. Due to current staffing and budget constraints, we’re unable to support this position in our NYC or California office.