Senior Administration Manager

cinfo; Genf; Hybrid; CHF 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Founding role with breadth

Direct partnership with Executive Dir.

Competitive salary

Climate impact

Job summary

ClimateWorks Association of Switzerland (CWAS) in Geneva seeks a Senior Administration Manager to support the Executive Director and lead day-to-day operations. The role combines executive assistance with operations, grants coordination and Swiss compliance in a founding, lean environment.

The position offers hybrid work, growth as the organisation scales, and engagement across the ClimateWorks network to channel philanthropic capital toward climate action.

Qualifications

• Legal right to work in Switzerland; no sponsorship offered.
• Based in Canton Geneva; commute to Geneva office; hybrid/home flexibility.
• Several years in a senior executive assistant, chief-of-staff or operations role supporting a leader.
• Background in nonprofit or foundation sector.
• Experience in grants and finance administration.
• Experience in cross-border or international organisations.
• Fluent English as working language.
• Self-starter who thrives with autonomy, ambiguity and process-building in a start-up environment.
• French or German language skills are a plus for administration.
• Familiarity with Swiss Verein administration, payroll and tax-exempt operations.
• Experience with donor-advised funds, regranting or pass-through grant structures.
• Experience within a US-affiliated or multi-entity philanthropic structure.

Responsibilities

• Executive support to the Executive Director: diary, travel, correspondence, priorities, gatekeeper duties.
• Prepare briefings, agendas and meeting materials; follow up on actions.
• Handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Run day-to-day operations: office, coworking, vendors, tools and systems; develop internal processes.
• Coordinate payroll, HR administration and facilities with external fiduciary.
• Grants coordination with hosted DAF provider; manage regranting and pass-through grants.
• Support governance, finance and compliance: board logistics, papers, minutes, registers; budget tracking with fiduciary/auditor.
• Help ED stay on top of Swiss admin, compliance and cross-border coordination.
• As the team grows, roles expand from EA focus to broader operations and grants remit.
• Maintain documentation and maintain strong process discipline in a lean startup-like environment.

Skills

Executive support

Chief of staff

Operations management

Nonprofit sector experience

Grants administration

Finance administration

Cross-border coordination

Fluent English

Autonomy

Process building

Swiss payroll familiarity

Donor-advised funds

US philanthropic structures

Job description

Nonprofit/Community/Social Services/International Cooperation

Other

ClimateWorks Association of Switzerland (CWAS) is a Swiss association (Verein), seated in Geneva and recognised as tax-exempt, established within the ClimateWorks network to channel non-US philanthropic capital into climate action. We are in our founding phase: a small, fast-moving team building the structures, partnerships and processes that will carry significant grantmaking in the years ahead. This is a rare chance to help shape a new climate philanthropy from the ground up.

We are looking for an experienced Senior Administration Manager to be the Executive Director's right hand. This is a broad, senior role in a lean team. You will combine hands‑on executive assistant support to the Executive Director with responsibility for day-to-day operations and the coordination of our grant flows. You will be a builder, comfortable creating process where none yet exists, exercising judgement and discretion, and moving between the strategic and the practical in the same day.

This is a combined role by design. In the founding phase the executive assistant element will be significant; as the organisation grows and hires, that element is expected to reduce and the operations and grants remit to expand. We are honest about this so that the role attracts someone who is energised, not frustrated, by that breadth.

Key responsibilities:

Executive support to the Executive Director

• Manage the Executive Director's diary, travel, correspondence and priorities, acting as a trusted gatekeeper.
• Prepare briefings, agendas and materials for meetings, and follow up on actions.
• Handle sensitive information with complete discretion.

Operations

• Run day-to-day operations, including office and coworking arrangements, vendors, and coordination of the organisation's tools and systems.
• Develop and maintain internal processes, policies and administration as the organisation matures.
• Coordinate payroll, human-resources administration and facilities as the team grows, working with our external fiduciary.

Grants coordination

• Coordinate grant administration with our hosted Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) provider, who carry out grantee due diligence, ensuring smooth process, records and timelines.
• Manage regranting and pass-through grant arrangements within the ClimateWorks network, tracking flows, documentation and reporting.
• Act as a reliable process point for funders and grantees on administrative matters.

Governance, finance and compliance support

• Support board and meeting logistics, papers, minutes and the upkeep of registers.
• Support finance administration, including invoices, expenses and budget tracking, in coordination with the fiduciary and auditor.
• Help the Executive Director stay on top of Swiss administrative, compliance and cross-border coordination requirements.

Type of contract: Staff (Permanent and Fixed Term)

Level of experience: Senior Professional, more than 5 years

Area of work Definition : Environment, Disaster Risk Management DRM, Energy and Resource Efficiency

Area of work: Economics

Type of organisation: Foundations and Private Sector

Join date: End of January / early February 2027

Skills required

• The existing right to work in Switzerland (Swiss or European Union / European Free Trade Association national, or a valid Swiss work permit). No sponsorship or relocation is offered.
• Based in Canton Geneva, or able and willing to commute to our Geneva office within a reasonable travel time. The role offers the flexibility to work from home and from the office, with the schedule agreed upon with the Executive Director.
• Several years in a senior executive assistant, chief-of-staff or operations role supporting a principal or leader, ideally in a founding or lean setting.
• A background in the nonprofit or foundation sector.
• Experience in grants and finance administration.
• Experience working within a cross-border or international organisation.
• Fluent English, our working language.
• A self-starter who thrives with autonomy, ambiguity and process-building in a start‑up environment.
• French is an asset; German is an asset for federal and Bern-side administration.
• Familiarity with Swiss association (Verein) administration, Swiss payroll and social insurance, or tax-exempt entity operations.
• Experience with donor‑advised funds, regranting or pass‑through grant structures.
• Experience within a US‑affiliated or multi‑entity philanthropic structure.

What we offer:

• A founding role with genuine breadth, ownership and influence over how a new organisation is built.
• Direct partnership with, and access to, the Executive Director.
• A competitive salary commensurate with experience and the Swiss nonprofit sector.
• The chance to build something that matters for climate.