Jobs in Geneva: Your 2025 Guide to the Top 12 Resources
Finding a job in Geneva isn’t about volume. It’s about precision. The city is a global hub for diplomacy, finance, and humanitarian work, which creates a job market with its own rules. Generic job searches fail because they miss the specialized platforms where the best opportunities are posted. If you’re targeting a role at a multilateral development bank (MDB), a UN agency, or a major NGO, you need a focused strategy. This guide is your map.
I’ve cut through the clutter to give you a curated list of the most effective resources for securing a job in Geneva. Forget sifting through irrelevant listings. This is a direct path to the hiring portals of top employers like the UN, WHO, and ICRC, plus the specialized local job boards you actually need to know.
Each entry breaks down what the platform is best for, who should use it, and what to expect. You’ll find direct links and screenshots to streamline your search. This is a playbook for navigating Geneva’s professional landscape and landing the role you want.
1. Multilateral Development Bank Jobs
For professionals targeting international organizations and MDBs, this Substack newsletter is a powerful resource. It isn’t exclusively focused on Geneva, but its coverage of MDB and UN consultant roles makes it essential for anyone seeking high-level jobs in Switzerland, Geneva. The platform’s value is its meticulous, time-saving curation.
Instead of hunting across 30+ career portals, author Rob Johnsen consolidates the best full-time and consultant openings into a predictable, thrice-weekly dispatch. The Monday edition covers staff roles, Friday focuses on consulting opportunities, and Wednesday delivers deep-dive career guides. This structure makes it a strategic career intelligence tool.
Key Strengths & Use Cases
This newsletter provides context that individual job portals lack. The guides on salary grades, Young Professional Programs (YPPs), and nationality requirements offer critical insights for crafting a competitive application. You can use the analysis of hiring trends to tailor your resume for specific roles advertised that week. This integrated approach is its defining advantage. Explore the career guides on MDBs to see the level of detail provided.
Practical Considerations
Best For: Candidates targeting MDB and UN system careers, from entry-level (YPP) to senior expert consultants.
Limitations: This is not a placement service. It delivers curated intelligence and opportunities, not guaranteed interviews. Many Geneva-based roles appear, but it’s not a dedicated Swiss job board.
Access: The service operates on Substack, which may involve a subscription fee for premium content. Check the site for current pricing.
Website:
https://mdbjobs.com
2. UN Careers (United Nations Secretariat)
This is the official hiring portal for the United Nations Secretariat and the definitive source for roles at the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG), one of the largest UN duty stations. Its value is direct, unfiltered access to Secretariat vacancies, making it an essential bookmark for anyone targeting these specific UN jobs in Switzerland. The platform lets you filter searches by “Geneva” as the duty station, job network, and grade level, cutting through the noise of global UN postings.
While the interface is functional, the application process is demanding. You’ll manage all applications through a single account, but the required “Personal History Profile” (PHP) is a detailed, lengthy form. Be prepared for a highly competitive environment where many roles list prior UN experience or language proficiency as de facto requirements.
Pro Tip: Set up job alerts for Geneva and your target job family. New vacancies appear frequently, so this ensures you can act fast. Understand the comprehensive benefits package, as it is a major draw for these roles.
Website:
https://careers.un.org/
3. WHO Careers (World Health Organization)
The World Health Organization is headquartered in Geneva, so its official careers portal is a primary resource for public health professionals. This site is the definitive source for all vacancies at WHO HQ, covering permanent staff, temporary contracts, internships, and specialized entry programs. The platform’s strength is its direct access to specific global health roles, with clear filters for location, contract type, and professional grade.
Like other large UN agencies, applying requires creating a profile in the WHO e-recruit system. The process is comprehensive and demands careful attention to detail. The volume of available jobs is influenced by WHO’s biennial budget cycles, leading to periods of high and low recruitment. The portal is valuable for its structured pathways, offering clear entry points for students and early-career professionals through internships and the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) program.
Pro Tip: Pay close attention to the “closing date” on job postings. WHO’s application windows can be short, and they don’t accept late submissions. Tailor your e-recruit profile to the competencies listed in the vacancy notice.
Website: https://www.who.int/careers
4. ILO Jobs (International Labour Organization)
The ILO’s career portal is the primary source for jobs at its Geneva headquarters. These roles focus on promoting rights at work, encouraging decent employment, and enhancing social protection. The platform provides direct access to specialized policy, research, and technical roles in areas like international labour standards and employment policy. Its clear categorization helps you quickly identify relevant openings, from international professional posts to local support staff.
The website uses a straightforward account-based system for applications, and each vacancy announcement clearly outlines contract types, grade levels, and eligibility requirements. The platform is efficient, but competition is intense, and the number of available positions fluctuates depending on budgets. Landing a role here requires deep expertise in a relevant field.
