Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is a leading international independent medical humanitarian organisation, providing expert medical relief to vulnerable populations at times of conflict or disaster. Operating in over 71 countries, MSF provides both life-saving emergency relief and longer-term assistance to make basic healthcare services available to the most vulnerable or excluded communities. MSF coordinates the Search and Rescue operations in the central Mediterranean which provide lifesaving activities and basic assistance operating with own vessel.

Scope and objectives of the position

MSF uses public communications and engagement to support its medical humanitarian action, to bear witness on the crises it works in, to make its work known to the public, and to secure and sustain public support for its social mission, including through fundraising and recruitment efforts.

The Engagement and Outreach Officer designs and delivers outreach events focusing on MSF's Search and Rescue (SAR) operations in Italy and Europe, as well as migration across the Central Mediterranean. With an aim to promote for SAR operations’ advocacy and public engagement messages, they engage civil society, organise events to amplify operations and secure local/national support, leveraging high-impact participation.

Specific Accountabilities

  • Develops a strategic vision and annual plan for events and outreach activities that strategically position MSF's SAR operations within Central Mediterranean migration discourse in Italy and Europe, fostering sustained advocacy impact and civil society engagement and outreach.
  • Takes the lead in planning, mapping, coordinating, executing, and promoting national events and public appearances, with a focus on promoting MSF's SAR operations in Italy, Spain, and Germany.
  • Manages the events calendar and ensures collaboration with MSF offices in Italy, Germany, and Spain to organise events and secure participation from SAR spokespeople.
  • Builds and maintain a network of engaged staff, associations, ngos, counterparts.
  • Collaborates on "special" projects, awareness campaigns.
  • Involves personalities from culture, entertainment, sports, and arts in activities and events, while maintaining close ties to keep them informed on MSF SAR key advocacy and public messages.
  • Reviews produced content (testimonials, illustrations, graphics, images) for events and outreach materials; coordinates with internal teams and external providers (content editors, graphic designers, printing houses) to ensure timely production, exhibition at events, and proper archiving.

Reporting

  • Activity/Impact Reports: monthly summaries of outreach events, consultations, stakeholder meetings, and engagement metrics (reach, feedback, outcomes).
  • Progress & Evaluation: Track KPIs (e.g., # partners engaged, event attendance).
  • Financial/Budget: Track expenses for events/outreach; report on resources usage.

Requirements

Education
  • Essential: University degree in a relevant field such as communications, social sciences, international relations, or event management

Experience

Essential:

  • 2 years public engagement, event organising, or public relations.
  • 2-5 years in community outreach, engagement, mobilisation, or stakeholder management
  • Work with NGOs, international agencies, or civil society in multicultural/high-pressure settings

Desirable:

  • Familiarity with humanitarian/development/migration issues.

Languages
  • Essential: Native Italian; English (B2)
  • Desirable: B2 in Spanish and/or German and/or French

Knowledge
  • Active network of local/national events and exhibition
  • Production of communication tools
  • Budgeting
  • Project Management: Planning events, consultations, campaigns; budgeting and promotion/visibility.
  • Interpersonal/networking

Competencies
  • Behavioural Flexibility L 2
  • Emotional and Stress Management L 2
  • Results and Quality Orientation L 2
  • Planning and Organisation L 3
  • Initiative and Innovation L 2
  • Networking and Building Relationships L 3
  • Teamwork and Cooperation L 2

Conditions

Contract: Fixed term contract 04/05/2026 – 31/12/2026 (8 months), part-time 32 hours/week. Level III of Italian CCNL Commercio Terziario Distribuzione e Servizi. 

Candidates should hold a work permit to work in Italy.

Gross Annual Salary: euro 25.800 – 27.100 depending on MSF experience of the candidate 

Location: based in Rome

Starting Date: 04/05/2026

Application procedure: 

To apply for this role, please submit your application to sar-jobs@oca.msf.org 

Subject: Engagement Officer_Your Surname

Including the following:

  • CV (in English)
  • motivation letter (in English)
  • Availability
  • 2 contacts for references

The application deadline is 24 March 2026 at 8.00 am Rome-time

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Applicants not invited for interview within 4 weeks from the closure of the vacancy may consider their applications unsuccessful.

MSF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. No employee, or applicant for employment, shall be discriminated against in any term or condition of employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or sexual orientation. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values. We expect this same commitment from our staff.