Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières - USA
Chief Operating Officer
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières - USA, New York, New York, us, 10261
About MSF USA | Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international organization that provides medical care to the people who need it most. The organization cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters, and social exclusion in more than 70 countries. MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance solely based on need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Our international project teams include medical, logistical, and administrative staff, most of them hired locally and working with their own communities. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. We also bear witness and speak out about the experiences of our colleagues and patients.
MSF USA is one of 24 sections supporting the global movement, primarily through staff recruitment, fundraising, advocacy, and communications. We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s mission.
Role Overview The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a core member of MSF USA’s executive leadership team. The COO provides enterprise-level leadership across all operational functions, ensuring that MSF USA’s systems, processes, and infrastructure support its mission, scale, and future sustainability.
This role is responsible for MSF USA’s day-to-day operations, providing oversight of the full suite of internal operational functions, including, but not limited to, finance, procurement, technology, systems, and facilities. The COO leads through complexity, champions cross-functional coordination, and ensures that MSF USA delivers with integrity, efficiency, and equity.
The COO also partners closely with the Board of Directors and the Association, advising on risk, governance, and performance, and serves as a visible and influential voice in institutional planning and organizational stewardship.
Department Accountabilities Leadership and Direction Inspire and guide others, communicating actions needed and how they relate to broader organizational mission and strategy. Ensures alignment across departments and is a member of the organization's leadership team.
Stakeholder Management Identify and engage with key internal and/or external stakeholders to create positive working relationships that enable the initiation, delivery, and implementation of a program or project.
Advance Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Support and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (D, E, & I) by providing an example, advice and guidance on D, E, and I, to internal and external stakeholders to enable them to adopt these principles in ways that will also enhance innovation and other performance measures. Represent the organization to external stakeholders on D, E, and I issues.
Operations Management Execute and manage internal operations using predetermined protocols and procedures to achieve specified operational performance standards.
Organizational Capability Building Take action to develop capabilities at an organizational level to ensure that these are relevant to current and future organizational requirements and to enable the organization at large to achieve MSF-USA goals and fulfill the potential of its people.
Board Relationship Develop relationships with Board members; identify priorities, issues and strategic challenges for Board discussion.
Roles Specific Outcomes
Lead and oversee MSF USA's daily operations, ensuring functional excellence and alignment across internal systems.
Ensure that core operating areas; including HR, legal, finance, procurement, technology, risk, and facilities function in a coordinated and scalable way.
Serve as a key thought partner to the core MT, contributing to strategic planning, institutional transformation, and governance engagement.
Partner with the Board of Directors, presenting updates on internal operational performance, institutional risk, and strategic alignment.
Provide executive oversight for enterprise-level initiatives such as systems modernization, operational risk mitigation, and organizational readiness.
Support internal accountability frameworks, cross-departmental coordination, and internal crisis response infrastructure.
Supervise the senior leadership of the internal operations functions
Strengthen equity-centered operational practices, integrating ADEI&B into MSF USA’s systems, processes, and decision-making.
Complexity And Problem-Solving Skills The COO serves as the internal operational anchor of MSF USA, translating the organization's long-term vision into systems, structures, and execution across a fast-moving, highly visible nonprofit. The role requires sophisticated decision-making, systems thinking, and high emotional intelligence, balancing institutional risk with mission delivery and driving performance without compromising equity or staff wellbeing.
As a senior executive officer, the COO must lead through complexity and maintain high internal accountability standards. This includes making daily operational decisions, responding to internal crises, and providing Board-facing leadership on compliance, controls, and organizational resilience issues, as well as demonstrating expert problem-solving and systems thinking capabilities at the global MSF movement level.
Desired Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor’s degree required, graduate degree in management, public administration, finance, systems, or related field preferred.
Minimum 10 years in senior internal operational leadership roles within a complex nonprofit, global organization, or hybrid environment.
Demonstrated experience overseeing finance, systems, procurement, and digital operations at an enterprise level.
Strong change leadership experience, particularly across systems transformation, risk management, and organizational design.
Proven success partnering with Boards of Directors and executive leaders on governance, risk, and strategy.
Experience managing and mentoring senior-level operational leaders.
Deep commitment to ADEI&B and embedding equity principles into operational strategy and design.
Familiarity with international humanitarian organizations or mission-driven global systems.
Travel Requirements The COO must be willing to travel domestically and internationally to support MSF USA’s mandate, attend board meetings, engage with partners, and participate in strategic retreats.
Compensation Salary Range: $224,423 – $347,856
In alignment with MSF USA’s compensation framework, new hires are generally offered a salary between the minimum and midpoint of the range, based on relevant experience, skills, and internal equity.
Application will be accepted until January 13, 2026.
Equal Opportunity And Accommodations Statement MSF-USA is dedicated to creating a diverse, impartial, and inclusive workforce. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences as per applicable laws.
We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at recruitment@newyork.msf.org.
We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented communities in the Humanitarian Aid sector to apply.
