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Section
The ICRC and its human resources
How the International Committee of the Red Cross recruits staff, trains them and develops their skills, so that the organization can call on a sufficient number of qualified personnel to support and conduct its operations.
New! Apply Online using the ICRC's e-recruitment system
What are the benefits of applying online:

  • You can create your own personal account for future visits
  • You have the possibility to return to view and update your personal data (CV) at any time
  • How to apply

  • More than 1,400 people, both specialized staff and delegates, are currently on field missions for the ICRC across the globe. This work is backed up by some 11,000 local employees and supported and coordinated by around 800 staff at its Geneva headquarters.

    Priorities can change rapidly, so all ICRC personnel must be flexible and ready to leave for any destination at a moment’s notice, to work in the unfamiliar environment of a country at war or emerging from war.

    ICRC personnel must be prepared to accept unaccompanied postings abroad during the first 24 months of employment.

    The ICRC seeks mature, motivated people with team spirit, the ability to interact with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, as well as resistance to stress and the difficult situations that cause it.

    A number of skills are always in demand, and other vacancies arise from time to time.
    Procedure to apply
    Working for the ICRC
    Annual Report
      1-6-2007
      Human resources department : extract from ICRC Annual Report 2006
      The Human Resources Department is responsible for ensuring that the ICRC has a sufficient pool of trained staff to meet its operational needs worldwide. It recruits, trains and supervises the career development of staff.
      (About the ICRC\Human resources)
      Annual Report

    Feature
      20-3-2008
      The transition from acute to chronic in medicine and in the humanitarian work of the ICRC
      How do humanitarian workers in a country emerging from war, and doctors practising medicine in Geneva, experience the transition from an acute to a chronic problem – from saving lives to supporting patients suffering from a long-term illness? This was the subject debated by doctors, patients and ICRC managers in Zinal, Switzerland, in March 2008. The author of this text is a political adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross, responsible for the analysis of future trends. The text reflects the author's opinions only and does not necessarily correspond to the views of the ICRC.
      (ICRC Activities\Assistance)
      FeatureMarion Harroff-Tavel

    ICRC Publication
      24-1-2006
      Staying alive: safety and security guidelines for humanitarian volunteers in conflict areas
      With its expert practical advice on security in situations of armed conflict, this updated set of guidelines will prove invaluable to humanitarian personnel working at the operational level. Following on from the success of the first edition, published in 1999, it addresses new and developing threats such as chemical, biological and nuclear hazards, and includes new chapters on, among others, first aid, staying healthy on mission and how international humanitarian law protects humanitarian workers.
      (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Protection)
      ICRC PublicationDavid Lloyd Roberts Includes PDF

      2-2-2005
      ICRC is recruiting - doctor, surgeon, anaesthetist, prosthetist-orthotist, health delegate
      ICRC staff members strive to provide protection and assistance to the victims of conflicts. This leaflet, one of a series of four, summarizes the requirements needed if you are interested in working for the ICRC in the field as a doctor (public health and detainees welfare), a surgeon or anaesthetist, a prosthetist-orthotist or a health delegate. Each leaflet provides an outline of the tasks to be undertaken.
      (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\About the ICRC)
      ICRC Publication Includes PDF

      2-2-2005
      ICRC is recruiting - administrator, database administrator, secretary, information-systems technician
      ICRC staff members strive to provide protection and assistance to the victims of conflicts. This leaflet, one of a series of four, summarizes the requirements needed if you are interested in working for the ICRC in the field as an administrator, a database administrator, a secretary or an information-systems technician. Each leaflet provides an outline of the tasks to be undertaken.
      (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\About the ICRC)
      ICRC Publication Includes PDF

      2-2-2005
      ICRC is recruiting - water and habitat engineer, logistics specialist, agronomist
      ICRC staff members strive to provide protection and assistance to the victims of conflicts. This leaflet, one of a series of four, summarizes the requirements needed if you are interested in working for the ICRC in the field as a water and habitat engineer, a logistics specialist or an agronomist. Each leaflet provides an outline of the tasks to be undertaken.
      (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\About the ICRC)
      ICRC Publication Includes PDF

      2-2-2005
      ICRC is recruiting - delegate, communication delegate, interpreter, translator
      ICRC staff members strive to provide protection and assistance to the victims of conflicts. This leaflet, one of a series of four, summarizes the requirements needed if you are interested in working for the ICRC in the field as a delegate, a communication delegate, an interpreter or translator. Each leaflet provides an outline of the tasks to be undertaken.
      (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\About the ICRC)
      ICRC Publication Includes PDF

    International Review of the Red Cross
      31-3-2007
      The ICRC delegate: an exceptional humanitarian player?
      "What is an ICRC delegate?" Highlighting the extraordinary and singular nature of this humanitarian player from an insider and a public point of view, the authors attempt to give the reader the key to unveil and discover this peculiar profession.
      (Info resources\International Review\2007 - No. 865)
      International Review of the Red CrossBrigitte Troyon and Daniel Palmieri Includes PDF

    Press article
      1-3-2006
      Interview with ICRC delegate Monique Nanchen
      The ICRC's 1,300 field delegates (expatriates included) are the last hope of people caught up in war. They interview war victims and prioritize their needs in reports which they submit to the authorities. Monique Nanchen, an ICRC delegate whose many past assignments include Colombia, Congo, Chechnya, southern Sudan and Côte d'Ivoire, recently passed through Geneva on her way from Jerusalem to her next posting in Beirut. She answered some questions about a job to which she is deeply committed.
      (About the ICRC\Human resources)
      Press articleFabienne Waldburger

    Stories from the field
      31-3-2006
      Nepal: a first mission in a conflict environment
      Christoph von Toggenburg, a delegate on his first mission with the ICRC, returned from Nepal in February after a year working in a remote area of the country. He talks about his work there and how the civilian population is affected by the conflict between the Maoists and the Government.
      (The ICRC worldwide\Asia and the Pacific\Nepal)
      Stories from the field Includes Photo

    More in this section
    Other site
      8-11-2007
      Swiss Career Days
      Since the early seventies, the Swiss Career Days have been a plateform offering students from nine universities in Switzerland the possibility to get in touch with future employers, including the ICRC.
      (Info resources\Other sites\Non-governmental organizations)
      Other site

      15-3-2007
      Association of former ICRC delegates
      The Association of Former ICRC Delegates (AFD) was founded in 1983. It is open to all those who have carried out at least one mission under contract with the ICRC and wish to remain in touch with the world of humanitarian action.
      (Info resources\Other sites\Red Cross and Red Crescent)
      Other site

      3-11-2005
      Center for Information, Advice and Training - Professions relating to International Cooperation (CINFO)
      Cinfo informs people who are interested in a position in international cooperation, supports institutions seeking personnel for IC assignments and offers counseling and support to institutional staff while they are planning to go abroad.
      (Info resources\Other sites\Non-governmental organizations)
      Other site


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    9-05-2008