Stiftung Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen Schweiz (HEKS)
Zürich
Member of the Board of Trustees
- 04 September 2026
- 100%
- Permanent position
- Zürich
About the job
HEKS employs over 1200 permanent staff and pursues the vision of a just world in which the dignity of all people is respected, peace prevails, and natural resources are preserved. HEKS operates at 23 locations in Switzerland and worldwide in 32 countries with 277 programmes and projects amounting to around 138 million Swiss francs.
Within the framework of the 2030 Agenda, HEKS works in the four thematic priorities of "climate justice", "right to land and food", "flight and migration" as well as "inclusion". In addition, HEKS provides humanitarian aid to victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. The goal is a transformation on social, economic and political levels. HEKS contributes to improving the living conditions of people in Switzerland and worldwide, asserts their rights, and raises awareness and mobilises society, politics, business and churches for this purpose. In 2025, HEKS reached around 12 million people with its work.
Member of the Board of Trustees
HEKS was founded in 1946 as a relief organisation of the Protestant churches in Switzerland. Since 2004, HEKS has been a non-profit foundation based in Zurich. In November 2021, HEKS merged with Bread for All to form the relief organisation of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland. The supreme body is the Board of Trustees, which commissions the Executive Board with operational management. The HEKS Board of Trustees consists of 9 members, one of whom is appointed by the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland (EKS). The election of the remaining members and the president is carried out by the Synod of the EKS. The term of office is four years, with two re-elections possible. Currently, the Board of Trustees includes three women and six men.
As part of a gradual renewal of the Board of Trustees, we are looking for a communicative and well-connected personality as
The Board of Trustees is responsible for:
- the vision / mission / strategy
- anticipating geopolitical, societal and development policy trends and their consequences for humanitarian and social work (e.g. trend analyses, scenarios, future orientation, innovation)
- strategic corporate development (e.g. optimising framework conditions, good governance, corporate responsibility, sustainability)
- cultural change (e.g. customer and impact orientation, digitalisation, younger generations)
- risk management and supervision (compliance, information security, data protection, shortage of skilled workers)
- exploiting the potential for synergies within the organisation and related organisations as well as complementarity with selected strategic partners
- sustainable financing (accessing new sources of finance)
- positioning and strong and broad societal anchoring as well as networking in Switzerland and with key stakeholders abroad
To complete the Board of Trustees you bring:
- Theological training or comparable qualification
- Knowledge of the structures and working methods of the Protestant churches
- Experience with the grassroots work of the churches
- Familiarity with the networks of the churches
An affinity for the following topics is welcome:
- Flight and migration
- Inclusion
- Climate justice
- Right to land and food
We live diversity - inclusion is important to us:
We welcome applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age or sexual orientation; applications from the Romandy region are especially welcome.
What you can expect from us:
- A challenging and meaningful role in a renowned NGO
- Committed, motivated and competent board members, executive management and staff
- Appreciative interaction at all levels with an informal culture of address
- Contemporary remuneration within the ZEWO guidelines for voluntary engagement amounting to around 10 working days per year (including preparation and follow-up)
Would you like to enrich and complement the HEKS Board of Trustees with your experience? Then we look forward to receiving your application (cover letter and CV) by email (direktion@heks.ch).
For enquiries, please contact Dr Walter Schmid (walter.schmid@heks.ch), President, and Mr Markus Arbenz, member of the Board of Trustees (markus.arbenz@heks.ch).
Further information about HEKS can be found at www.heks.ch.