Seniority level Executive
Employment type Full-time
Job function Management and Manufacturing
Industries Non-profit Organizations
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international organization that provides medical care to the people who need it most. The organization cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters, and social exclusion in more than 70 countries. MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance solely based on need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Our international project teams include medical, logistical, and administrative staff, most of them hired locally and working with their own communities. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. We also bear witness and speak out about the experiences of our colleagues and patients.
MSF USA is one of 24 sections supporting the global movement, primarily through staff recruitment, fundraising, advocacy, and communications. We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s mission.
Role Overview The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a core member of MSF USA’s executive leadership team. The COO provides enterprise-level leadership across all operational functions, ensuring that MSF USA’s systems, processes, and infrastructure support its mission, scale, and future sustainability.
This role is responsible for MSF USA’s day-to-day operations, providing oversight of the full suite of internal operational functions, including, but not limited to, finance, procurement, technology, systems, and facilities. The COO leads through complexity, champions cross-functional coordination, and ensures that MSF USA delivers with integrity, efficiency, and equity.
The COO also partners closely with the Board of Directors and the Association, advising on risk, governance, and performance, and serves as a visible and influential voice in institutional planning and organizational stewardship.
Department Accountabilities Leadership and Direction Inspire and guide others, communicating actions needed and how they relate to broader organizational mission and strategy. Ensures alignment across departments and is a member of the organization's leadership team.
Stakeholder Management Identify and engage with key internal and/or external stakeholders to create positive working relationships that enable the initiation, delivery, and implementation of a program or project.
Advance Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Support and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (D, E, & I) by providing an example, advice and guidance on D, E, and I, to internal and external stakeholders to enable them to adopt these principles in ways that will also enhance innovation and other performance measures. Represent the organization to external stakeholders on D, E, and I issues.
Operations Management Execute and manage internal operations using predetermined protocols and procedures to achieve specified operational performance standards.
Organizational Capability Building Take action to develop capabilities at an organizational level to ensure that these are relevant to current and future organizational requirements and to enable the organization at large to achieve MSF-USA goals and fulfill the potential of its people.
Board Relationship Develop relationships with Board members; identify priorities, issues and strategic challenges for Board discussion.
Roles Specific Outcomes
Lead and oversee MSF USA's daily operations, ensuring functional excellence and alignment across internal systems.
Ensure that core operating areas; including HR, legal, finance, procurement, technology, risk, and facilities function in a coordinated and scalable way.
Serve as a key thought partner to the core MT, contributing to strategic planning, institutional transformation, and governance engagement.
Partner with the Board of Directors, presenting updates on internal operational performance, institutional risk, and strategic alignment.
Provide executive oversight for enterprise-level initiatives such as systems modernization, operational risk mitigation, and organizational readiness.
Support internal accountability frameworks, cross-departmental coordination, and internal crisis response infrastructure.
Supervise the senior leadership of the internal operations functions
Strengthen equity-centered operational practices, integrating ADEI&B into MSF USA’s systems, processes, and decision-making.
Complexity And Problem-Solving Skills The COO serves as the internal operational anchor of MSF USA, translating the organization's long-term vision into systems, structures, and execution across a fast-moving, highly visible nonprofit. The role requires sophisticated decision-making, systems thinking, and high emotional intelligence, balancing institutional risk with mission delivery and driving performance without compromising equity or staff wellbeing.
As a senior executive officer, the COO must lead through complexity and maintain high internal accountability standards. This includes making daily operational decisions, responding to internal crises, and providing Board-facing leadership on compliance, controls, and organizational resilience issues, as well as demonstrating expert problem-solving and systems thinking capabilities at the global MSF movement level.
Desired Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor’s degree required, graduate degree in management, public administration, finance, systems, or related field preferred.
Minimum 10 years in senior internal operational leadership roles within a complex nonprofit, global organization, or hybrid environment.
Demonstrated experience overseeing finance, systems, procurement, and digital operations at an enterprise level.
Strong change leadership experience, particularly across systems transformation, risk management, and organizational design.
Proven success partnering with Boards of Directors and executive leaders on governance, risk, and strategy.
Experience managing and mentoring senior-level operational leaders.
Deep commitment to ADEI&B and embedding equity principles into operational strategy and design.
Familiarity with international humanitarian organizations or mission-driven global systems.
Travel Requirements The COO must be willing to travel domestically and internationally to support MSF USA’s mandate, attend board meetings, engage with partners, and participate in strategic retreats.
Compensation Salary Range: $224,423 – $347,856
In alignment with MSF USA’s compensation framework, new hires are generally offered a salary between the minimum and midpoint of the range, based on relevant experience, skills, and internal equity.
Application will be accepted until January 13, 2026.
Equal Opportunity And Accommodations Statement MSF-USA is dedicated to creating a diverse, impartial, and inclusive workforce. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences as per applicable laws.
We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at recruitment@newyork.msf.org.
We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented communities in the Humanitarian Aid sector to apply.
Seniority level Executive
Employment type Full-time
Job function Management and Manufacturing
Industries Non-profit Organizations
#J-18808-Ljbffr