International Committee of the Red Cross

Mission statement

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), founded in 1863, is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian 
organization. Its nature and membership are non-governmental. Its mandate to protect and assist the victims of armed conflicts and other situations of violence has been conferred on it by States through the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 as well as the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.  

Set up, HR & Budget

The ICRC has delegations in some 80 countriesaround the world and employs over 1,500 expatriate field staff and around 10,300 nationals of the countries in which it works. About 800 people provide the essential support and back-up to the field operations from its headquarters in Geneva. The budget for 2010 amounts to 983 million CHF for field activities and 173 million CHF for head quarters.

Profile of candidates for jobs at the ICRC

• Age 25-35 years.
• Prepared to accept unaccompanied postings during the first 24 months of employment.
• Excellent English and French.
• Other useful languages: Arabic, Russian, Spanish.
• Valid driving licence for manual transmission vehicles.

For delegates
University degree or equivalent plus minimum 2 years of professional experience.

For administrators
Commercial diploma (Swiss HWV/ ESCEA or MBA) and 2 years of professional experience, or commercial apprenticeship diploma plus minimum five years of professional experience.

For specialist staff
(Medical personnel, engineers and technicians) Recognized training plus several years of professional experience, ideal age 25 to 50.

Soft skills required

• Team spirit, open-minded attitude, tolerance.
• Ability to cope with difficult situations and work under pressure.
• Readiness to bear challenges and assume responsibility.
• Ready to take the initiative and maintain flexibility.
• Be a skilled and talented organiser.
• Disposed to excel in difficult conditions abroad.
• Well-balanced, mature personality.

Particularly wanted positions include:

• Interpreters (Amharic, Arabic, Hindi, Kirundi, Pashto, Persian, Tamil, Thai, Tigrinya, Urdu)
• Doctors
• Engineers