The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is hiring an Associate Capacity Building for a 12-month traineeship in Geneva, Switzerland, starting 11 January 2027. The post pays a gross monthly salary of CHF 3,934 across 13 installments and sits in the Security and Crisis Management Support (SCMS) Division. Applications close 25 October 2026.
The Post in Dates, Figures and Classifications
📌 Title: Associate Capacity Building
🏛️ Organisation: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
🗂️ Division: Security and Crisis Management Support (SCMS)
📍 Location: Geneva (GVA), Switzerland
📝 Contract type: Traineeship
🧷 Job family: Protection / Human Rights / IHL / Humanitarian Diplomacy / Detention
⏱️ Activity rate: 100%
🗓️ Start date: 11 January 2027
⌛ Length of assignment: 12 months
🏦 Gross monthly salary: CHF 3,934, paid in 13 installments
🪪 Visa/permit: Legitimation Card, provided
🗣️ Languages: English and French, written and oral, both essential
The Organisation Behind the Post
🕊️ Since 1863, the ICRC has worked to preserve human dignity and relieve suffering caused by war and armed violence
🤝 Working with its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners around the world, it does everything it can to deliver life-saving aid, reconnect families and locate missing people, helping those who need it most, regardless of who they are and what side of the front line they are on
🧭 It engages with authorities and armed forces on all sides, often confidentially, pressing for access to detainees so their living conditions can be improved
📑 It urges compliance with international humanitarian law to protect non-combatants, including protection from digital threats
Why a Humanitarian Organisation Needs a Security Division
The vacancy makes the reasoning explicit. To fulfil its humanitarian mandate, the ICRC considers it imperative to have effective security and crisis management.
🎯 Security and crisis management that identifies and mitigates risks threatening the ICRC's global workforce, assets and reputation
🚨 A framework for a rapid and professional response when a serious security incident or a large-scale emergency occurs
📘 Chief responsibility for security policy across the organisation
🧰 The provision of operational support through guidance, training and field missions
🔔 Facilitating and initiating emergency procedures
The Five Functions of the SCMS Division
The division is built around five main functions, and the traineeship belongs to the fifth.
🔬 Research, Analysis and Development
🛟 Security and Safety Risk Management
🚑 Crisis Management
🌐 Support to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement
🏫 Capacity Building
What Capacity Building Means Here
This position focuses primarily on the capacity-building function of the SCMS Division's work. In practice, the division runs a learning portfolio for ICRC staff who work in the field.
📚 A series of courses on security and crisis management for ICRC staff in the field
🦺 Oversight of the content of personal security training for field personnel
🤲 Contributions to the training provided by other divisions and units within the ICRC
🧱 Tailored training modules and workshops built for specific needs
The Eight Duties of the Role
The vacancy sets out eight main duties. At Youth Works Hub, we read them line by line, and they run from classroom logistics to virtual reality production and cross-Movement partnership work.
Bringing Face-to-Face Activities Back on Track
The Associate supports the continuation and timely resumption of Capacity Building initiatives, with particular attention to face-to-face activities. This duty is listed first in the vacancy, which signals how much weight the division puts on in-person training.
Preparing and Delivering the Courses
The Associate assists in the preparation and delivery of courses in collaboration with the Learning and Development department in Geneva and with regional training centers. The vacancy names the concrete tasks involved:
🗃️ Updating and organizing course materials
✅ Supporting participant selection
✉️ Sending invitations
📂 Maintaining course archives
Building the Crisis Management Simulations
The Associate contributes to the development of Crisis Management Simulations (CMS) and workshops held in Geneva and online, ensuring smooth implementation and documentation of outcomes. Both delivery formats are named, so the work is not limited to events in the room.
From Video to Virtual Reality: the Didactic Tools
The Associate participates in the development and improvement of didactic tools produced by the SCMS Division. The vacancy lists what those tools are:
🎬 Videos
🥽 Immersive resources, such as virtual reality modules
🧯 The newly developed Safety and Security Risk Management videos
Measuring Whether the Training Worked
The Associate supports the monitoring and evaluation of Capacity Building activities, collecting participant feedback and helping to integrate lessons learned into future courses. This closes the loop between one course and the next.
Writing for the Security Wiki and the Intranet
The Associate contributes to the division's internal communication efforts and prepares content for the Security Wiki and the ICRC Intranet, highlighting the division's activities and achievements to other departments and to field delegations.
Keeping the Knowledge Repositories in Order
The Associate assists in maintaining and updating knowledge repositories. The vacancy gives examples:
👥 The participant database
📊 Surveys
🧾 Templates
Working Across Departments and With External Partners
The Associate collaborates with other departments and with external partners on joint initiatives related to security and crisis management learning, fostering cross-departmental and Movement-wide exchanges.
The Degree the Division Asks For
📜 A Master's degree in a relevant field
The vacancy states the level and leaves the discipline open, so it does not restrict applications to a single field of study.
How Much Experience Is Too Much
This is the condition that decides eligibility for many candidates, and the vacancy states it twice, once in the required profile and once in a closing note.
📅 Relevant work experience, including internships and volunteer work, not exceeding two years in total, traineeships included
⚖️ The note repeats the cap: the traineeship is open to candidates with a maximum professional experience of two years, of which no more than one year is in a full-time paid position after completion of studies
In other words, the post is designed for people at the start of their career. A long paid track record after graduation places a candidate outside the window, even when the rest of the profile fits.
