Intercultural Mediator

If you have already applied for this position, please do not reapply.

CONTEXT  

The MSF project in Belgium intends to address within a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach, the health needs and main social determinants of populations in situation of exclusion in parallel to pro-actively engaging on the visibility of the problematics and promoting institutional change. The target population includes (undocumented) migrants in transit, migrants in stagnation, asylum seekers excluded from reception and those in administrative detention Specific attention goes to Unaccompanied Minors (UAM) 

Most of them stay in reception facilities, squats, other temporary shelters or on the street. Since it is a project of choice, it integrates medical and advocacy activities with a common catalytic objective.   

Where possible, MSF chooses to work in partnership with actors providing shelter, social and legal protection services and/or health care.   

 Today, the Belgium Project is structured around following axes of intervention: 

• Outreach: the mobile team is providing sensitization, prevention, health promotion, primary health care, mental health and referral to specialized medical care if necessary 

• Detention: volunteer MDs (+ psychologists TBC) provide a second medical advice to migrants held in administrative detention centres 

• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC): the project aims for dignified living conditions in squats and reception centres for UAM, by taking measures against bed bugs, scabies and other EH related issues 

• Emergencies: the project responds to specific identified emergencies when needed 

As Intercultural Mediator, you support the communication and interaction between beneficiaries (asylum seekers) and MSF team, through addressing consequences of language barriers, socio-cultural differences and discrimination, following MSF protocols and procedures, to improve access to quality health care and other relevant services and providing MSF with an understanding of local socio-cultural approach.  

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Facilitate the relation between the people receiving services and the care providers involved in medical consultations, mental health, physiotherapy and social worker sessions, etc. through:     

• Providing quality and culturally sensitive interpretation between the care providers and the person receiving a service (trialogue) in the language in which they would like to express themselves (source language / target language), Supporting intercultural awareness, sensitiveness and clear communication between the parties 

• Assisting care providers and the people receiving services in addressing negative consequences of socio-cultural differences, to support the therapeutic/social intervention through sharing with the care providers relevant aspects of the cultural background of the person receiving a service, acting as a cultural broker; Identifying and reporting barriers impairing fairness and equality in access to services. 

• Exceptionally and when instructed/validated by the line manager, accompanying and following up the people receiving services to referrals (health and social care facilities) as needed 

• Upholding MSF’s principles and fostering an environment free from racism, discrimination, or cultural insensitivity. Refraining from participating in interventions where such principles are compromised or where there is a risk of offense to the customs, culture, beliefs, and values of any party involved, be it the person receiving services, staff, or the ICM themselves  

• Participating in case management meetings & medical meetings on ad hoc basis 

• Provide information to the persons receiving services on the use of the healthcare system and other support services (shelter, food, transport, legal support) provided by MSF and other actors, with the aim of favouring empowerment and autonomy of the people receiving services in ‘navigating’ the host societies together with relevant project team members 

• Contribute to context understanding and data collection on medical/humanitarian issues, with a specific attention to vulnerabilities, to provide reliable information for operational decision-making through:  

•  Ensure quality linguistic and intercultural interpretation during the collection of testimonies for advocacy & communication purposes 

•  Support administration of assessments and/or surveys when needed  

•  Report all important information expressed by the people receiving services and the communities, always ensuring confidentiality 

•  Support media reviews and content creation for communication 

• Support other MSF activities, such as Health Promotion (HP) activities, Non-Food items distribution, crowd control, etc.)  

• Guarantee confidentiality, impartiality and neutrality. Declaring conflict of interest 

• Context Specific Accountabilities: 

• Identifying and report barriers impairing fairness and equality in access to services. 

• Working in close collaboration with any care provider to use appropriate terminology and behavior during consultations 

• Participating actively in the welcoming of patients in MSF Outreach activities (i.e. consultations, group sessions…) 

• Under the supervision of the Health Promotion Supervisor, providing information and to the affected population on health and psychosocial services available to them , according to specific needs 

• Identifying and appropriately refer patients who need medical or mental health assistance  

• Providing psychological first aid to identified community members in need 

• Ensure that all patients attending MSF activities are well informed about services provided 

• Under the supervision of the Health Promotion Supervisor, support the organization and implementation of Health Education and Psychosocial Support activities in the community (e.g.: artistic activities for children, discussion sessions, etc.), if required 

• Participating actively in emotional supervisions, health promotion meetings and trainings in a constructive and respectful manner 

• Sharing information daily with your supervisor about certain situations that have caught your attention during the day (stories or victims of violence, ill treatment, conflict of interest or any problems) 

• Collecting feedback from beneficiaries on the implementation and quality of the activity and encode them in the project’s database 

• Ensuring that all patient information is kept confidential : ensure medical and professional secret 

• Collecting statistical data and encode all data linked to your activities in the database 

• Translating documents in required language as instructed by the Health Promotion Supervisor 

REQUIREMENTS 

Education & Experience 

• Essential secondary education 

• A degree in social sciences, social communication or teaching is a strong asset 

• Training in interpretation or intercultural mediation is an asset 

• Minimum 1 year experience in a similar position, preferably in provision of medical services and/or with NGOs  

•  Previous experience in migration/refugee contexts is an asset 

Competencies 

• Cultural awareness 

• Stress & conflict management 

• Service orientation 

• Teamwork and cooperation 

• Active listener, empathetic, open to discussion and collaboration 

• Good organizational skills  

• Solution-oriented, autonomous, flexibility 

Languages 

• Proficiency in Oromo, Arabic and English, both written & spoken is mandatory 

• Good knowledge of French is an asset

CONDITIONS 

• Expected starting date: As soon as possible  

• Location: Brussels, mainly carried out in the project (Belgium)  

• Contract type: Fixed-term contract – full-time  

*Due to legal administrative constraints, given the duration of the contract, candidates must already have the permanent right as Belgian or EU national, and/or valid work permit with mention of "Unlimited access to the labor market" to work in Belgium  

• Contract duration: 3 months (extendable)  

• Salary according to MSF-OCB Head Office grid  

• Meal Vouchers – Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs  

• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment  

• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commit

  Deadline for applications: 23rd of January 2026 

How to apply? 

• Submit your application via the 'Apply here’ button   

• Thank you in advance for having your CV and motivation letter (in PDF format ready to upload) 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted 

MSF values diversity and is committed to create an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. 

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