MSF Representative & Zurich Head of Office

Job Offer
(strictly no recruitment agencies)

Join MSF OCG as a MSF Representative & Zurich Head of Office!

We are looking for passionate candidates ready to contribute to our humanitarian mission.

Below, you will find the job details and the qualifications we are looking for.

Inclusivity and Diversity at MSF

Do your qualifications and experience not exactly match all requirements of the job?

At MSF OCG, we are committed to an inclusive culture that supports and amplifies the diverse voices of our staff members. We strive to create workplaces where teams of people with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together to advance MSF's social mission and create better outcomes for our patients and the communities we work with.

We understand that some people may hesitate to apply for employment if they don't meet all listed job requirements. Research shows that this is especially true for women. If you believe your profile is a good match for this position, we invite you to apply even if you don’t fulfil every listed qualification.

We encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities, background, religions, beliefs, ability status, and all other diversity characteristics.

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will undergo reference checks.

Context & mission

Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent, international medical and humanitarian organization that provides care to people in need, people affected by natural or man-made disasters, and victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and without regard to race, religion, creed or political affiliation (MSF Charter).

MSF’s Operational Centre based in Geneva (OCG) manages global capacity, knowledge and resources to ensure effective, high quality medical operations in humanitarian crisis zones. It operates in close to 30 countries per year.

MSF Switzerland seeks to strengthen exchanges and support from representatives of civil society, academia as well as private and government donors through exchange of experiences, participation in humanitarian debates, networking with other Swiss-based NGOs, increasing public awareness of humanitarian crises, develop our political and financial support base, and to welcome existing and new Swiss aid workers.

MSF Switzerland is composed of a main office in Geneva and a branch office in Zürich which is a hub for relations with civil society, donors, the media and MSF associative life. The team in the Zürich office includes fundraising officers, media relations officers, an events coordinator, an editor/translator, an association officer, a staff recruiter, interns, and facilities staff who all collaborate with committed volunteers.

The External Representative & Zurich Head of Office is a key spokesperson in support of the General Director, with a focus on German-speaking regions of the country. She/he will engage existing key Swiss stakeholders and audiences to advance the work of MSF in medical operations globally as well as to expand the network of stakeholders and MSF supporters based in Switzerland. 

She/he will ensure overall coherence among MSF teams members based in the Zürich office (Advocacy, Communications, Fundraising, People development, recruitment, and Associative life) to deliver on our organizational strategic priorities.

Tasks & Responsibilities

The External Representative & Zurich Head of Office is responsible for representing MSF in Switzerland vis a vis Swiss authorities at federal and cantonal level, Swiss NGOs, Swiss German speaking media, donors and the general public. S/he stewards the partnership with the Swiss Development Cooperation and represents MSF Operational Centre Geneva within the MSF Humanitarian Representation Team (HRT) Network.

As Zurich Head of Office, she/he will ensure a welcoming, positive dynamic and favorable working environment of Zurich based staff while collaborating and finding synergies with relevant managers of all departments represented in the Zurich office.

Public Positioning and Advocacy

• Act as spokesperson for MSF for interviews with medias, upon request from the Director of Communications and Fundraising, the General Director, or the Board of Directors.

• Provide compelling and clear interviews to Swiss German media, when requested by the organization, on a variety of topics including those involving strong political positioning.

• Proactively convey advocacy messages as prioritized in the strategic plan in coordination with operational advocacy, upon request from the General Director, and develop related strategies to reach targeted audiences in Switzerland, when the humanitarian agenda requires it.

• Represent OCG towards the Swiss authorities and act as a focal point for Swiss authorities.

• In charge of taking care of the institutional relationship with the SDC.

• Strengthen the dialogue with the FDFA/DFAE and raise awareness on humanitarian issues of critical concern to influence policies and practices with regards to assistance of people affected by humanitarian crises.

• Link with Swiss authorities upon request of Operations of OCG or the RIOD as part of HRT network.

• Link with diplomatic representations (Embassies etc.) in Switzerland upon request from operations of OCG or upon request from the HRT secretariat.

Networking

• Develop and leverage a network of influential persons and organizations in Switzerland according to priorities for advocacy and communication.

• Support HR and Medical departments in their relationship with hospitals, developing their network and supporting their objectives from the strategic plan.

• Represent MSF positions at public events such as touring exhibits and conferences.

• Ensure MSF representation in other contexts upon request.

Fundraising

• Support the fundraising department and the team in Zürich primarily with major donors, individuals, corporates and foundations.

• Meet with major donors, including foundations, when requested.

Facilitator of the MSF office in Zürich

• Support cohesion of the Zürich staff, primarily in helping to foster communication and collegiality of staff reporting to different managers (Fundraising, Communication, HR, Administration)

• Provide internal visibility on objectives, activities and contributions of the Zürich office, by synthesizing the plan of action set by departmental directors and managers.

• Strengthen links between the Operational Centre and the Zürich office, primarily by relaying updates on operational and advocacy topics, and coordinating meetings with HQ leaders.

Your profile

Education

• Master’s degree, or advanced degree and/or equivalent experience in humanitarian studies, communications, international relations, political science, management or related topic.

Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in humanitarian sector, either with MSF or in combination with other NGOs, to speak as an authentic and credible humanitarian

• Humanitarian experience in a coordination role is considered an asset

• Experienced public speaker

• Experienced and knowledgeable of SDC funding processes

Languages

• Swiss-German native speaker

• Fluency in English, written and oral

• French fluency is an asset, written and oral

Skills/ Technical competencies

• Ability to develop advocacy strategies and manage related actions and projects

• Strong public presentation skills for diverse audiences (including philanthropic, academic, professional)

• Confidence, tact and discipline in interviews with Swiss media

• Solid knowledge of Swiss humanitarian NGOs political institutions, socio-cultural and economic realities

• Ability to synthesize complex issues on short notice, primarily in the humanitarian field

• Ability to speak accurately and authentically about MSF humanitarian programs and positions

• Strong editorial skills in German

• Proposal writing (ideally for SDC funds)

Personal Abilities/Qualities

• Passion for humanitarian issues

• Proactive in seeking opportunities for engagement

• Commitment to the principles and public positions of MSF

• Collaborative management style

• Active listener

• Diplomacy and persuasiveness

• Poise and clarity in public speaking

Terms of employment

• Full-time position 100% (40h/week)

• Fixed-term contract, 24 months

• Working place: Zurich, Switzerland

• Ideal start date: June 2025

• Gross annual salary (for 100%): from CHF 119’964.- to CHF 134’604.- (salary commensurate with equivalent experience and internal salary grid)

• Paid vacation: 25 days per year, prorate temporis, plus any Swiss public holidays falling within the contract period

• Pension plan: pension contribution covered 3/4 by MSF, 1/4 by staff member

• Relocation package if moving to Switzerland

How to apply

Candidates are invited to submit their application exclusively through our recruitment platform, following these guidelines:

• CV (maximum 2 pages)

• Cover letter (maximum 1 page)

• Documents must be submitted in either English or French.

The application deadline is April 6th 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier if we receive a sufficient number of quality applications.

APPLY

All applications will be treated confidentially.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please note that we do not wish to use the services of recruitment or placement agencies.