People Experience Manager

People Experience Manager
New York, New York, United States; Washington, District of Columbia, United States

 

About MSF USA | Doctors Without Borders

 

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international organization that provides medical care to the people who need it most. The organization cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters, and social exclusion in more than 70 countries. MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance solely based on need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Our international project teams include medical, logistical, and administrative staff, most of them hired locally and working with their own communities. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. We also bear witness and speak out about the experiences of our colleagues and patients.

 

MSF USA is one of 24 sections supporting the global movement, primarily through staff recruitment, fundraising, advocacy, and communications. We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s social mission.

 

Role Overview

The People Experience Manager is a senior leader within the People & Culture department who serves as a strategic architect and owner of MSF USA’s employee experience strategy. This role is responsible for designing, scaling, and executing initiatives that ensure employees across HQ, Hosted, and International Mobile Staff (IMS) categories feel valued, connected, and engaged throughout their entire lifecycle.

 

With an expanded mandate, the Manager leads key pillars of workforce engagement, resilience, and agility. They oversee orientation, communications, recognition, and feedback mechanisms while driving forward global alignment, continuous improvement, and change-readiness. This includes launching experience dashboards, piloting innovative touchpoints, and embedding DEI through every initiative.

 

Reporting to the Director of People Operations, the People Experience Manager partners cross-functionally across MSF USA and the broader movement to ensure that employee experience is inclusive, data-informed, and responsive to the evolving needs of a mission-driven, globally connected workforce.

 

Department Accountabilities

Organizational Culture & Create a Safe Space

 

Set and drive transparent goals, targets, and ADEI&B initiatives that yield the most significant, scalable, quantifiable, and sustained impact for a more human-centered, engaged, and productive workplace. Build a culture that fosters trust, collaboration, high performance, respect, and belonging among diverse teams and people.

 

Performance Management & Talent Development

 

Develop and implement policies and processes that provide an integrated, structured approach to individual development planning, performance goal setting, performance feedback, and formal appraisal to meet business needs and to support individuals in realizing their potential. The review is done once per year, after which decisions are taken on whether the employee's pay should be changed or increased.

 

Employee Engagement

 

Create a workplace culture that is engaging and motivating for employees. This involves creating opportunities for employees to connect with each other, providing professional development opportunities, and creating a positive work environment.

 

Compliance and HR Operations

 

To achieve specified operational performance standards, execute and manage P&C operations using predetermined protocols and procedures.

 

Compensation & Benefits Review

 

Designed and administered compensation and benefits packages for staff. This includes setting salaries, providing health insurance and other benefits, and managing payroll.

 

Talent Acquisitions

 

Fill permanent or temporary positions within an organization by attracting, shortlisting, selecting, hiring, appointing, and integrating the best-qualified candidates in a timely and cost-effective manner.

 

Payroll Administration

 

Carry out the payroll administration processes required to ensure employees are paid correctly at the right time.

 

Roles Specific Outcomes

 

• Design and implement a Global Employee Experience Framework that aligns lifecycle practices across HQ, Hosted, and IMS staff while adapting to local and operational contexts.

• Lead experience-centered change management efforts for major organizational initiatives, including restructures, rebranding, or system shifts.

• Launch the People Experience Innovation Lab, prototyping new engagement tools, technologies, and feedback mechanisms to drive continual evolution.

• Develop and maintain employee engagement dashboards to monitor key performance indicators, drive decision-making, and identify risk or opportunity areas.

• Establish a unified, cross-functional onboarding model that supports diverse staff types with consistency and care.

• Embed an equity lens across all touchpoints through DEI audits, employee feedback loops, and systemic improvements in recognition, communication, and engagement practices.

• Manage and execute a centralized People Operations Communications Calendar to ensure timely, inclusive, and transparent messaging to staff.

• Deliver quarterly engagement and retention reports to senior leadership, incorporating qualitative and quantitative analysis.

 

Complexity and Problem-Solving Skills

 

This role requires navigating:

 

• High-stakes, cross-functional priorities, including legal, cultural, and operational variables that affect onboarding, engagement, and communication.

• The development of replicable and scalable models that support a globally distributed workforce with diverse employment types and movement pathways.

• Leading through ambiguity and rapid change, while maintaining employee trust and organizational cohesion.

• Designing change management strategies, anticipating human impact, adapting communications and support as dynamics evolve.

• Using employee insights, both qualitative and quantitative, to guide decisions, demonstrate organizational responsiveness, and continually refine experience programs.

• Driving initiatives intersecting multiple departments while maintaining a clear sense of ownership and accountability.

 

Behavioral Competencies

 

THOUGHT: How MSF USA staff understand the organization, manage complexity, and contribute by creating new and different.

 

People Focus

 

Build strong relationships and deliver solutions geared to aiding others. Solicit feedback and data; convey a clear understanding of the level of service the team is providing; take action when standards are not met by the team; align processes with organizational needs.

 

Manages Complexity

 

Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Consistently looks at complex issues from many angles; obtains a rich and deep understanding; swiftly cuts to the core issue; skillfully separates root causes from symptoms.

