WoW Pool Manager - People Management Unit

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian organization that delivers impartial medical care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care in over 70 countries.

We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s common mission.

Department

The People Management Unit (PMU) is responsible for designing and implementing team management and DEI-related learning events for multiple MSF sections, including the Ways of Working (WoW) courses. The PMU is a global team with team members currently based in North America and Europe, with facilitation teams recruited and contracted globally.

The PMU's programs are designed to contribute to the professional development of MSF staff and prepare them for more senior roles, while also contributing to the overall operational success of MSF projects. PMU programs support changes in MSF’s workplace environments and learning culture, as well as foster the implementation of new ways of working within MSF.

Project

The WoW Program Management (PM) Team collaborates with MSF Operations and HR teams to plan and deliver training courses and other learning events in digital, virtual, and face-to-face training environments. The PM Team recruits facilitation teams, works with them to deliver learning events consistent with the WoW programs’ content and core messaging, pedagogical design choices and training methodology and supports their ongoing professional development.

The WoW Program Management Team collaborates with the Instructional Design team to expand the range and delivery of the WoW program offer in multiple languages. Facilitators and technical producers are integral to expanding, improving, and updating WoW content for all learning events, providing a continuous feedback loop from WoW participants.

The WoW Pool Manager is critical to recruiting, managing and developing a diverse global pool of WoW facilitators and technical producers. The WoW Pool Manager Officer helps define and continuously improve the onboarding process for all facilitation teams, the mechanisms for managing each cohort and means for monitoring and evaluating WoW course..

While highly autonomous, the WoW Pool Manager is managed by the WoW Program Manager.

Tasks

SCOPE

The responsibilities of the WoW Pool Manager are centered on recruiting, matching and developing WoW facilitators and technical producers so that WoW courses. workshops and other learning events can be delivered as designed and scheduled. WoW programs are delivered in all MSF countries of operation, in multiple formats (blended, virtual or a combination of both) and in multiple languages, across all time zones, so the WoW facilitation pool needs to be diverse enough to reflect MSF’s current and future workforce.

Recruits, orients and supervises all WoW Facilitation teams

Manages the pool of WoW facilitators and Technical Producers ensuring there are sufficient personnel to meet the demand for all blended and virtual WoW learning events:

• Identifies and recruits new facilitators and technical producers for both blended and virtual WoW programs and other Continuing Professional Development (CPD) learning events
• Reviews each facilitator’s self-assessment and debriefing notes to ensure appropriate support is organized before each learning event.
• Matches WoW facilitators and technical producers to each virtual and blended WoW course, following through their contractual arrangements with relevant counterparts.
• Trains, supervises, debriefs and evaluates WoW facilitators and technical producers.
• Ensures facilitators are briefed by Cell and Country teams before each blended WoW.
• Matches WoW facilitators with a more experienced colleague whenever they deliver any WoW program for the first time.
• Supports facilitation teams by conducting ‘virtual check-ins’ during learning events
• Maintains a central database of each facilitator and technical producer’s experience, professional development goals and availability
• Identifies when WoW facilitators and technical producers have sufficient experience and skills to deliver additional WoW programs (e.g. after the WoW 1 to deliver the WoW 2)
• Determines when a WoW facilitator’s skills are not suited to the program and advises them that they will no longer be included in the pool for future assignments.

Development of WoW Facilitation Teams

• Debriefs each facilitator and technical producer after their WoW trainings, reviewing their report with them, as well as capturing additional feedback/reflections about their experience and competencies as a facilitator and/or technical producer
• Works with the WoW ID and Program Management teams to plan and deliver the Training of Facilitator (ToF) course several times a year, identifying a diverse roster of qualified candidates.
• Develops and maintains contact with other experienced facilitators, internal and external to MSF, to share materials and best practices in team management training
• Collaborates with the WoW ID team to develop self-paced and other learning modules for new facilitators and technical producers
• Suggests and organizes ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) learning events for WoW facilitation teams, liaising with the PMU Director and WoW Program Manager to leverage opportunities available across the movement
• Supports the development and utilization of the WoW Facilitator Community of Practice

Other related responsibilities

The WoW Pool Manager will also:

