What We Do
Since 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has worked to relieve suffering and preserve human dignity during war and armed violence. Alongside our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners, we deliver life-saving aid across front lines and strive to reconnect families and locate missing people.
Engaging with authorities and armed forces on all sides, often confidentially, we advocate for humane treatment of detainees and urge compliance with international humanitarian law to protect civilians from harm, including online.
About Archives Division
The Division of Archives, Library and Outreach valorizes ICRC heritage, past actions and thinking to inform current and future decision-making and promotes the ICRC’s present thinking, legal and policy positions internally and externally.
The ICRC’s archives form the memory of the organization and of individuals and their families affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. They contribute to the development of knowledge and research on ICRC’s past actions and the development of international humanitarian law (IHL).
The General Archives Unit is responsible for acquiring and preserving archival records for long-term usability and access, supporting the ICRC’s knowledge management, business continuity, accountability, and transparency. The Unit works in close collaboration with the Library and Public Archives Unit responsible for ensuring public access to the library and public archives collections, their valorization and promotion internally and externally.
Together, both Units play a key role in the Safeguarding Archives programme, a major digital transformation initiative aiming to ensure that the ICRC’s knowledge – past and present – is preserved and accessible. It includes digitizing paper archives, archiving digital records, and using technology and artificial intelligence to make this information searchable and usable over the long term.
Purpose of the Position
This position offers a fascinating opportunity to work at the intersection of history, knowledge, technology and digital transformation in an organisation that recognizes the importance to invest in and safeguard its archives.
The Head of General Archives ensures the preservation of the ICRC’s institutional memory. As part of the Safeguarding ICRC archives programme, the team is going through a digital transformation process to develop the capabilities, processes and systems enabling the ICRC to archive and preserve born-digital records in addition to its long-established capacity to archive analogue records. The Head of General Archives plays a key role in leading and guiding this digital transformation of the archives. For this, the Head will work in close collaboration with internal stakeholders to ensure a holistic, well aligned and seamless approach for the management of the information lifecycle.
This role is for someone with respect for the ICRC’s long-standing history and commitment to document and preserve its past coupled with a strong interest to explore and use technology, including artificial intelligence, to build the institutional archives of the future.
The Head is a part of the Archives, Library and Outreach leadership team and reports to the Head of Division.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Archive Management:
- Organizes, supervises and promotes the Unit’s work on managing institutional records for long-term preservation.
- Develops strategies, policies, guidelines and procedures for acquiring, describing, and preserving classified archives according to institutional policies and professional standards.
- Is part of the Safeguarding Archives programme Steering Committee (senior user) and has business lead role for several programme deliverables.
- Manages the initiated transition from the international ISAD(G) to Records in Context (RiC) archival description standard.
- Manages the ongoing development of the ICRC ontology and fosters internal knowledge and understanding about its role as an institutional data framework.
- Ensures classified archives are made available internally to inform present decision- and policy making through analysis and research.
- Manages a team of 13 staff members in conformity with ICRC's People Leadership and Management principles.
- Is responsible for formulating the Unit’s annual objectives and budgetary requirements, monitoring budget spending and assessing performance.
- Contributes to the development and implementation of Division and Department vision and strategies and fosters synergies and collaboration across the division and beyond.
Digital Preservation:
- Leads the archives digital transformation to develop the capabilities, processes and systems enabling the ICRC to archive and preserve born-digital records based on a holistic approach for managing the information life cycle and in close collaboration with internal stakeholders and business partners (Information Governance, T&I, etc.)
- Manages the implementation of a new digital preservation system (DPS) based on the open archival information system (OAIS) / ISO 14721 standard to ensure the acquisition and long-term preservation of archival records originating from a large number of ICRC business processes and applications.
- Builds the data management foundations for the development of semantic search capabilities, including through the ICRC ontology and transition to RiC.
- Manages the development of automated archival acquisition processes, scalable to the variety of ICRC business applications.
- Keeps abreast of digital preservation technologies, practices and strategies.
- Is responsible for the continued evolution of archival practices services and contributes to the institution’s ambition to archive born-digital information.
Relationships
- Internally: Reports to the Head of Archives, Library & Law and Policy Outreach. Works closely with the Safeguarding Archives Steering Committee and all stakeholders involved in the programme, in particular T&I and Information Governance
- Externally: Engages with research institutions, digital preservation experts, archival management providers, and archival organizations.
Scope & Impact
- Global Impact: Ensures the preservation and accessibility of ICRC archives, enhancing knowledge-sharing and historical documentation.
- Strategic Transformation: Co-develops processes and systems to manage the ICRC’s archives of the future
- Institutional Legacy: Strengthens ICRC’s commitment to preserving humanitarian history and knowledge.
Education and Experience Required:
- University degree in archiving, information management, information technology or related field
- 12+ years of relevant professional experience, including strategic planning, service delivery and project management
- Strong understanding of core archival principles – provenance; metadata and descriptive standards, accessioning, acquisition, appraisal,
- Strong knowledge of digital preservation strategies and systems,
- Technical expertise in the preservation and metadata management of digital archival records
- Solid understanding of digital technologies, artificial intelligence
- Knowledge of data science, concepts and principles, including semantic search, ontology, linked data, and RDF.
- Full computer proficiency
- Fluency in English and French
- Professional experience in the ICRC, familiarity with its work, functioning and culture is a strong advantage.
Desired Profile and Skills
- Strategic leadership: Ability to define and drive large-scale transformation
- Stakeholder engagement: Strong ability to foster collaboration and work with internal and external partners.
- Change management: Skilled in leading cultural and operational shifts within organizations.
- Technology & innovation mindset: Comfortable leveraging AI, digital platforms, and data-driven approaches.
- Strong interpersonal, communication and representation skills: At ease with networking and representing the business area.
- Team leadership: Ability to motivate, coordinate, and manage multi-functional teams.
Additional Information
- Location: Geneva
- Type of Contract: Open Ended
- Mobility Type: Required Rotation
- Length of Assignment : 6 years
- Working Rate: 100%
- Starting date: October 2026
- Recruiter: Diara Niang
- Application deadline: Wednesday, 22nd July 2026
The ICRC values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.
Are you ready to explore the next chapter of your career? Apply now!
For more information about working at ICRC HQ please click here
Our values
- At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this page.
