Associate Philanthropy Advisor – Private Major Donors

Responsibilities

Strategy and action plan

· Actively contribute to the implementation of the yearly plan

Cultivation and stewardship

· Manages a portfolio of Major Donors and potential Top Major Donors and, alongside the Team Coordinator, design and develop the donor journey for donors giving between CHF 10'000 and CHF 20'000 annually.

· Regularly reports to and consults with the Team Coordinator on the strategy for the pool regarding upgrading donors within this segment.

· Determine the best approach and journey for each individual donor depending on their wishes and level of engagement.

· Prepare and facilitate one-to-one meetings, calls, presentations and other meaningful interactions with major donors.

· Interact and collaborate with key spokespersons within MSF (President, General Director, Director of Operations, other management team members), as well as field staff, with the aim of bringing donors closer to the organisation to demonstrate our life-saving mission and work in the projects.

· Define, propose and organise visits to MSF offices and projects, in line with MSF criteria and guidance.

· Ensure that the nature / identity of donors is in line with MSF gifts acceptance policy.

· Ensure that the donor journey runs smoothly, and donors are thanked and stewarded promptly.

· Ensure the database is kept up-to-date.

· Draft engaging communication for the MDs about MSF projects.

Solicitation/ask

· In line with the yearly plan and past giving history of main donors, proactively present asks to selected donors for gifts (general and individualized asks) and consult with the Team Coordinator about the solicitation plan

· Ensure that the major donors journey strategy is followed and that major donors are solicited according to their motivations in a personalised way.

Information and data management

· Closely work with the System Support Team to ensure most efficient use of Customer Relationship Management Database.

· Support the Team Coordinator in income forecasting and quarterly analysis of results.

Others

· Participate in the Community of Practice for Individual Major Donors of MSF in particular with other German-speaking sections.

· Work proactively on projects as needed in the Unit, upon request by her/his supervisor.

Your profile

Education

· University degree in Business Management, Marketing,

· Communications, Political Science, International

· Relations or other relevant areas

Experience

· First professional experience in the non-profit sector or in the fields of marketing/sales/communication or client relationship management

Languages

· German mother tongue & very good English

· French and Italian an asset.

Skills/ Technical competencies

· Proven excellent writing skills (drafting and editing)

· Excellent in oral public presentations

· Strong knowledge of the Windows environment (Word, Excel, Power Point) and tech-savvy

· Strong Analytical skills

· Knowledge of the humanitarian and development sector in Switzerland.

Personal Abilities/Qualities

· Excellent interpersonal skills

· Service oriented

· Dynamic, proactive and autonomous

· Rigorous and good organizational skills

· Empathic, enthusiastic, optimistic

· Discretion

· Team spirit.

Terms of employment

· Full-time position 100% (40h/week)

· Open-ended contract

· Working place: Zurich, Switzerland

· Ideal start date: As soon as possible

· Gross annual salary (for 100%): from CHF 80'856.- to CHF 97'224.- (salary commensurate with equivalent experience and internal salary grid)

· Paid vacation: 25 days per year, prorate temporis, plus any Swiss public holidays falling within the contract period.

· Pension plan: pension contribution covered 3/4 by MSF, 1/4 by staff member.

· Relocation support available for eligible candidates.

How to apply

Candidates are invited to submit their application exclusively through our recruitment platform, following these guidelines:

• CV (maximum 2 pages)
• Cover letter (maximum 1 page)
• Documents must be submitted in either English or French.

The application deadline is November 30th, 2026.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier if we receive a sufficient number of quality applications.

All applications will be treated confidentially.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please note that we do not wish to use the services of recruitment or placement agencies.