Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian organisation providing medical care in more than 72 countries. Since 1971, it has been treating people caught in complex crises and chronic healthcare emergencies around the world. In 2021, it admitted more than one million people to its hospitals and held more than 12.6m consultations, including at mobile clinics and in refugee camps.

Médecins Sans Frontières UK (MSF UK) raises money and recruits staff to support the work of MSF’s medical humanitarian projects around the world; it also raises public and political awareness of MSF’s work within the UK and provides strategic and technical support to MSF’s projects. MSF UK is part of an international movement of independent legal entities, bound by their shared name and identity, and a shared commitment to the MSF Charter and its principles. Each MSF office plays a part in providing staff, resources and budget to the MSF operational centres, so that they can maintain projects and ensure that the organisation is working where it's needed most.

In 2021, MSF UK:

• Deployed 147 UK staff to medical humanitarian projects in 38 different countries around the world
• Generated income totalling £68m, of which 93% (£63.5m) came from donations and legacies, with the rest coming mostly from charitable activities
• Channelled 87% of its total expenditure in support of medical humanitarian work and social mission costs - £49.9m was given as grants to other MSF sections, and £48.6m went directly to MSF projects and social mission overseas
• Combined research and medical humanitarian experience to help shift understanding and practice across the professional landscapes of medical humanitarianism
• Provided advocacy, communications and representation support to MSF’s priorities both in the UK and across the MSF movement

MSF UK does not normally manage medical humanitarian projects directly. These are run by MSF’s operational centres.

The Board of Trustees ensures that MSF UK adheres to MSF’s core principles and values and conducts its business in an effective and efficient manner, with due care and accountability, responsible management of resources, and in compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements. It also participates in the broader governance of the MSF movement in a number of ways, in particular through a close relationship with the OCA (Operational Centre Amsterdam) operational centre, which is a cooperation between MSF UK, MSF Germany and MSF Holland.

Members of MSF UK elect the majority of Trustees, who mostly have a medical background, but Trustees with different backgrounds are also elected, or co-opted to ensure that the Board maintains an appropriate mix of skills and experience.

Acting together in the best interests of MSF UK, Trustees each bring their diverse expertise, experience, and perspectives to fulfil the Board’s governance responsibilities. The Board of Trustees is looking to co-opt a Treasurer to guide on issues relating to control, risk, and compliance with a focus on the long-term financial health of MSF UK.

The Treasurer’s overall purpose is to:

• Monitor the financial health of MSF UK and report to the Board on the robustness of internal controls, management accounting and budgeting
• Guide the Board setting MSF UK’s risk appetite and monitoring risk improvement activities
• Ensure compliance with the Articles Association of MSF (UK), the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), and other applicable legislation including company and charity law
• Provide financial advice and guidance to the Board on strategic financial issues

The Treasurer also plays a leading role on the MSF UK Board’s Audit and Risk Committee, which they chair, as well as joining the Remuneration Committee and the OCA’s Audit Committee. Newly-appointed Trustees are offered internal and external training on Trustee responsibilities; the new Treasurer will also be able to work closely with the outgoing Treasurer for a short period.

Finally, there is also the opportunity to visit the field and witness MSF's life-saving work in person.

MSF UK is looking for a new Treasurer who will bring financial acumen to the Board. A financial qualification and some previous exposure to the UK charity sector is also welcome but not essential.
Candidates will bring well-rounded experience of financial management in a complex organisation, most likely in a leadership position. Applicants will:

• Have a strong financial management background and will have managed or overseen sizeable budgets and operations
• Demonstrate the ability to challenge and question budgets and operational processes
• Bring excellent communication skills, which are essential to work in a multi-cultural, international environment
• Ideally, have worked as an auditor, or with auditors as an audit client, and therefore bring an understanding of statutory and internal audit processes
• Ideally, be a qualified accountant or have qualifications in business, economics, or finance
• Ideally, gave a good understanding of the UK charity sector, but candidates from other sectors are also welcome

The Board is open to those for whom this would be their non-executive role, as long as they understand the difference between executive and non-executive engagement, as well have an appreciation of governance and risk. Above all, the successful candidate will be committed to MSF's guiding principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality, as well support it mission to deliver high-quality care around the globe.

This role is unremunerated, and all expenses incurred to fulfil the role will be reimbursed, including international travel to in-person OCA Audit Committee meetings in Amsterdam at least two times per year. The appointment is for a three-year term, which can be renewed once at the discretion of the Board. A breakdown of the time commitment for formal meetings is below:

MSF UK Board: seven times per year, 12-5pm on a Friday afternoon
MSF UK Audit & Risk Committee (as Chair): four times per year, for two hours each
MSF UK Remuneration Committee: two times per year, for two hours each
OCA Audit Committee: six times per year, for three hours each

The total commitment, including the above meetings as well as reading preparation and ad hoc engagement with the Finance Director, is estimated to be at least 20 days per year, with the ability to contribute more time, where possible, to ad hoc working groups and projects.

This organisation is based in London and meetings will take place in-person. Candidates will therefore be UK-based.