MSF Access Policy Advisor - Economic Policies

Job Title: MSF Access Policy Advisor - Economic Policies

Contract: Full time (100%)

Duration: 1 year

Starting Date: September 2026

Location: Any MSF Office

Deadline to apply: July 28, 2026

Reports to: Head of Analysis  

Compensation and benefits: MSF practice is to offer the C&B package current in the MSF entity establishing the contract.

I. MSF INTERNATIONAL

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural disasters. MSF offers assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

MSF International is the legal entity that binds MSF’s 24 sections, 27 associations and 18 branch offices together. Registered in Switzerland, MSF International provides coordination, information and support to the MSF Movement, as well as implements international projects and initiatives as requested.

MSF Access 

Médecins Sans Frontières works tirelessly to improve the accessibility, availability, affordability, appropriateness and quality of products for health care for the populations it assists and their communities. While this is a collective effort across the organisation, the MSF Access team plays a central role as it identifies and implements a priority selection of access projects, offers expert support for access activities elsewhere in MSF, and brings together information and analysis relevant to MSF’s access work. The MSF Access team, overseen by an Executive Board, is based in the following five regional hubs:

•  Dakar, Senegal: covering West and Central Africa

•  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: covering the Americas

•  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: covering Asia and Oceania

•  Nairobi, Kenya: covering Eastern and Southern Africa

•  Brussels, Belgium: covering Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa

The work of MSF Access is rooted in MSF’s medical humanitarian work and aims to improve access to medicines and healthcare products for people in the greatest need by bringing down barriers that keep people from getting the treatment they need to stay alive and healthy.  

To do this, we advocate for the most effective medicines and health products to be available, affordable, and equitably accessible for the people we care for, and beyond.  

The MSF Access team has the following responsibilities:

• Gather input for MSF’s Common Priorities on access to products of healthcare (Access).

• Design and implement Access Analysis & Advocacy activities to respond to the agreed Common Priorities.

• Provide, facilitate, support on Access files outside the Common Priorities to MSF entities that request it.

• Maintain an overview of Access initiatives across MSF and report on them annually.

• Research, and stay informed of, the Access landscape globally and regionally to inform the MSF Movement of opportunities and threats.

  The seven Common Priorities currently agreed upon by the MSF Movement include:

i.    Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

ii.   Vaccinations

iii.  Tuberculosis

iv.  Diabetes

v.   Diagnostic Tools

vi.  Sexual Reproductive Health and

vii. Cancer

They are based on the Medical-Operational priorities witnessed by the Movement and are subject to possible changes on medium-term.

The market-driven approach to biomedical R&D underscores the structural challenges in ensuring equitable access to medical products and technologies based on people’s health needs. These challenges are multifaceted in their impact on pricing, prioritization, R&D financing and governance, as well as the arrangement for technology ownership, intellectual property, manufacturing and supplying of medical products. MSF’s work on access issues is anchored from its direct medical actions and experiences, and challenged by the entrenched mainstream economic logic in biomedical R&D. To advance the renewed ambition of MSF’s work on access, we are looking for a policy advisor to bring expertise in critical analysis on economic issues in relation to R&D and access.

II. PLACE IN THE ORGANIZATION

The Policy Advisor works in the Analysis Department of MSF’s Access Team, reporting to the Head of Analysis. S/he works in a multidisciplinary team of the Analysis Department consisting of experts on medical, pharmaceutical, economic, legal and policy issues related to access to health products and technologies. The Policy Advisor maintains a close working relationship with the regional hubs and the Advocacy/Communication department of the Access team.

III. OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION

• Research and analyse critically on cross-cutting global policy developments and subjects with a focus on R&D financing, pricing, cost of production, market shaping, incentive initiatives and other economic aspects of access to health technologies, such as those related to local /regional manufacturing, technology transfer and generic competition

• Provide advice on incorporating a relevant economic lens in thematic and regional analysis, indicating strategic opportunities and recommendations.

• Support and provide economic analysis into the development and implementation of relevant advocacy strategies.

IV. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACTIVITIES

1. Research, analysis, and scanning on cross cutting global policies and developments

• Reviewing, collating and critically analysing global policy literature in relation to R&D financing, pricing, cost of production, market shaping and incentive initiatives and other economic aspects that affect the Access team’s works.

• Conduct landscape economic analysis on issues affecting access, including financing on local and regional manufacturing and regulatory frameworks.

• Provide technical and strategic advice on the concerned economic policy issues in thematic and regional portfolios.

• Maintain an overview, documentation and regular update of analysis and technical support, in line with the Knowledge and Information Management Guidelines.

2. Support and provide input into the development and implementation of advocacy strategies

• Support and provide advice to other analysis team advisors, regional hubs and advocacy and communication advisors in position development, talking points and advocacy strategy on relevant economic policy issues affecting innovation and equitable access

• Sensitize and increase the MSF Access team’s understanding and critical appraisal of economic narratives, policies and development on the changing global health frame affecting access to medical technologies, driven by the securization and competitiveness.

• Maintain an external and internal network of relevant stakeholders, sharing MSF analysis and representing the Access team at external fora.