Associate for General Archives (Traineeship)

About the role

The ICRC Archives hold the institutional, operational and diplomatic records of the ICRC since 1863; records up to 1975 are open to the public and are used by researchers, while records after 1975 are consulted internally. The Archives are undergoing a digital transformation. Under the supervision of the Head of General Archives and the Digital Archivists, the Associate supports the Archives' mission and takes part in the ongoing digitization project and related data-driven activities. The traineeship is open to candidates with a maximum of two years of professional experience, of which no more than one year in a full-time paid position after studies.

Key responsibilities

• Support the selection, classification and cataloging of ICRC audiovisual and textual records.
• Support the development and fine-tuning of the ICRC Ontology (based on the Records in Contexts Ontology), including metadata mapping and enhancement.
• Support access and research in response to internal requests.
• Support data entry, metadata cleaning, standardization of taxonomies and controlled vocabularies, and migration of records from legacy systems to new environments.
• Take part in testing and refining digital preservation strategies, including backup routines, disaster recovery plans and the new digital preservation system.
• Contribute to documentation, workflows and user manuals for digital preservation.

Required profile

• Degree from a university or higher education institution in Archival Studies, Records Management, Information Management, Library Studies, Data Management or a related field.
• Excellent written and oral English and French (minimum C1).
• Knowledge of the principles of archival and records management, access and preservation.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to work independently and in teams and to collaborate across departments.
• Strong organization and attention to detail, able to perform repetitive tasks.

Required skills

• Solid digital archiving skills.
• Tech-savvy, with a strong interest in metadata, ontologies and data-driven workflows.

What we offer

• 100% activity rate, start on 4 January 2027, 12-month assignment.
• Legitimation card provided.
• Gross monthly salary of CHF 3'934 paid in 13 installments.