Head of Library & Public Archives

icrc • Geneva (GVA), CH, 30744 • 1w ago

What we do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and, at the same time, promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational, and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations.

Context

The Division of Archives, Library, and Outreach valorizes ICRC heritage, knowledge, and thought leadership through archives, library, and law and policy outreach.

The archives and library preserve and valorize institutional information for long-term use and access, contributing to the ICRC’s business continuity, accountability, and transparency. They form the memory of the organization and of individuals and their families affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, and contribute to the development of knowledge on the ICRC’s past actions and on the development of international humanitarian law (IHL).

The Law and Policy Outreach team leads online and onsite outreach to law and policy circles, in support of influencing key actors and decision-makers on humanitarian issues of importance to the ICRC. It brings together multidisciplinary outreach capacities encompassing the Humanitarian Law and Policy blog, public conferences, digital promotion strategies, and online platforms.

Through its different components, the Division valorizes the ICRC’s past actions and thinking to inform current and future decision-making and promotes the ICRC’s present thinking, legal, and policy positions internally and externally.

Purpose

The Head of Library and Public Archives is responsible for ensuring public access to the ICRC’s library and public archives collections, and for their valorization and promotion internally and externally.

Together, these collections document the history of humanity through the prism of humanitarian law and action during warfare since 1863, including its impact on people. The records and publications valorize the ICRC’s past actions and thinking to inform its present and future decision-making. The vast collections include publications, documents, personal records, and audiovisual records such as films, photos, and audio recordings.

The Library and Public Archives Unit works in close collaboration with the General Archives Unit, which is in charge of identifying, selecting, and transferring records into the ICRC archives and ensuring their long-term accessibility and preservation.

The Head of Library and Public Archives is the functional lead for the digitization project aiming to digitize the ICRC’s public archives and offer online access to a global audience. The project is part of the larger Safeguarding ICRC Archives Programme, set up to ensure the preservation and accessibility of ICRC’s knowledge, past and present. In this role, the Head of Library and Public Archives ensures the active and continuous promotion of this new digital offer to a global research audience.

The position reports to the Head of Division, works in close collaboration with the Head of General Archives and the Safeguarding Archives Programme Manager, and is part of the Division’s leadership team.

Main duties & responsibilities

Organizes, supervises, and promotes the Unit’s transversal work to ensure access to the public archives and library collections.
Represents the Unit in the digitization of paper archives project and organizes the Unit’s involvement in and support to the project (part of the Safeguarding Archives Programme).
Develops policies, guidelines, and procedures defining the Unit’s work and services, in conformity with institutional policies and professional standards.
Manages the team in line with ICRC People Leadership and Management principles.
Formulates the Unit’s annual objectives and budgetary requirements, monitors budget spending, and assesses performance.
Positions the ICRC public archives and library as a resource centre on the history of the ICRC and international humanitarian law and action, both inside and outside the organization, by promoting and making available the documentary collections and archives under its responsibility.
Serves as editor of the ICRC’s history blog (https://blogs.icrc.org/cross-files/) and manages its social media presence.
Engages with a network of experts and develops partnerships with academic circles, research centres, and other libraries and archives.
Drives the long-term ambition to digitize the ICRC’s collections and archives for independent historical reviews and internal knowledge management.
Ensures that the Unit’s activities evolve and that its operational objectives are aligned with institutional strategies.
Contributes to the development and implementation of the Division’s and Department’s vision and strategies, and fosters synergies and collaboration across the Division and beyond.

Education & experience required

University degree in archival or library science, information management, or another relevant field.
At least 12 years of relevant professional experience, including strategic planning, service delivery, and project management.
Confirmed experience managing a team.
Experience in web publishing.
Experience with a digitization and/or digital heritage project is an advantage.
Experience in public communication, social media, and/or promotion is an advantage.
Computer proficiency; knowledge of archival or library management tools is an advantage.

Profile & skills

Strong interest in history.
High level of digital literacy and ease of working with information systems.
Proven leadership skills and confirmed management capacity.
Ability to motivate a team and foster collaboration, including across units and disciplines.
Strong interpersonal and representation skills.
Strong analytical and organizational skills.
At ease with networking and relationship-building, internally and externally.
Ability to learn and apply new skills and to accompany teams through change.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French (French at least C1 strongly preferred, given the collections and working context).

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.

Position details

Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Type of Contract: Open-ended
Length of assignment: 6 years
Activity rate: 100%
Start date: March 2026
Recruiter: Yana Makaveeva
Application deadline: Wednesday, 31 December 2025