About the ICRC
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.
Purpose of the Role
The ICRC operates in an increasingly uncertain, complex and volatile world. The Humanitarian Trends and Analysis Unit enhances the ICRC's strategic and operational decision-making by anticipating, reading and understanding these transformations and their implications for ICRC's operations and reputation.
The Head of Humanitarian Trends and Analysis Unit leads a high-performing global team of analysts delivering open-source analysis with diverse perspectives and interpretations of the external environment. The Head of Unit reports to the Head of Strategy and Governance Relations, in the office of the Director General, and plays a key role in scanning and analyzing the external environment to identify trends and priorities of institutional relevance. The position also contributes to institutional efforts to articulate the ICRC's understanding and role in light of a new humanitarianism for a changing world.
Reports to (role)
The Head of Strategy and Governance Relations
Main Duties & Responsibilities
- Define the Unit's strategic orientations, objectives and action priorities during the annual planning exercise, and drive their implementation.
- Prepare, manage and implement the Unit's budget.
- Lead, motivate and manage a diverse global team to deliver high-quality analyses that inform decision-making.
- Present actionable insights to senior leadership and participate in strategic platforms to provide a nuanced understanding of the external environment. Promote critical thinking by constructively challenging prevailing assumptions and integrating diverse perspectives. Proactively flag emerging trends and their potential implications for ICRC operations and reputation.
- Lead and coordinate with the Director General team, Operations and Policy on multi-perspective analyses that capture diverse viewpoints, particularly from the Global South. Oversee delivery of flagship analytical products (On the Radar, Global Trends Report, inputs to the weekly brief, the quarterly report).
- In coordination with the Director General team and relevant stakeholders, lead and co-design initiatives that deepen genuine engagement with diverse actors and perspectives, including collaborative research and exchanges with partners from diverse geographies, and support the co-creation of research initiatives, academic partnerships, visiting scholar programs and other initiatives.
- Bridge crisis, regional and thematic expertise within the team, and link external trends to internal challenges and opportunities. Ensure a holistic, integrated approach to analysis that strengthens organizational foresight and decision-making by leveraging expertise across the team and the organization.
- Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in Operations, the Director General's office, Policy and External Mobilization, delivering tailored, high-quality analytical support that meets common quality standards.
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- Coordinate the provision of agile, experienced and sustainable analytical support to crisis and emergency mechanisms, ensuring timely, effective decision-making.
- Oversee structured risk and reputational assessments for staff, high-level stakeholders and high-risk suppliers, in collaboration with Logistics, Risk and Assurance, Finance and other teams.
- Oversee the coordination and training of environment-scanning practitioners in delegations, in collaboration with Communication and Operations.
- Coordinate with other heads of information and data teams to promote a coherent, complementary and collaborative analytical approach across the ICRC.
- Ensure continuous professional development, providing training opportunities particularly in AI and other emerging technologies.
- Co-lead the open-source information (OSI) Community of Practice (CoP): Together with the Open-Source Information and Verification Manager, foster knowledge-sharing and innovation within the CoP.
- Establish and maintain a network of analytical specialists in think tanks, peer humanitarian organizations and the Movement. Facilitate the exchange of methodologies and explore potential partnerships to enhance analytical capabilities.
- Actively participate in the IFRC Technical Working Group and engage with analytical teams from the IFRC and National Societies to foster information sharing and strengthen synergies in analytical projects.
- Cultivate partnerships with external information and data service providers to secure access to tools and resources that enhance the team's capabilities.
Education & Professional Background
- University degree in global affairs, international relations, political science, open-source intelligence, conflict/security studies or a related analytical field.
- Substantial experience conducting and/or managing research projects in the humanitarian sector, academia, think tanks, government, or the private sector.
- Strong command of methodologies and techniques related to open-source intelligence, strategic analysis, foresight and research.
- At least 5 years of relevant professional experience leading and managing a global team.
Skills & Competencies
- Strong analytical capacity, adept at synthesising information.
- Proven leadership skills and confirmed management capacity.
- Excellent cross-functional coordination skills.
- Ability to understand, translate and connect the dots between operational challenges facing the ICRC.
- Keen interest in current affairs.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and at least one of the following languages: Arabic, Russian, Chinese, French, Spanish or Portuguese.
- Creative and solution-oriented.
Additional Information
- Type of Mobility: Rotation Required
- Length of the assignment: 4 years
- Working rate: 100%
- Start Date: January 2027
- Location: Geneva
- Recruiter: Alejandra Rodriguez
- Application deadline: 3 August 2026
Important information: For future employees and their dependents who are not EU and/or EFTA nationals, settling in Switzerland is now required. Direct settlement in France upon arrival is no longer possible.
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.
