Position:  General manager
Reports to: Directors, Board
Start date: 28 March 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter (starting date is negotiable)
Contract: Staff (Permanent) Hours: 80%, 32 hours per week
Salary: Competitive salary, dependent on experience and location.
Location: Based in the Canton of Geneva/Switzerland is preferred, but working remotely is optional (within +/-2h difference with CET)
Remarks: Should have all technical equipment (laptop/screen), required to work independently, software could be provided

Closing date: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Interviews: 21-22 March 2022 (first round) – 24 March 2022 (second round)

Please submit:   

1. Curriculum Vitae;
2. Contact of two references;
3. Cover letter explaining how the applicant’s work experience is relevant to the vacancy and the criteria as specified below;
4. Samples of relevant work (funding proposal, if applicable)

Please gather these application materials in a folder (not larger than 200MB) using your surname as folder name and upload the latter using the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/ahj4Zj6MgL6YE61A3EsH

For more information, please contact Cathy de Haan: info@borderforensics.org

Click here to view PDF version

www.borderforensics.org

Border Forensics

Border Forensics (BF) is a new research and investigation agency with the legal status of non-profit association in Geneva, Switzerland, that conducts investigations into migrant rights violations and practices of border violence perpetrated by states, police forces, militaries, and corporations. Working in collaboration with migrant communities and civil society organisations (including international NGOs and media organisations), BF researches, documents and exposes the violence linked to the existence and management of borders. By developing pioneering techniques of geospatial, visual, and open-source investigation, BF produces human rights reports, maps, video reconstructions and other visualisations with the objective to ground demands of accountability for the violation of migrants’ rights and support claims for identification of the deceased. The general manager will be coordinating and administering the activities of a non-profit organization that aims to promote and defend the dignity and rights of communities exposed to border violence, and, by developing new methods of documentation, to strengthen the capacities of the migrants’ rights movement. By intervening in different forums, BF fosters debate about the deadly effects of border control, as well as the deeper processes operating across multiple scales that shape localised situations of mobility conflict.

Job description

Border Forensics (BF) is looking to work with a mid-career project and business manager with at least three years of experience managing the activities and finances of a non-profit organization in the fields of research, human rights, technology, and/or art and architecture. The general manager will assume various tasks that pertain to the management, administration, operation and conceptual framing of several tasks simultaneously, such as human right’s investigations and public presentations, as well as the further development of the organisation. Related tasks assumed by the general manager might include fundraising, budgeting, administrational oversight, planning, contracting, staffing, liaising with stakeholders, coordination of internal communications. The general manager needs to have deep familiarity with the above tasks, have experience of working with and for multidisciplinary, cross-border organisations, and show profound understanding of their operational and administrational requirements. S/he will need to have experience in project management and administrative oversight, with commissioning partners; monitoring the development of projects to ensure that objectives and deadlines are met; team building; work scheduling; overseeing ethical, procedural, and financial approvals; budget management for BF as a whole, as well as for individual projects. The successful candidate will have experience in a similar role within an administrative and organisational capacity, ideally within the non-profit and NGO sector and/or with cultural management. S/he will be part of BF’s Executive Team, and together with the directors develop BF’s overall strategies and identify opportunities in line with the interests of BF. S/he will need to be organised, reliable and committed, have a keen eye for detail, and will enjoy working as part of a small international team. Demonstrably strong written and interpersonal communication in English is essential, and French an asset. With the ability to work independently and proactively, s/he will have the confidence to deal with a wide variety of people, prioritise competing deadlines, and comprehend complex situations quickly. Importantly, BF is a newly established organization with a small but effective structure. The Executive Team (Directors and General Manager) is supported by a freelance technical specialist (Digital Cartographer), a freelance communication specialist (Campaign Officer), and an accountant. Furthermore, BF relies on project-specific teams as well as a large network of local organizations and investigators. BF intends to expand its core staff in 2022. As such, BF is looking for a General Manager who is enthusiastic to join the team in a hands-on position first, that will evolve over time as s/he develops the organization. While BF is a new organization, it builds on the work conducted by directors Charles Heller and Lorenzo Pezzani over the last 10 years with Forensic Oceanography (FO), initiated within the Forensic Architecture agency based in the UK. For more information, please visit: forensic-architecture.org/category/forensic-oceanography

Main Duties

• Support the directors in the conceptualisation and implementation of the process, methods, and deliverables for investigations in line with overall programme goals and in keeping with our responsibilities to our funders and partners, and internally
• Assemble and manage project teams, including recruitment and hiring as needed
• Liaise with collaborators and experts to identify strategic, multidisciplinary partnerships across research, human rights, technology, art and architecture
• Oversee and write funding, and other procedural applications
• Develop project briefs to establish deliverables, staffing, and timescales
• Develop and monitor the financial requirements and objectives of BF, including managing multiple grants, commissioned research project, and the budgets of public presentations and implementing long-term strategic financial planning
• Support the directors in writing project budgets and monitor project spending
• Draft and negotiate contracts under the guidance of external legal experts
• Support the directors in planning and monitoring the overall activity programme
• Report on the progress of the project to fellow team members and external stakeholders, including granting bodies and clients
• Organise and present findings at external events related to the project
• Coordinating the publication and dissemination of investigation and research outputs

Person Qualifications

The qualifications, experience, skills, and knowledge required of the candidate are detailed below. Candidates will be selected upon evidence of best with these criteria. The Essential Criteria sections outline the minimum essential requirements for the position; therefore, if you cannot demonstrate in your application that you meet the essential criteria listed below, you will not be invited to interview. The Desirable criteria sections highlight additional characteristics that would allow the applicant to perform the role more effectively with little or no training. Please note that where qualifications are required, employment is conditional on the verification of them. Qualifications will be verified and references will be contacted.

Essential Criteria

1. Education to Masters degree level or equivalent in any discipline;
2. At least 3 years’ experience in organizational and financial management;
3. Experience working within non-profit organisations, preferably in Switzerland;
4. Experience with fundraising and budgeting, in Europe and beyond;
5. Able to keep administrative oversight, with help of a bookkeeper;
6. Experience with reading, adjusting and negotiating contracts;
7. Able to draft and monitor budgets and financial reporting;
8. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

Desirable Criteria

1. Knowledge NGO sector, of cultural industries and management;
2. Experience with projects that deal with political sensitive subjects;
3. Experience working within multidisciplinary, cross-border projects;
4. Knowledge of bookkeeping systems and Swiss tax regulations;
5. Knowledge of tasks related to HR, employment and freelance;
6. Experience with drafting annual reports and external audits
7. French is an asset, as well as any other third language skills.

Additional Attributes

1. Organisational skills and the ability to work under pressure;
2. Demonstrates initiative as well as creative problem solving;
3. Able to work independently as part of a dynamic team.