1. BACKGROUND TO THE PRINCIPLES FOR PEACE

The Principles for Peace Foundation (P4P) is an independent, Geneva-based think-and-do tank dedicated to accompanying peace and security actors and reshaping global peace efforts through principled pragmatism and measurable effectiveness.  

We work as a trusted partner to organizations, national and international actors, equipping them with the tools, data, and strategies necessary to make peace processes more legitimate, inclusive, and durable. Our approach is grounded in a principled pragmatism and a strong focus on accountable security, legitimacy and inclusion distilled from global consultations and over 700 case studies. 

2. ROLE SUMMARY 

The Senior Programme and Policy Officer is a core member of P4P’s talent team, working across the two pillars of the strategic plan. The role supports both pillars, contributing analytical, country support, and policy capacities across assignments. The officer will work in a pooled capacity across projects, moving fluidly between teams and functions, and will help translate the strategic plan into operational delivery through country accompaniment, policy design, and the application of P4P tools and approaches. 

This position is suited to an ambitious and dynamic professional who is comfortable in a high pace environment and who can hold several workstreams at the same time. It requires intellectual agility, relevant field experience, strong policy and programme management skills, and the ability to operate across political, programmatic, and technical domains. The officer is expected to take initiative, work with several project leads and the Executive Director rather than a single supervisor, and be willing to travel regularly, including to fragile and conflict affected contexts. The role combines substantive policy engagement with hands on project delivery and offers scope to grow into a central contributor to P4P’s country work and global agenda. 

3. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

a) Strategic and Programmatic Delivery 

• Support the design and implementation of country engagements and policy spaces under the two pillars of the strategic plan. 

• Adapt and apply P4P methodologies, Peace Navigator, and peacegaming simulations  to national and regional contexts. 

• Coordinate multi-stakeholder processes, ensuring coherence between political, developmental, and security tracks. 

• Develop analytical outputs and scenario briefings to inform decision-making by governments and partners. 

• Ensure alignment between ongoing country work and global policy initiatives.

b) Policy, Research, and Thought Leadership 

• Conduct analysis to support policy briefs, diagnostic papers, and strategy notes on peace engagement quality and legitimacy. 

• Contribute to P4P’s policy dialogues and support the Executive Director and team in preparing high-level materials, strategic narratives, and talking points for engagements with governments and multilateral partners. 

c) Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaise with national counterparts, implementing partners, and experts, ensuring information flow and follow-up across workstreams. 

• Support donor relations through research, documentation, and preparation of reports and concept notes. 

• Represent P4P in working groups, policy forums, and external consultations as requested. 

d) Organizational Learning and Integration 

• Contribute to internal cross-functional collaboration to ensure that tools, data, and policy insights inform one another. 

• Participate in knowledge synthesis and capture lessons from field engagements for adaptive learning across the organization. 

• Contribute to the establishment of a talent pool and functional matrix structure, ensuring P4P’s work remains agile and high-performing.

4. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

• Advanced degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, or a related field. 

• At least five years of relevant experience in peacebuilding, governance, conflict prevention, or international policy and development, with a combination of field, program coordination and policy or analytical work. 

• Proven ability to work in a dynamic, high pace environment, manage several workstreams at once, and deliver to tight deadlines with high quality. 

• Demonstrated agility and flexibility, including experience working with evolving priorities, incomplete information, and complex political settings. 

• Strong self starter attitude, with a record of taking initiative, driving processes forward, and proposing solutions rather than waiting for instructions. 

• Comfortable working in a pooled capacity and in a matrix structure, collaborating with several supervisors and project leads rather than a single line manager. 

• Demonstrated ability to work across teams and functions, linking political, technical, analytical, and operational work in a coherent way. 

• Strong analytical and research skills, including the ability to synthesise complex information into clear options, recommendations, and written products for decision makers. 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with a diverse range of partners, including senior officials, practitioners, and local actors. 

• Willingness and ability to travel regularly, including to fragile and conflict affected settings, subject to security and duty of care arrangements. 

• High level of personal resilience, sound judgement, and discretion when working on politically sensitive issues. 

• Excellent knowledge of English, written and spoken. Knowledge of French or Arabic is an asset. 

• Eligibility to work in Switzerland. Candidates must be EU or EFTA nationals or hold a valid work permit that allows them to work in Switzerland. 

5. CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

P4P applies a clear and consistent approach to compensation. Salary levels reflect the responsibilities of the role, the contribution to the organisation, and conditions in the local labour market, while ensuring responsible use of resources and internal equity. 

Staff accrue 2.5 days of annual leave for each month of service, equivalent to six weeks of paid leave per year. 

Staff members are insured for retirement, disability and death through the state AVS scheme and a complementary pension plan provided by a private foundation in line with the LPP. P4P has entered into an agreement with a private pension foundation to ensure appropriate coverage. Further details are available on the CIEPP online platform. The employer covers 60 per cent of the pension contributions and the employee covers 40 per cent. 

Please note that P4P is currently not in a position to facilitate work permits for candidates who are not EU or EFTA nationals. 

P4P values diversity and is committed to gender equality. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds who meet the requirements of the role and are motivated to contribute to our mission. 

6. HOW TO APPLY 

Submit a cover letter and resume/CV detailing relevant experience and qualifications for this multifaceted role to hr@principlesforpeace.org by December 28, 2025.  Please include writing sample(s) and references. 

We reserve the right to close the position early if we consider the number and quality of applications received to be sufficient. 

Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline will be disregarded. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

The applications will be treated confidentially.