Geneva, Switzerland

Full-time

Apply via CERN careers portal here: https://careers.cern/jobs/sr-se-pf-2026-72-grae/ 

What You’ll Do

Are you passionate about fundraising and partnerships? Would you like to work at the world’s leading particle-physics laboratory and thrive? Come and join the Fundraising and Partnerships (FP) section in the Stakeholder Engagement (SE) group in the Stakeholder Relations (SR) sector!

The Fundraising and Partnerships section coordinates and conducts philanthropic fundraising at or on behalf of CERN and the CERN & Society Foundation, as well as the dissemination of, and compliance with, CERN’s fundraising standards, including the Ethical Policy and the Policy for the Recognition of Donors. The CERN & Society Foundation, established in June 2014, is a charity through which philanthropic support for CERN & Society projects are raised from companies, trusts/foundations and individuals.

As a junior Fundraising Operations & Grants Officer, under the supervision of the Head of Fundraising and Partnerships, you will play a key role in the operations of the CERN & Society Foundation. You will manage formal obligations to authorities, support the Foundation’s governing body, and oversee financial processes in close collaboration with CERN’s Legal Service and Finance and Administrative Processes department. In parallel, you will work alongside CERN project leaders to manage institutional and foundation donor relationships, including proposal preparation, compliance monitoring, and reporting. This role combines operational stewardship with the management of internal and external relationships, ensuring seamless donor engagement and a sustainable flow of resources to the CERN & Society Foundation.

Core Tasks and Key Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Head of Fundraising and Partnerships section and in close collaboration with the other members of the team, the Operations and Grants Officer will perform the following tasks:

• Oversight of CERN & Society Foundation donation accounts, preparation and control of Foundation’s annual budget
• Contribution to the annual external audit of the CERN & Society Foundation and to all required financial and substantial reporting to authorities, jointly with relevant CERN departments
• Ensuring compliance with applicable policies, donor requirements, and legal obligations
• Acting as a liaison for the CERN & Society Foundation Board, handling of all formal matters related to the Board operation and organisation of the Board meetings
• Preparation of philanthropic grant proposals, oversight of the project deliverables and timelines, preparation of reports
• Based on project fundraising needs, conducting prospect research within the institutional and foundation landscape, preparation of approaches, cultivation of prospects and stewardship of donors
• Financial oversight of grant funds in close exchange with other relevant sections and departments of CERN
• Maintaining accurate records of grants, donors and reporting obligations in the relevant systems
• If necessary, performance of any other unforeseen tasks as determined by the Head of the Partnerships and Fundraising section.

Your Profile

• Managing operations within a non-profit charitable context
• Working with external stakeholders
• Understanding of grant management, budgets and reporting
• Experience with a fundraising CRM would be an asset.
• Your studies focused on Fundraising, International relations etc.

Your Skills

• Understanding of fundraising processes, grants management, donor reporting and stewardship
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and result-oriented approach
• Proficiency in Microsoft suite, including Excel
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and deliver high quality outputs under time pressure
• Ability to work autonomously, take initiative and drive proposals forward
• Desire and ability to work in a team within a large international organization
• Excellent spoken and written French and English are essential

Eligibility criteria

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State. Currently, we cannot consider applications from Pakistani and Lithuanian nationals for positions with a 2026 start date, as the ceiling defined under Article II.5 of the Associate Membership Agreement has been reached.
• By the application deadline, you have a maximum 2 years of professional experience since graduation in the respective field and your highest educational qualification is either a bachelor’s or master’s degree. You must have a university degree and can’t hold a PhD.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.

Additional information

Job closing date: Please note that the vacancy is closing on 9 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.

Target start date: 01-June-2026

This position involves work during evenings, Sundays and official holidays, when required by the needs of the Organization.

Job reference: SR-SE-PF-2026-72-GRAE

Field of work: Stakeholder Relations

What we offer

• A monthly stipend ranging between 5266-5793 Swiss Francs (net of tax), depending on your degree
• 30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks annual closure
• Coverage by CERN's comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Depending on your individual circumstances: installation grant; family, child and infant allowances; payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of contract.
• On-the-job and formal training at CERN as well as in-house language courses for English and/or French.

About us

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.