Manager, Governance, Geneva, Switzerland

Vacancy No

VN2489

Job Title

Manager, Governance

Location

Geneva

Team

Governance

Reporting to

Director / Head, Governance

Career Step Level

3

Job Description

Position title: Manager, Governance
Contract type / duration: 5 years
Location: Geneva
Department: Governance
Team: Governance
Reports To: Director, Governance / Head, Governance
Career Step: 3

1. About the Role

The Manager, Governance ensures the effective functioning of the Gavi Alliance Board, its Committees and the IFFIm Board by delivering high quality governance processes, documentation and coordination. The role sits at the centre of interactions with Board and Committee members, constituency representatives, Secretariat leadership, and Alliance partners including WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, civil society and donor governments.

The position provides operational and analytical support across governance activities, manages end to end meeting cycles, ensures compliance with governance standards, and enables accurate, transparent and timely decision making. The Manager, Governance also leads delegated governance improvement projects and acts as a reference point for Secretariat staff preparing Board and Committee materials.

2. Key Responsibilities

• Board and Committee Documentation: Lead the preparation, quality assurance and finalisation of papers, minutes, presentations and official correspondence, ensuring accuracy, clarity and compliance with governance standards.
• Governance Meeting Coordination: Coordinate end to end Board and Committee meeting cycles, managing timelines, approval steps, review sequences and distribution of materials for smooth and compliant delivery.
• Governance Records and Documentation Management: Draft and maintain high quality minutes, manage decision records and archives, and ensure audit ready document control and versioning across governance information.
• Constituency and Stakeholder Liaison: Serve as a primary contact for constituencies and senior stakeholders, handling enquiries, maintaining information flows, and supporting effective engagement across partners and Secretariat teams.
• Operational and Administrative Governance Processes: Manage procurement, contracting and vendor workflows for governance activities, ensuring compliance with internal systems and accurate data capture in platforms such as SAP, Salesforce and equivalent
• Governance Improvement and Advisory Support: Deliver governance improvement initiatives, digitalisation and process optimisation projects, and provide guidance to Secretariat staff to ensure consistent application of governance standards.

3. Your Experience and Skills

• Typically 5 - 7 years managing full Board/Committee cycles, including governance ready papers, high quality minutes, and review/approval coordination.
• Experience coordinating governance processes in international settings, managing enquiries, consolidating inputs, and handling sensitive communications.
• Experience with institutional procedures and systems, including document control, versioning, procurement/contracting, and platforms such as SAP, Salesforce (or similar), preferred.
• Experience supporting governance meetings, coordinating cross-team inputs under deadlines, and applying project management to track timelines and anticipate dependencies; exposure to governance improvement initiatives is an advantage.

Education and qualifications:

Essential:

• University degree in social sciences, business, economics or similar

Preferred:

• Corporate governance training and / or certification strongly preferred:

Technical and functional skills:

• Governance Process & Workflow Management (Advanced): Ability to manage governance workflows, coordinate approval cycles, track timelines, and ensure alignment with Board and Committee standards.
• Documentation Management (Advanced): Skilled in capturing and synthesising complex, sensitive discussions into accurate minutes and governance-ready documents.
• Stakeholder Coordination & Communication (Advanced): Ability to manage diverse stakeholders, maintain accurate information flows, and produce clear, concise written and verbal communications (including Board-level correspondence).
• Data & Information Management (Strong): Competence in document control, versioning, archiving, and data integrity, using systems such as SAP, Zycus, Salesforce or similar.
• Operational Compliance & Administrative Execution (Advanced): Ability to manage procurement, contracting, and administrative processes in line with internal policies and governance requirements.

Languages needed

• Written and spoken fluency in English required.
• French preferred.

4. How You Work (Behaviours and Mindsets)

• Politically aware & discreet: Navigates complex, multicultural environments with strong stakeholder awareness, sound judgment, and a high level of confidentiality and discretion.
• Clear & effective communicator: Communicates complex information with clarity, adapts messaging to diverse audiences, and ensures timely, transparent communication.
• Collaborative & low-ego mindset: Builds strong relationships, works seamlessly across teams, and adopts a hands-on approach with a focus on collective outcomes over hierarchy.
• Reliable execution & accountability: Takes ownership to ensure governance processes move forward, manages multiple priorities with strong attention to detail, and follows through consistently.
• Agile & resilient under pressure: Adapts to changing priorities and organisational contexts, operates effectively in high-pressure environments, and remains solutions-oriented during periods of change.