Senior Legal Officer

Médecins Sans Frontières Suisse (GE HQ); Zürich; On-site; CHF 94,000 - 108,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Pension fund contributions

Paid holidays 25 days

Job summary

Médecins Sans Frontières Suisse (GE HQ) is seeking a Senior Legal Officer to manage legacy and inheritance files and provide legal guidance. You will work closely with the Legacies Coordinator and external partners, handling estates and protecting MSF's interests in Switzerland.

The role requires bilingual French-German skills, fluent English, and prior NGO experience. The position is 90% at a Zurich-based work site, with a permanent contract and relocation support.

Qualifications

• Law degree or equivalent training.
• Fluent French and German (mandatory).
• Fluent written and spoken English.
• Experience in NGO or international organisation is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Manage and follow up legal aspects of legacy and inheritance files in French and German.
• Support optimal management of donations, legacies, and inheritances for MSF Switzerland.
• Apply processes relating to estates, including acceptance of inheritances and court decisions.
• Act as legal reference for complex files and ensure high quality processing.
• Support the Legacies Coordinator and work with notaries, lawyers, executors and authorities.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with testators in French- and German-speaking Switzerland.

Skills

Attention to detail

IT skills

Analytical skills

Oral and written communication

Education

Law degree or equivalent training

Tools

Office software

Internet research

Job description

Senior Legal Officer

Médecins Sans Frontières Suisse (GE HQ) Vacant since : 11.11.2026 Number of jobs : 1 8002 Zürich (ZH) 90% From 01.03.2027 Permanent

Join MSF OCG as Senior Legal Officer!

We are looking for passionate people who are ready to contribute to our humanitarian mission.

Find out below the details of the position and the qualifications we are looking for.

Inclusion and Diversity at MSF

Your qualifications and experience do not exactly match all the requirements?

At MSF OCG, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that supports and amplifies the diverse voices of our staff. We strive to create working environments where teams of people with varied backgrounds, characteristics, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together to advance MSF’s social mission and improve outcomes for our patients and the communities we work with.

We understand that some people may hesitate to apply if they do not meet all the requirements of the position. Research shows that this is particularly true for women. If you believe your profile is a good fit for this position, we encourage you to apply, even if you do not meet all the qualifications listed.

We welcome applications from people of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities, origins, religions, beliefs, disabilities and any other diversity characteristics.

MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation or abuse, or any form of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. All selected candidates will be subject to reference checks.

Context & Mission

Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent international medical humanitarian organisation that delivers care to people in need, to people affected by natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation (MSF Charter).

The MSF movement is organised around five operational centres, supported by 24 sections and offices around the world. The Operational Centre Geneva (MSF OCG) is one of these centres.

The Senior Legal Officer is part of the Public Fundraising unit, one of the four units of the Fundraising Division within the Communication and Fundraising Department of MSF Switzerland.

Reporting to the Legacies Coordinator, they handle the administrative and legal management of legacy and inheritance files, provide legal expertise and help optimise the follow-up of these files, in close collaboration with the Legacies Officers.

Main responsibilities

Manage and follow up the administrative and legal aspects of legacy and inheritance files, in French and German, in collaboration with the Legacies Coordinator and in tandem with the Legacies Officer.

Contribute to optimising the management of donations, legacies and inheritances, ensuring that all legacies and inheritances intended for MSF Switzerland are actually received and processed optimally and securely.

Apply the processes and procedures relating to estates, in particular regarding the acceptance of inheritances and court decisions, while protecting the interests and reputation of MSF Switzerland.

Act as legal point of reference for complex files, provide expertise and advice to the team and take responsibility for the quality of file processing, including in the event of errors.

Support the Legacies Coordinator with some of their tasks and work with the various external partners, in particular notaries, lawyers, executors and public authorities.

Develop, maintain and strengthen relationships with current and potential testators in French- and German-speaking Switzerland, in particular through first contacts, visits, phone calls and events, ensuring regular follow-up with this target audience.

Enter and update information in the database, in particular for new estate files, people interested in legacies and inheritances, and ongoing files.

Handle the financial follow-up of files in collaboration with the Legacies Coordinator and the MSF Switzerland finance department, in particular in the context of estate administration and the preparation of annual provisions for the files under their responsibility.

Profile

Education

University degree or equivalent training in law, or very good knowledge of inheritance law.

Experience

Previous experience in a similar role.

Previous experience with MSF or another NGO or international organisation is an asset.

Technical skills

Strong attention to detail.

Excellent IT skills, including internet research and office software.

Knowledge of the Swiss legal and political system, in particular inheritance law.

Analytical skills and comfortable working with figures.

Ability to express oneself and argue with ease, both orally and in writing.

Languages

Bilingual French-German (mandatory).

Fluent written and spoken English.

Knowledge of Italian is an asset.

Personal qualities

Ability to meet deadlines.

Very good stress resistance.

Independent, enthusiastic, dedicated and motivated, solution-oriented and able to integrate easily into a team.

Ability to adapt to varied and unforeseen situations with flexibility and agility.

Ability to manage one’s own work without continuous supervision.

Proactive, able to take initiative and put forward new proposals to solve identified problems or improve a situation.

Flexibility and ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Interest in, understanding of and commitment to humanitarian principles and MSF’s values.

Ability to identify urgencies and priorities.

Ability to meet deadlines.

Flexibility and ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Interest in, understanding of and commitment to humanitarian principles and MSF’s values.

Working conditions

Part-time position (90%): 36 hours per week

Permanent contract

Place of work: Zurich

Ideal start date: March 2027.

Gross annual salary (at 100%): CHF 94,440 to CHF 108,348 (depending on equivalent experience and the internal salary scale).

Paid holidays: 25 days per year, pro rata temporis, plus Swiss public holidays falling within the contract period.

Pension fund: contributions to the pension fund (2nd pillar, LPP/BVG) covered 3/4 by MSF and 1/4 by the employee.

Relocation support when moving to Switzerland from another country.

• Work location 8002 Zürich (ZH)
• Workload 90%
• Employment start 01.03.2027
• Employment duration Permanent

• German Orally : Very good knowledge Written : Very good knowledge

• French Orally : Very good knowledge Written : Very good knowledge

• By online Online form