Oak Foundation is looking for a Human Resources Generalist (French-speaking)

About Oak Foundation

Oak Foundation (www.oakfnd.org) contributes to a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world through its grant-making. We are proud of the work our grant recipients do around the world every day, to help people and communities to thrive and to conserve our earth for future generations. With offices in Europe, Africa, and North America, we make grants to organisations located in approximately 40 countries worldwide.

Purpose of Role

Oak Foundation is currently recruiting a HR generalist to join the HR team based in Geneva, Switzerland. The position sits within the Operations team which encompasses several support functions, including Finance, IT, Grant Management, and Human Resources. The various support functions ensure that Oak’s staff worldwide are equipped for the extraordinary opportunity at hand – to contribute to a safer, fairer and more sustainable world.
This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned HR professional to embrace a wide spectrum of HR activities and be part of a small HR team. The HR team in Geneva support Oak staff worldwide, which is currently around 100 staff.

Main Responsibilities

• 70 per cent employee administration:
  • Collaborate with the payroll and employer of record companies in Geneva and in the other offices to handle the monthly payroll and perform regular checks.
  • Lead the request and renewal of work permits for Geneva staff.
  • Handle accident or illness cases for staff in Geneva, with the insurance company and the broker.
  • Handle other specific cases for staff during the employee lifecycle (e.g. pension fund queries, retirement, or maternity leave).
  • Ensure electronic personnel files are kept up-to-date.
  • Draft employment contracts and work certificates, as well as HR consultants agreement letters.
  • Manage relocation processes for new staff.
  • Manage work-from-home monitoring processes for cross-border workers.
  • Support the salary review process, i.e., prepare the annual salary letters for all staff and other related documents.
  • Prepare and update the salary budget sheets in collaboration with finance colleagues.
  • Manage public holiday calendars in all countries.
• 10 per cent Cezanne (HRIS) support and maintenance:
  • Act as the point of contact for Cezanne queries for staff and management.
  • Manage and implement changes and new processes, in liaison with Cezanne’s support team.
  • Provide training to staff and management.
  • Gather and analyse data for useful HR metrics.
  • Ensure personnel data is kept up-to-date.
  • Manage the smooth onboarding/off-boarding of Oak staff.
• 5 per cent HR policies:
  • Support the development of new or revision of HR policies and update the staff handbook and the HR section of Oak Hub, our internal web-based intranet.
• 15 per cent HR projects and core people processes:
  • Manage tasks related to other core people processes and manage projects as requested (e.g., finding a new employer of record, or helping with induction processes, salary benchmarking surveys, or legal employment reports, etc).
  • Support the head of HR with employee relations cases as requested.
  • Organise HR events (e.g., global inductions, engagement activities such as pulse surveys, information sessions, and other ad hoc training sessions with staff).
  • Act as deputy designated officer for safeguarding and contribute to changes in policy and training.
  • Advise staff or management on HR-related queries.
  • Act as the backup for the HR recruitment officer and/or head of human resources for assigned activities.
  • Conduct any other projects or tasks as requested by the head of HR or the director of operations.

Position Requirements

• University degree; Swiss Human Resources education is highly preferred (Certificat/Brevet Fédéral en Ressources Humaines).
• At least five years’ experience in a comparable role (experience with not-for-profit organisations is a plus).
• Solid knowledge of employment laws and social security in Switzerland. Knowledge of employment laws and social security in the UK and US is desirable; in its absence, a commitment to developing such knowledge is a plus
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with tact and discretion.
• Proven experience and comfort level with HRIS systems.
• Strong and diplomatic communication skills.
• Excellent organisational skills, problem solving skills and resourceful.
• Results-oriented, able and prompt to anticipate needs, responsive.
• Strong attention to detail and at ease working with numbers.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure.
• Team player and enjoys working with multi-cultural teams across the globe.
• A good sense of humour, positive attitude, committed to continuous improvement.
• Strong knowledge of MS Office.
• Fluency in English and French, written and spoken.
• Swiss/EU citizen or valid work permit for Switzerland.
• Committed to Oak’s organisational values.

How to apply

Interested candidates can apply to the position on Michael Page’s website no later than 24 December 2025. Any questions can be directed to [email protected]. Please note that we will only contact shortlisted candidates.

By submitting your application, you confirm that you have read and understood Oak’s job applicant’s data privacy notice.

Oak Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, as detailed in our child safeguarding policy. We expect all staff to share this commitment.

Please note that the successful candidate will undergo reference checks and be required to provide a police record prior to starting employment.

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