 

Global Perspective

 

Takes a broad view when approaching issues, using a global lens. Shows global thinking at work; adjusts organizational practices to meet different regions or countries' unique needs. Use a broad perspective when addressing issues and challenges.

 

Cultivate Innovation

 

Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful. Approach professional work in unique or innovative ways. Offers original ideas. Appreciates others' creative ideas and solutions and provides helpful input to enhance them.

 

Strategic Mindset

 

Sees ahead to future possibilities and builds breakthrough strategies that anticipate the evolving needs of MSF USA’s people.

 

RESULTS: MSF USA staff achieve results by cultivating a forward-thinking environment that produces solutions for changing stakeholder needs.

 

Drives Results

 

Consistently achieves results, even under challenging circumstances. Regularly pushes self to attain outstanding outcomes; consistently establishes bold goals for own performance; is passionate about excellent results and significant contributions. Shows great tenacity to complete goals/initiatives in a timely way.

 

Ensures Accountability

 

Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments.

 

PEOPLE: MSF USA staff understand their impact on others through collaboration and the inclusion of different perspectives to achieve common goals.

 

Collaborates

 

Build partnerships and work collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Readily involves others to accomplish goals; stays in touch and shares information; discourages "us versus them" thinking; shows appreciation for others' ideas and input.

 

Communicates Effectively

 

Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Listens attentively and takes an interest. Keeps others well informed; conveys information concisely and professionally when speaking or writing.

 

Values Differences

 

Recognizes the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization. Confronts stereotyping and offensive comments promptly. Consistently behaves with great sensitivity toward differences in cultural norms, expectations, and communication methods.

 

Builds Effective Teams

 

Build strong identity teams applying diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.

 

Manage Conflict

 

Handles conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise.

 

Build Networks

 

Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.

 

Drives Vision and Purpose

 

Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action.

 

SELF: MSF USA staff demonstrate self-awareness by having an open mindset and continuously seeking opportunities to learn, grow, and improve.

 

Instills Trust

 

Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity. Models of openness and authenticity encourage others to be up front with one another. Demonstrates reliability and places a strong emphasis on the team meeting its commitments. Fairly represents others' positions.

 

Manages Ambiguity

 

Operate effectively, even when things are uncertain or the way forward is unclear. Respond effectively to unclear situations, seek to resolve ambiguity, and make progress. Seeks guidance on how to adapt to changes and responds with appropriate composure and effectiveness.

 

Situational Adaptability

 

Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Serves as an example of adaptability and provides guidance and support to help others adapt to new situations. Considering the needs of clients, constituents, and the organization, shifts priorities appropriately.

 

Being Resilient

 

Rebounds from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.

 

Technical Competencies

 

Plans and Aligns

 

Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with MSF-USA goals.

 

Financial Acumen

 

Interprets and applies to understand key financial indicators to make better business decisions.

 

Tech Savvy

 

Anticipating and adopting innovations in organizational digital and technology applications.

 

Data Collection and Analysis

 

The ability and skill to determine and analyze trends from data collected to assist in compiling reports that will help in decision-making.

 

Project Management Skills

 

The ability to plan and manage small project assignments within desired cost, time, and quality parameters.

 

Presentation and Written Communication Skills

 

Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Serves as an example of adaptability and provides guidance and support to help others adapt to new situations. Consider the needs of clients, constituents, and the organization, and shift priorities appropriately.

 

Organizational Insight

 

Applying knowledge of MSF-USA and industry to advance the organization’s goals.

 

Supervisory Responsibility

 

This position may supervise interns, project leads, or vendors.

 

• May lead cross-functional workgroups or collaborative engagement teams across departments.

• As part of the People Operations leadership team, they may serve as a peer coach and strategic advisor on people-centered initiatives.

 

Desired Qualifications & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in employee engagement, HR strategy, people operations, internal communications, or related fields with a global workforce

• 4+ years of experience leading cross-functional employee experience initiatives with strategic and operational ownership with a global workforce

• Strong verbal and written communication skills across formal and informal channels.

• Proven experience with employee recognition and feedback systems.

• Demonstrated successful management of onboarding or engagement programs in complex, mission-driven organizations.

• Deep understanding of equity, inclusion, and psychological safety as drivers of engagement and retention.

• Prior experience supporting an NGO or a Global organization is highly desirable.

 

Travel Requirements

 

This position may require occasional domestic travel to participate in People Team retreats, organizational convenings, and/or professional development conferences. All travel will be planned and aligned with team priorities, budget, and organizational health and safety protocols.

 

Compensation

 

$101,769 to $152,653. In alignment with MSF USA’s compensation framework, new hires are generally offered between the minimum and midpoint of the range based on relevant experience, skills, and internal equity.

 

Equal Opportunity and Accommodations Statement:

MSF-USA is dedicated to creating a diverse, impartial, and inclusive workforce. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences as per applicable laws.

 

We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at recruitment@newyork.msf.org.

 

We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented communities in the Humanitarian Aid sector to apply.