Pro Tip: Look beyond permanent roles. The ILO frequently posts “Development Cooperation” (DC) positions for fixed-term projects, which can be an excellent entry point into the organization. Proficiency in French or Spanish is often a strong asset.
Website:
https://jobs.ilo.org/
5. UNHCR Careers (UN Refugee Agency)
As the official careers portal for the UN’s lead refugee agency, this site is a crucial resource for humanitarian professionals. UNHCR’s global headquarters are in Geneva, making this the primary source for roles in policy, international protection, and partnerships. It provides direct access to all HQ vacancies, from senior staff positions to affiliate workforce opportunities like Junior Professional Officers (JPOs). The platform lets you search for jobs specifically in Switzerland.
The site provides clear guidance on its application process and various contract types. Competition for Geneva HQ roles is intense, and many positions require significant prior field experience in humanitarian settings. Proficiency in French or other UN languages is often a practical necessity. You will need to create a specific account on their application platform to manage your submissions.
Pro Tip: Sign up for the UNHCR Talent Outreach newsletter. It provides updates on recruitment campaigns and high-priority vacancies, giving you a strategic advantage for targeting specific job openings.
Website: https://www.unhcr.org/careers.html
6. WTO Careers (World Trade Organization)
This is the official hiring portal for the World Trade Organization and the sole source for vacancies at the WTO Secretariat in Geneva. This makes it an incredibly focused resource for professionals in trade policy, international economic law, or statistics. Every role posted here is located in Geneva, eliminating the need to filter by duty station.
The platform is straightforward, listing vacancies with clear grade levels and instructions. The WTO is a smaller, highly specialized organization compared to giants like the UN. This means vacancy volume is relatively low, and competition for roles is fierce, often requiring niche domain expertise. The application process is rigorous.
Pro Tip: Familiarize yourself with the WTO’s core functions and recent policy discussions before applying. Tailoring your cover letter to show you understand the organization’s current priorities will strengthen your application. Learn more about the practicalities of international organization careers.
Website: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/vacan_e/vacan_e.htm
7. ICRC Careers (International Committee of the Red Cross)
As the headquarters for one of the world’s most recognized humanitarian organizations, the ICRC career portal is a primary destination for jobs in Geneva. It lists roles at its HQ, covering law, communications, HR, finance, and logistics. The site clearly distinguishes between HQ positions governed by Swiss law, mobile field roles requiring international deployment, and associate (internship) opportunities.
The platform’s filters let you isolate Geneva-based vacancies, making your search efficient. The competition for prestigious HQ roles is intense, and many positions list French language proficiency and prior humanitarian sector experience as strong preferences. The application process is streamlined but requires careful attention to detail.
Pro Tip: Look for “Associate” positions if you are an early-career professional. These paid, one-year contracts are an excellent entry point and can provide the experience needed for a permanent HQ role.
Website: https://www.icrc.org/en/who-we-are/jobs
8. CERN Careers (European Organization for Nuclear Research)
CERN is a massive employer for a wide range of professional fields beyond physics. Its dedicated careers site is the gateway for roles at its campus near Geneva. The platform guides candidates to relevant vacancies in engineering, IT, finance, communications, and administration, making it a key resource for non-scientific professionals.
The user experience is well-designed, with a “Find your Path” feature that helps you navigate to suitable roles based on your background. The nature of the work means technical and security eligibility requirements can be strict, and certain roles demand specific qualifications or nationality from a CERN member state. The competition for both technical and administrative positions is intense.
Pro Tip: Don’t just browse vacancies. Sign up for the CERN Talent Community. This allows their recruiters to find your profile for future opportunities that may not be publicly advertised.
Website:
https://careers.cern/
9. GenevaJobs.org
GenevaJobs.org is a specialized job board with a laser focus on the city’s international sector, covering NGOs, international development, and UN-affiliated organizations. Its primary value is its curation; it filters out irrelevant local jobs to serve the international community. The platform offers effective search filters for sector and organization.
The site offers free listings and basic alerts, but accessing its full potential, including enhanced alerts, requires a paid “Value Membership.” Not all organizations post directly; some listings are reposts from other sources, so you may be redirected to apply elsewhere. Still, its targeted focus makes it an efficient tool for finding jobs in this specific niche.
Pro Tip: Sign up for the free daily or weekly newsletter first to gauge the quality and relevance of the listings for your profile. This is the best way to decide if a paid membership is a worthwhile investment.
Website:
https://genevajobs.org/
10. Genève internationale – Jobs hub
This is the official jobs hub for International Geneva, acting as a centralized directory for careers in the city’s ecosystem of IGOs, NGOs, and Permanent Missions. Its value is as an authoritative “launchpad.” It provides a clean, curated list of key international players with direct links to their official career portals, saving you the effort of hunting down each hiring page. This makes it an excellent starting point to map out potential employers.
