Join MSF OCG as Relationship Officer – Estates!
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.
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.
As Relationship Officer for Bequests, you will be part of the General Public Fundraising team, which belongs to the Communications & Fundraising department of Doctors Without Borders Switzerland.
In this role, you will be the main point of contact for Doctors Without Borders Switzerland for individuals who have expressed interest or have already confirmed their intention to include the organization in their will (handraisers and confirmed bequestors). You will build a trusting, personal, and long-term relationship with these individuals and provide them with professional support throughout the entire process.
Working closely with the entire estate team, you will ensure that the needs and expectations of donors are identified, the appropriate measures are coordinated, and consistently high quality of care is guaranteed.
They also work closely with the Legacy Marketing Officer to ensure a smooth interplay of marketing activities, measures to attract new donors, relationship management and stewardship, and to contribute to the continuous development of the donation process.
Finally, you will contribute to the management and further development of activities in the estate administration area. This includes managing and processing data in the CRM system, analyzing relevant key performance indicators, creating reports, and ensuring the financial monitoring of these activities.
Area of responsibility
Maintaining relationships with donors and stewardship
- Main contact person for individuals who have expressed interest or have already confirmed their intention to include the organization in their will (Handraisers and Confirmed Bequestors)
- Management and expansion of a portfolio of hand razors and confirmed bequestors through individual and competent support
- Building and maintaining a long-term and trusting relationship with potential and existing donors
- Determining the expectations, motivations and needs of donors and adapting stewardship measures accordingly.
- Answering general inquiries regarding inheritance and forwarding legal, technical, or asset-related questions to the Senior Legal Officers
- Organizing appointments, phone calls or visits to maintain and expand contacts
- Presentation of projects, activities and the impact of Doctors Without Borders’ work, to provide detailed information about the organization’s mission and to strengthen long-term commitment.
- Ensuring pleasant, personal and competent support throughout the entire process.
Maintaining contacts, events and donor relations
- Conception and implementation of measures for maintaining contact and supporting potential donors, handraisers and confirmed bequestors
- Conceptualization, planning and organization of events in the area of estate administration (lectures, meetings, visits, thank-you events, etc.)
- Complete organization of events: From planning and finding suitable locations, through invitations, processing registrations and coordinating speakers and service providers, to organizing catering or communication materials and follow-up.
- Developing new measures and formats to strengthen donor loyalty
- Contribution to the continuous development and improvement of the “Donor Journeys” – all points of contact between donors and the organization.
Collaboration with the Legacy Marketing Officer
- Close collaboration with the Legacy Marketing Officer to ensure a smooth interplay of marketing activities, measures to acquire new donors, relationship building and the maintenance of existing donor relationships.
- Support for new donors from campaigns and marketing activities in the area of legacy donations
- Share feedback, insights, and needs identified through exchanges with potential and existing donors to contribute to the improvement of campaigns, communication content, and tools.
- Contributing to the development of content, tools, and communication measures for potential donors, handraisers, and confirmed bequestors.
- Contribution to the evaluation and continuous improvement of marketing measures and donor relations.
CRM, portfolio management and internal coordination
- Managing the portfolio of potential donors, hand raisers, and confirmed bequestors in the CRM.
- Ensuring the quality, completeness and timeliness of personal data, interactions and follow-up measures
- Systematic monitoring of portfolio performance; forwarding of relevant information to the estate team.
- Promoting exchange and collaboration between the different teams to ensure optimal support for donors.
- Close collaboration with the Senior Legal Officers: forwarding inquiries requiring legal, technical, or asset-related expertise to the latter.
- Structured transfer of all important information to the Senior Legal Officers in the event of an inheritance case, in order to ensure a seamless transition from the donor relationship to the legal settlement of the estate.
Analysis and Reporting
- Capturing and creating key performance indicators in the areas of relationship management, donor relations and support
- Analysis of the portfolio, particularly regarding pipeline, conversion, segmentation, engagement, and the development of handraisers and confirmed bequestors.
- Preparation of regular reports for the team and management
- Identifying trends and utilizing the knowledge generated from the data; formulating corresponding recommendations to improve the donor experience and the effectiveness of activities
- Contribution to the continuous improvement of data processing processes, tools and methods
Participation in the further development of the estate administration area
- Contributing to the implementation and further development of the strategy of the legacy team at Doctors Without Borders Switzerland, particularly in the areas of relationship management and stewardship.
- Contributing to the development of a unified concept for relationship management and support of Handraisers and Confirmed Bequestors
- Identifying and proposing new measures for donor retention
- Collaboration with the entire estate team and other relevant teams to promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise.
- Contribution to achieving the goals in the area of estate administration
Profile
Training
- University degree or equivalent qualification
- Knowledge of inheritance law is an advantage
Experience
- Experience in donor relations, fundraising, customer relationship management (CRM) or building relationships with premium customers.
- Ideally, experience in stewardship, philanthropy, or major donors.
- Experience with an NGO or an international organization is an advantage.
- Experience in project management, coordination and event management
- Experience with administrative tasks, data management in a CRM system, and reporting.
Professional expertise
- Excellent knowledge of CRM tools
- Good knowledge of data analysis and reporting
- Safe use of Microsoft Office programs
- Strong organizational and coordination skills
- Good knowledge and awareness of issues surrounding estates, especially regarding legacies and inheritances
Languages
- Fluent in German and French, both spoken and written; very good spoken and written English skills.
- Italian language skills are an advantage.
Social skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence
- Strong service orientation
- Ability to build long-term trusting relationships
- Ability to listen actively and empathetically
- Excellent organizational skills
- Team spirit and enjoyment of working together with others
- Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
- Independence and the ability to set priorities
- Proactive personality with an eye for improvement
- Discretion and professional handling of confidential information
- Great interest in the values and mission of Doctors Without Borders.
Working conditions
- Permanent contract, 80% (32 hours/week)
- Permanent contract
- Workplace: Zurich, CH
- Ideals Start Date: November 2026
- Gross annual salary (at 100%): from CHF 87,372 to CHF 100,608 (the salary level depends on relevant professional experience and the internal salary scale)
- Paid leave: 25 days per year, pro rata, plus all Swiss public holidays falling within the contract period.
- Retirement provision: The pension contribution is 3/4 borne by MSF and 1/4 by the employee.
- Relocation assistance is available for eligible applicants.
How to apply
Only applications submitted via our application platform will be considered. Applications must include the following: CV (maximum 2 pages)
- CV (maximum 2 pages)
- Letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
- The documents must be submitted in German or English.
The application deadline is October 11, 2026.
We reserve the right to close this position earlier if we receive a sufficient number of high-quality applications.
All applications will be treated confidentially.
Only candidates invited for an interview will be contacted.
Please note that we do not wish to use the services of recruitment or placement agencies.