Knowing the ICRC and the Wider Movement
🔍 Insight into the ICRC and its mandate
🌍 An understanding of the wider International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
Both points appear under the required profile rather than among the assets, so some familiarity with the organisation is expected before you apply.
A Demonstrated Interest in Security and Crisis Management
The vacancy does not ask for a career in the field, it asks for demonstrated interest in:
🔐 Security
🚧 Risk management
📡 Crisis management and response
Experience Running Workshops and Courses
🎤 Experience in organizing and/or facilitating workshops, conferences, or training courses
Because the duties are built around course delivery and simulations, this is the line of the profile that connects most directly to the daily work.
English and French Are Both Essential
The vacancy asks for excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French, and it marks both as essential. There is no option to apply with only one of the two.
Arabic, Russian or Spanish as an Asset
🗨️ Working proficiency in any of the following is listed as an asset: Arabic, Russian or Spanish
These are advantages rather than requirements, so a candidate without them is still eligible.
The Skills and Qualities Named in the Vacancy
🧠 Strong analytical and organizational skills
💡 Creativity and resourcefulness in finding solutions
🔄 Flexibility and adaptability
Dates, Duration and Activity Rate
🚦 Start date: 11 January 2027
📆 Length of assignment: 12 months
🔢 Activity rate: 100%
🏙️ Location: Geneva, Switzerland
The activity rate is full-time and the assignment runs for a full year from the stated start date.
The Salary and the Legitimation Card
💳 Gross monthly salary: CHF 3,934, paid in 13 installments
🛂 Visa/permit: a Legitimation Card is provided
The vacancy lists the Legitimation Card as provided, and it states no further permit condition. Because the ICRC pays a salary directly, this is an employer-paid traineeship rather than a grant-based placement, and our guide to how funded traineeships abroad actually work explains why that distinction changes your budget. More internship and traineeship openings are collected on Youth Works Hub.
Diversity and the Values Behind the Role
🫂 The ICRC values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment, and it welcomes applications from all qualified candidates
The organisation states four values and looks for candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on them:
✨ Impact
🧩 Collaboration
🤍 Respect
💙 Compassion
The vacancy closes by asking candidates whether they are ready to explore the next chapter of their career, and inviting them to apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Associate Capacity Building actually do?
The Associate supports the SCMS Division's training work: resuming face-to-face activities, preparing and delivering courses with the Learning and Development department and regional training centers, building Crisis Management Simulations and workshops, and developing didactic tools including videos and virtual reality modules. The role also covers monitoring and evaluation, internal communication, knowledge repositories and joint initiatives with other departments and external partners.
Which division is this traineeship in?
It sits in the Security and Crisis Management Support (SCMS) Division, specifically in its capacity-building function. The division's five main functions are Research, Analysis and Development, Security and Safety Risk Management, Crisis Management, Support to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and Capacity Building.
Is this ICRC traineeship paid?
Yes. The gross monthly salary is CHF 3,934, paid in 13 installments, at a 100% activity rate. It is listed as a traineeship contract.
How long is the assignment and when does it begin?
The length of assignment is 12 months and the start date is 11 January 2027. The activity rate is 100%, so it is a full-time commitment for the whole period.
Where is the post based?
It is based at the ICRC in Geneva (GVA), Switzerland. The vacancy lists no remote or hybrid arrangement.
What degree do I need?
A Master's degree in a relevant field. The vacancy specifies the level but leaves the subject open, so it does not limit applications to one discipline.
Which languages are required?
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French are both essential. Working proficiency in Arabic, Russian or Spanish is listed separately as an asset.
Can I apply if I already have work experience?
Only within the stated cap. Relevant work experience, including internships, volunteer work and traineeships, must not exceed two years in total, and no more than one of those years may be in a full-time paid position after completion of studies.
Does volunteering count towards the two-year limit?
Yes. The vacancy counts internships and volunteer work inside the total of relevant work experience, alongside traineeships.
Do I need a Swiss visa or work permit?
The visa and permit listed in the vacancy is a Legitimation Card, and it is provided. No further permit condition is stated.
Is there a nationality requirement?
The vacancy lists no nationality requirement. The stated conditions are the Master's degree, the experience cap, the language levels, the knowledge of the ICRC and the Movement, and the skills in the required profile.
What experience with training does the role expect?
Experience in organizing and/or facilitating workshops, conferences or training courses. This is listed in the required profile, and it maps directly onto the course preparation, simulation and workshop duties.
What are Crisis Management Simulations?
They are the simulation exercises the SCMS Division develops and runs in Geneva and online, alongside its workshops. The Associate contributes to their development, their smooth implementation and the documentation of their outcomes.
How do I apply?
Applications go through the ICRC careers page linked at the end of this post. The vacancy also links a questions and answers page about working at ICRC headquarters, and a page setting out the ICRC values.
Deadline
⏳ 25 October 2026
Links
🔗 Application page: https://careers.icrc.org/job/Geneva-(GVA)-Associate-Capacity-Building-33613/1447101733/
❓ More information about working at ICRC HQ: https://careers.icrc.org/content/questions-answers/?locale=en_GB
💎 ICRC values: https://careers.icrc.org/content/Our-Values/?locale=en_GB