The platform is purely a directory. You won’t find any application systems or vacancy listings on the site itself. Once you click a link, you’re taken to that organization’s career site to search and apply. The site’s function is to simplify the discovery phase. It’s a no-frills, bilingual resource that cuts straight to the chase with verified links.
Pro Tip: Use this site as your initial research tool. Create a spreadsheet of the organizations, visit their career pages, and note their application systems and typical role profiles. This helps organize your job search.
Website: https://www.geneve-int.ch/fr/jobs
11. jobup.ch
As the leading job board in French-speaking Switzerland (Romandie), jobup.ch is indispensable for private-sector roles in the Geneva region. It aggregates a high volume of local listings, covering finance, tech, and administrative functions. It’s particularly strong for finding bilingual French/English jobs outside the NGO and intergovernmental bubble. Its powerful filters let you zero in on the canton of Geneva, and it offers employer reviews and salary benchmarks.
The user experience is modern and efficient, with a mobile app and CV upload features. Its focus is firmly on the local private and public sectors. While some NGOs post here, it is not a primary channel for UN or MDB vacancies. Use it alongside official international organization portals. It’s the go-to platform for opportunities in Geneva’s corporate ecosystem.
Pro Tip: Use the salary comparison tool to benchmark your expectations against local market rates before applying. Set up a “Job-Abo” (job alert) for Geneva to get relevant new postings directly in your inbox.
Website:
https://www.jobup.ch/
12. LinkedIn Jobs + Indeed Switzerland
These two platforms are powerhouses for private sector, consulting, and many NGO roles in Geneva. Their strength is sheer volume and employer adoption. They are essential for finding contractor roles supporting the UN or finance and tech jobs plentiful in the region. Their filters are critical; you must set the location to “Geneva, Switzerland” to avoid irrelevant global postings.
LinkedIn offers unique networking advantages, letting you see alumni connections and recruiter profiles. Indeed acts as a massive aggregator, pulling in listings from across the web. The user experience on both is straightforward, though be prepared for many applications to redirect to an external company portal. For jobs in Switzerland beyond the international public sector, these platforms are non-negotiable.
Pro Tip: Use both platforms to cross-reference opportunities. Set up identical, highly specific job alerts (e.g., “programme officer geneva,” “finance manager canton of geneva”) to capture the widest net of relevant roles.
Websites: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/jobs-in-geneva |
https://ch.indeed.com/
Top 12 Geneva Job Resources Comparison
Making Your Next Move in Geneva
Finding your place in Geneva’s job market is about a systematic, tool-driven approach. The landscape is dominated by international organizations, and success depends on using the right resources for the right purpose. You now have a clear map of the essential platforms, from the non-negotiable direct portals of the UN Secretariat and the WHO to the specialized hubs that consolidate opportunities across the sector.
A scattergun strategy won’t work here. You need a targeted, multi-channel search plan. Your core strategy should center on the official career sites of your top-tier employers like the WTO, ICRC, or CERN. These are the primary sources where you’ll find the most detailed post descriptions and application requirements.
Building Your Search Strategy
To maximize your efficiency, segment your approach:
For Direct IO/NGO Applications: Focus your primary energy on the official career portals detailed here. These are your direct lines to hiring managers. Treat each application as a distinct project, tailoring your CV and cover letter to the language and competencies listed in the job description.
For Market Awareness and Niche Roles: Layer in specialized job boards. GenevaJobs.org is excellent for an aggregated view of the international sector, while Genève internationale provides context and surfaces roles within the broader ecosystem.
For Private Sector and Support Functions: If your profile fits administrative, IT, finance, or other support roles, local platforms are critical. jobup.ch is the undisputed local leader. LinkedIn and Indeed serve as valuable secondary resources.
Actionable Next Steps
Your job search in Geneva requires persistent, organized effort. Start by creating a shortlist of 5-7 target organizations from this list. Go to their career sites and set up job alerts for relevant keywords. This automates the discovery process.
Simultaneously, dedicate time each week to scan the aggregator sites. This prevents you from missing opportunities and helps you understand broader hiring trends. Securing a job in Geneva is often a marathon, not a sprint. A methodical, tool-based strategy is what separates successful candidates from the rest. You have the resources. Now it’s time to execute.
Ready to streamline your search for high-impact roles? Multilateral Development Bank Jobs is the leading career platform for professionals in international development, curating positions from the World Bank, AfDB, and other key institutions with a presence in and relevance to Geneva. Visit Multilateral Development Bank Jobs to find targeted opportunities and get ahead in your search for “jobs switzerland geneva”.