Swisscontact is an independent non-profit development organisation established in 1959 by representatives of the Swiss private sector and civil society. Our development work focuses on private sector-led, sustainable economic development with improved quality of life for all in developing and emerging countries. A key focus is to strengthen the skills of individuals and foster the competitiveness of businesses.
The organisation is currently active in over 130 projects in 41 countries with around 1100 employees. It is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
The Swiss Import Promotion Programme SIPPO is a trade promotion programme of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, implemented by Swisscontact. SIPPO is active in 11 partner countries and in six economic sectors. SIPPO develops capacities of local business support organisations (BSO) to improve their export promotion services to their affiliated export-oriented companies, helping them gaining access to new markets in Switzerland and the EU. This leads to stronger local export promotion systems and to better integration of SIPPO partner countries into world trade. SIPPO thus contributes to susaintable, inclusive economic growth through export. The programme is currently concluding in its second programme phase (01.07.2021 - 31.12.2025) and enters its third phase (01.01.2026 – 31.12.2029).
For our SIPPO Global Services Team in Switzerland, we are looking to recruit a dedicated member of staff with effect from February 1, 2026 or by agreement as a Sector Lead Food (80%).
Contract duration: 01.02.2026 – 31.12.2027 (with option of extension until 31.12.2028 or 31.12.2029)
Accountabilities:
- Provide strategic guidance to SIPPO Country Teams on trends, requirements, market mechanisms and innovations in the three food sectors of SIPPO, Natural Ingredients, Processed Food and Fish & Seafood, in the EU and Switzerland
- Support Country teams in the design and implementation of their Annual Plans and Workplans
- Coordinate activities in the three sectors across the 11 SIPPO Countries and identify synergies
- Manage and develop the SIPPO international consultant pool for the programme’s three Food Sectors
- Support SIPPO Country Teams in identifying and securing consultant capacities required for programme implementa-tion in the SIPPO Countries
- Collaborate and coordinate with the Sector Leads Value-added Textil & Technical Wood and Sustainable Tourism
- Provide sector specific expertise to Leads Sustainability & Digitalisation and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)
- Responsibility to co-develop and maintain sector related processes
- Build and manage relations to EU / CH importer networks and bridge between these networks and SIPPO Country Teams
- Point of contact for the SIPPO Advisory Board members of the three sectors
- Responsible for global annual plans and global progress reports on Sector level
- Exchange and align with Swisscontact peers
Requirements:
- Higher education (University, University of Applied Sciences)
- Excellent project management and project coordination skills
- Proficiency in English and German, written/spoken (French and/or Spanish are a plus)
- Experience in development cooperation, trade promotion and international trade
- Background in Sustainability and Digitalization
- Familiar with Market Systems Development concepts
- At ease in working in an international, intercultural environment
- Knowledge of the EU / CH Food Sectors
- Network in the EU / CH Food Sector
- Industry experience in the Food Sector (buyer, retail, production) is a plus
- Good communicator
- Curious, thorough, determined, persistent
- Self-driven, with strong ability to collaborate
- Data-driven, tech-savy and willingness to learn to work with new technologies
Swisscontact offers attractive working conditions in an international and multicultural context. We see our work as a joint effort in an agile organizational culture: mutual respect, trust and teamwork.
We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents: cover letter, curriculum vitae, diplomas, and references. Please apply exclusively via the online application portalon our website. For further information please visit www.sippo.ch, www.swisscontact.org.