• Work closely with HR Officers, Regional Mobility Officers and Professional Development Managers (PDMs) to identify, train and detach national staff as either WoW facilitators or technical producers
• Audit WoW cohorts to ensure the most up to date WoW materials are being utilized in current WoW courses
• Conduct periodic Facilitation Reviews to consolidate feedback from WoW facilitators and technical producers about WoW programs which can be shared with others in the PMU (especially the ID team)
• Support the Monitoring and Evaluation team to identify facilitators to participate in interviews and focus groups, or who can recommend participants to do so
• Facilitate approx. 2-4 WoW blended or virtual cycles per year in order to maintain familiarity with core content and the expanding offer of Continuing Professional Development workshops.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Nil

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Nil

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Extent of Public Contact

The WoW Pool Manager has contact with MSF staff and the public through recruitment events and other HR activities. Questions related to WoW course programming will be referred to the PMU Director or WoW Program Manager. Questions related to program content and design will be addressed by the PMU Instructional Designer.

Within the MSF movement, the WoW Pool Manager may interact with all levels of staff, field workers and colleagues within OCP and other OCs, as well as other MSF sections, Epicentre and/or the MoH.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

This position can be based in a number of MSF locations but it cannot be guaranteed that all MSF offices will be able to host this role. The work location of this role may be reviewed in 2024 or 2025.

While performing the duties of this job, the WoW Pool Manager will be required to sit (or stand) for long periods. Must be available to work before 9:00 am, and after 5:00 pm or on weekends, as required. Some flexibility required as not all MSF offices, missions, team members and collaborators may be available during regular U.S. EST working hours.

The WoW Pool Manager should be prepared to work either from an MSF office, virtually from home or when circumstances or hosting policies require a hybrid working model to be adopted, from an MSF office. If the role is being hosted by an MSF section outside the United States, then the Pool Manager will be required to follow the rules and regulations of the hosting office. As such, the WoW Pool Manager’s working environment must be conducive to working independently and attending virtual meetings, including access to high-speed internet and allowing for focused and uninterrupted periods of time.

It is not anticipated that the WoW Pool Manager will be required to travel to the field, although this may be reviewed if required to facilitate at short notice or conduct regional recruitment events.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WoW POOL MANAGER PROFILE

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL/REQUIRED

• Knowledge of WoW programs or other MSF management and DEI programs
• Demonstrated ability and experience:
  • recruiting and developing the professional skills of a pool of experts
  • matching pool members to assignments
  • orienting and preparing facilitators and technical producers to deliver learning events
• Minimum 2 years’ MSF experience in the field and/or HQ, preferably in another role as an HR Officer or as a pool manager
• Project management skills with the ability to track data and personnel
• Ability to develop strong relationships with a small diverse team and multiple collaborators
• A strong communicator, at ease working with individuals and groups, comfortable presenting information in different ways and able to share technical concepts in straightforward language.
• Highly proficient using computers and able to quickly learn how to use the software applications used by the PMU, including Sharepoint, Microsoft Office and Teams, Zoom, and other e-learning technologies
• A passion and commitment for the mission and values of MSF, including a commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Preferred

• Experience working with an international development or humanitarian agency
• Able to troubleshoot technical issues (including software / hardware / internet connectivity), and quickly identify solutions – especially with non-technically inclined clients
• Professional fluency in more than one language (English, French, Arabic, Spanish)
• University degree or technical school certification - preferably in a management related discipline (HR, Business, Administration, Learning and Development), or another relevant technical subject

Submissions without cover letter will not be reviewed. 

 No phone calls or emails please. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

Please note that no relocation assistance within the United States or elsewhere will be offered for this position. All candidates must have permission to live and work in the United States or wherever this role is initially based.

Application Deadline: March 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm EST

Your Safety Matters: Vaccination and booster against COVID-19 is a requirement at MSF - USA

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination:

MSF-USA is committed to building a diverse, unbiased, and inclusive workforce. MSF-USA is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities, or religious beliefs and practices. Members of communities historically underrepresented in the Humanitarian Aid sector are encouraged to apply. 

If you have a disability of some kind and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources by emailing us: employment.msfusa@newyork.msf.org. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Type

HQ  

Pay Class & Contract Type

Regular FT Salaried Exempt 

Compensation

Starting salary $87,400.04 - $93,520.18 (commensurate with experience)

Working Time (Hours Per Week)

35