Cell 1 Intern  

Join MSF OCG as a Cell 1 Intern!

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.

This internship is part of an academic training program, a professional training program, or a socio-professional integration program, and must comply with the conditions set by the Employment Market Supervisory Council (CSME). The duration of the internship, as defined by the tripartite agreement, is 6 to 9 months at 100%

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).

The MSF movement is built around 5 operational centers supported by 24 sections and offices worldwide. MSF Operational Center Geneva (MSF OCG) is one of these centers.

At MSF OCG, field operations are supported by multidisciplinary teams based in Geneva, known as operational cells. These teams provide operational support to field missions and facilitate coordination with the different departments at headquarters. Cell 1 now supports operations in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eswatini.

As part of the HR function's evolution towards a more strategic partnership with operations, the Cell Intern supports the Operational HR Partner (HROP) by taking on specific delegated HR activities and files. The intern acts as a focal point for these files, ensuring their follow-up, supporting the HROP's daily activities and facilitating interactions with other departments at headquarters, field missions and members of the Cell Team. In addition to these HR-related responsibilities, the Cell Intern provides operational and administrative support to the Cell Team, contributing to its day-to-day functioning.

Tasks & Responsibilities

To support the HROP's focus on strategic HR mentoring and support to missions, the Cell Intern contributes to the management and follow-up of specific HR files delegated by the HROP, under their supervision. The Cell Intern's responsibilities are divided as follows: 60% of the time is dedicated to HR and administrative support, and 40% to operational support (including medico-operational dossiers).

Under the supervision of the Cell HROP, the Cell Intern supports the Cell as follows:

HR and Administrative Support

Translation of operational ambitions into HR needs & planning of the IMS positions:

• Follows up with the missions on the job descriptions of international staff (MI), brings missing or outdated MIs to the missions' attention, and files received MIs. Step by step, the intern will be expected to have a critical eye on the MIs and the capacity to raise an alert if some information is missing.
• Supports the updating of the international staff tracking table (HR Update) (mission dates, job openings, obtaining documents).
• Compiles a table of the cell's mission positions to be opened on a weekly basis.
• If necessary, supports the management of IMS job openings, particularly in emergency situations.
• Supports missions and GPOs with IMS propositions and the matching process, based on requests/needs.
• Participates in discussions about the optimal setup requested by the field to ensure that staffing is sufficient in number and coherent in composition to meet operational and institutional ambitions, especially during MYR and POA.
• Reviews MYR and POA matrices, reports any issues (technical, settings-related, analytical, etc.) to the HROP, and provides the HROP with initial feedback on the forecast and variances compared to the last validated budget.
• Supports the verification of IMS staffing requests formalized by the HRCos (compliance with planning, accuracy, and clarity of the request).
• Follows up on updates by the missions (at least every 3 months) to the missions' HR restrictions table, detailing the profiling decisions in place.

HR and administrative management of international mobile staff (IMS):

• Monthly, as part of the IMS salary payment process, supports the verification of changes to the start and end dates of IMS contracts, amendments, positions and project allocations, and the preparation of monthly IMS payroll information for confirmation to FAR.
• Follows up with Field Movement Referents (FMRs) and acts as a focal point in case of specific movements or visas.
• Participates in HR briefings and debriefings and, when appropriate, carries them out under the guidance of the HROP, in accordance with the policy, ensuring that the HROP is alerted when needed.
• Welcomes international staff before departure, introduces them to current operations and ensures they have the necessary documents.
• Follows up with international staff on documents required for their departure (informed consents BIC, proof of life).
• Consolidates, monitors and updates pre-departure briefing materials for international staff.
• Follows up on anticipated returns of IMS and files documents related to them.
• Follows up on other specific HR procedures as needed.

Information / Reporting:

• Ensures that statistics and indicators are collected and passed on, and participates in their analysis at least during PoA and MYR and at the end of the year (HRNS).
• Develops HR statistics with the assistance of the HROP.

Meetings and specific platforms:

• Participates in the monthly "Tour du Monde" meetings to open IMS positions and present the cell's HR/operational news.
• Participates in HR department meetings when deemed relevant by the HROP.
• Participates in POA, MYR and HR Days (if/when possible).
• Maintains links with other OCG Cells' interns to ensure consistent management of mandatory IMS documents (POA, BIC), Kompas management, etc.

Operational Support to the Cell

• Supports the cell in the organization of meetings (i.e. the weekly cell meeting (Mini Desk), Plan of Action discussions with field teams), including the preparation of agendas, taking minutes and archiving meeting documentation.
• Supports the cell in the management of information, such as cell archiving; acts as the focal point for online platforms such as Kompas and SharePoint; and manages key tools for the organization of the cell (i.e. presence, field visit preparation).
• Coordinates the organization of Cell events as needed (and keeps the cell calendar updated).
• Supports the preparation of key operational documents and presentations for either internal or external use.
• Organizes group BIC briefings by RP/ARP when needed.
• Follows up on material to be sent to missions and the ordering of maps via the GIS centre, as agreed with the RLO (Logistic Referent) of the cell.
• Provides support to the FINOP (Finance Referent) to prepare Powers of Attorney for mission teams. If needed, follows up on contracts and partnership agreements and manages information related to audits.
• Provides ad hoc support to the Directorate of Operations, such as meeting management, minute-taking and the coordination of operational and planning documents (portfolio reviews, emergency updates).
• When delegated by the RP, may support the preparation and delivery of operational updates to HQ (Point Info).
• In case of IMS briefings/debriefings in Geneva, welcomes international staff, presents the Cell 1 setup to them and ensures they have the necessary documents; supports the organization of their arrival and stay if needed.

HR - Operational Dossiers

• Each Cell Intern, during the period of employment is expected to work on an HR - Operational Dossier. The dossier selected should combine (a) the operational needs of the Cell/Missions, (b) academic requirements, such as the need to complete a thesis, and (c) if possible, a link to the future career of the Cell Intern.
• The topic needs to be selected within the first month of employment and agreed upon with the HROP and RP, ensuring that there is a clear deliverable (written report, thesis, etc.).
• The final deliverable MUST be presented to the Operations Department at the end of the period of employment.

Your profile

Education

• Master's degree in Humanitarian Studies, Development Studies, HR Management, Business Administration, or another relevant field.

Experience

• No specific work experience is required, but previous employment or engagement with NGOs or charities is considered an advantage.

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Knowledge of French is an asset.

Skills/ Technical competencies

• Capacity of analysis and synthesis,
• Planning and organization.
• Knowledge of key issues of the humanitarian environment.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Excellent knowledge of the MO environment (Powerpoint, Excel, Word).

Personal Abilities/Qualities

• Team player; ability to coordinate with numerous stakeholders.
• Ability to work autonomously.
• Pro-active and solution-oriented.
• Flexible and capacity to adapt quickly.

Terms of employment

• A tripartite internship agreement is mandatory.
• 6 to 9 months, according to internship agreement.
• Full time (40h/week).
• Based in Geneva, Switzerland
• Start date : 11th of January 2027
• Gross monthly remuneration 2'000.- CHF

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 English.

The application deadline is 29th of November 2026.

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.