HR Advisor

MSF is an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation. We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organisation. MSF was founded in 1971 in Paris by a group of journalists and doctors. Today, we are a worldwide movement of more than 63,000 people.  

MSF coordinates operations through collaborations between global offices. The ‘MSF Operational Centre Amsterdam’ (OCA) is a partnership that is composed of the partners MSF-Canada, MSF-Germany, MSF-SARA, MSF-Sweden, MSF-Netherlands and MSF-United Kingdom. MSF-OCA has a team of more than 11,000 staff working in 115 emergency projects in about 31 countries.  

The office of MSF-Netherlands located in Amsterdam hosts more than 400 employees, offering direct support to MSF-OCA operations. Around 50 staff focus on recruitment, communication and fundraising in The Netherlands (MSF-Netherlands) and 350 staff are focused on supporting MSF-OCA operations. 

 People are our priority. At Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/ Artsen zonder Grenzen, we are committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our employees.   We encourage diverse applicants including individuals of all gender identities, ages, sexual orientations, nationalities, races, religions, beliefs, social and marital status, people with different abilities and all other diversity characteristics and how they work together

At MSF Netherlands (OCA), the People & Culture department (+/- 85) is a human-centered function that actively supports MSF's primary work, delivering healthcare to all.  We focus on engagement, culture, and strategic impact, grounded in the belief that embracing the human factor is key to meaningful change. With a global workforce mindset, we prioritize trust and simplicity across our three Centers of Expertise: Culture & Change, People Experience, and Talent

With immediate effect, MSF-Netherlands is looking for an; 
 

HR Advisor (40 hrs)  

Based in Amsterdam Office 

The HR Advisor is an HR generalist with an all-round knowledge of the employee life cycle.  You advise specific departments within the organisation and partner with managers to build and develop dynamic and high-performing teams. You help them to attract, engage and grow people within their teams as well as support employee engagement-related activities and changes at an organisational level.  

You will join a team of creative, insightful, and people-focused professionals. You have a keen eye for detail, are driven to succeed and have a strong track record of getting things done!  

Main responsibilities: 

You use your knowledge of HR policies, laws and regulations to analyse queries from management, to provide advice and support, on both practical and tactical/strategic levels, on a wide range of topics, including people development, leadership, personnel planning and the performance management cycle. 

You manage relationships with key stakeholders on various levels, aware of the functioning and culture of the organisation from a people perspective, in order to initiate and steer organisational change.

You keep up with strategic plans and developments within MSF OCA and MSF-NL and use this knowledge to initiate improvements to existing policies and to guide advise and support, applying your expertise in various projects that contribute to our social mission. You make use of the various experts within the People & Culture department and contribute to its positioning in the organisation.

Accountabilities: 

• Advice and support to management on People related topics and procedures  

• Policies and improvement proposals to policies and procedures.  

• Project deliverables, contributing to project progress and results 

• Organisational changes and development, including communication and preparation of formal documents

• Compliance with Dutch labour law, HR policies, strategies and procedures 

Candidate profile: 

• A degree in HR Management, related discipline or equivalent thinking level, as reflected by at least 5 years’ working experience in HR

• Ideally you have experience working within an NGO environment

• In-depth knowledge of HR best practices together with working knowledge of HR systems and databases.

• Knowledge of Dutch Labour Law

• Networking skills; a proven track record of building relationships across all levels and teams in a diverse and multi-cultural environment.

• You have a real can-do mentality and you have excellent communication skills that enable you to disseminate complex information and adapt it to your target audience.

• You are successful, practical, efficient, flexible and used to working in a fast paced and demanding environment.

• Committed to an inclusive culture that encourages and supports the diverse voices of our employees.

Competences 

• Strategic thinking  

• Teamwork & Cooperation 

• Problem Analysis & Solving 

• Communication, both written and oral 

• Result driven 

• Integrity

We offer

• A challenging international position in a purpose driven organization. 

• A fixed-term, 12 months contract with renewal option.

• Gross monthly salary (Level 16) €4,269 – €5,877, depending on experience.

• 30 days annual leave (full-time) plus 8% holiday allowance.

• 100% employer-paid pension contributions.

• Commuting allowance; discounted office lunches.

• Personal development budget and access to internal/external training.

• An inclusive workplace with colleagues from around the globe.

Information & application 

For information about this role you can contact Auke Walburg (recruitment) at auke.walburg@amsterdam.msf.org . Please uploada letter of motivation and Curriculum Vitae in English as one combined document. Only applications with motivation will be included in the process. The deadline for application is 14 November 2025. 

~ Acquisition is not appreciated ~