Medical Professional - West Africa

01Position Summary

Shelter For Life International (SFL) is anticipating a project in West Africa with a focus on managing the flow of migrants into the region. Included in the project’s objectives will be structured movement and resettlement of migrants within and outside Guinea-Bissau, while providing basic food, shelter, and other humanitarian assistance.

SFL is seeking a qualified and experienced medical professional (Physician, Physician Assistant, or Nurse Practitioner) to provide medical support to migrants in West Africa in mobile clinic settings. The medical professional will be responsible for delivering emergency and primary healthcare services to migrant populations during their processing and resettlement phases.

This role involves establishing triage protocols, treating acute conditions, and ensuring that healthcare delivery aligns with international humanitarian standards in a high-volume, resource-limited environment. The position will be based in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

02Areas of Responsibility

• Direct Clinical Care: Diagnose and treat medical conditions in a resource-constrained environment, providing primary care, management of minor trauma, and occasional emergency stabilization.
• Public Health & Disease Control: Implement and monitor infection-prevention protocols, manage potential disease outbreaks among migrants in temporary resettlement accommodations.
• Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate, confidential medical records for patients and provide relevant epidemiological reports to SFL leadership regarding health trends.

03Education and Experience Requirements

• Professional Credentials: Active, unencumbered license as a Medical Doctor (MD/DO), Physician Assistant (PA), or Nurse Practitioner (NP).
• Clinical Experience: Minimum of 3 to 5 years of post-licensure clinical experience, preferably in emergency medicine, family practice, or infectious diseases.
• Humanitarian Experience: Previous experience working in refugee settings, disaster response, global health, or resource-limited international settings preferred.
• Language Proficiency: Absolute fluency in English (written and spoken) is required; working knowledge of Spanish is a plus to effectively communicate with specific migrant demographics.
• Specialized Knowledge: Familiarity with tropical medicine, malnutrition management, and trauma-informed care is a distinct advantage.

04Personal Skills & Abilities

• Cultural Agility: High degree of cultural sensitivity and the ability to build trust with multi-national, multi-lingual populations experiencing displacement and trauma.
• Adaptability & Resilience: Proven capacity to maintain composure, sound judgment, and professionalism in sometimes unpredictable and austere environments.
• Interpersonal Communication: Excellent active listening and non-verbal communication skills, especially when working across language barriers or utilizing interpreters.
• Collaborative Teamwork: Ability to work seamlessly within a diverse, multi-disciplinary humanitarian team, taking both leadership and supportive roles as the situation demands.
• Problem-Solving: Strong critical-thinking skills and the ability to improvise safe, effective medical solutions when standard resources or equipment are unavailable.

SFL is interested in applicants whose professional ethics, values, and determination to achieve impact are evident with organizational priorities.

05Additional notes

• A minimum of 12 months' commitment to live and work in Guinea-Bissau is required.
• Applicants must be comfortable with travel to conduct mobile clinics in the project area.
• Competitive pay and benefits, including paid time off, ACA-compliant health insurance, and housing allowance.

06About Us

Shelter For Life International (SFL) is an international faith-based relief and development organization with over 30 years’ experience providing sustainable development and humanitarian assistance to post-conflict countries worldwide. We are currently operational in Afghanistan, The Gambia, and Ukraine, with headquarters located in Minnetonka, MN, USA. Our team provides support and assistance in the following areas:

1. Population Movement and Settlement
2. Public Infrastructure Reconstruction
3. Economic and Social Development

Our mission is to demonstrate God’s love by enabling people affected by conflict and disaster to restore their lives and rebuild their communities. To learn more about us, please visit www.shelter.org

Job description PDF here: https://shorturl.at/2dTS2