Job Description

Gold Standard Foundation
Description
Closing Date: 1pm CET on Monday 17th November 2025
Location: Geneva
The Head of Accounting is a pivotal leadership position at Gold Standard, responsible for ensuring the highest standards of financial integrity, compliance, and operational excellence. As the senior accounting authority, you will oversee all aspects of accounting operations, financial reporting, and internal controls, directly supporting the organisation's mission to advance high-impact climate and sustainability initiatives.
This role is ideally suited to a strategic and detail-oriented professional with a strong technical background in international accounting standards, Swiss GAAP RPC, and financial systems. You will lead and develop a high-performing team, drive process improvements, and ensure that Gold Standard's financial operations are robust, transparent, and aligned with both regulatory and donor requirements.
If you are motivated by the opportunity to shape the financial future of a dynamic, international non-profit and are committed to excellence, innovation, and collaboration, we invite you to apply.
*Please note we reserve the right to close this role early*
WHO WE ARE:
Gold Standard is a not-for-profit organization that helps companies understand the role they should play in creating a net-zero, sustainable nature future and provides tangible ways for them to contribute. This includes investments in their value chains, carbon credits, and other mechanisms for high-integrity climate action that delivers real impact for people and nature.
The Gold Standard Foundation was established in 2003 by and other international NGOs as a best practice standard to ensure projects that reduced carbon emissions under the UN's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) also delivered sustainable development benefits. Today, our standard, 'Gold Standard for the Global Goals', allows climate and development initiatives within carbon markets, corporate supply chains, and sustainable finance to manage, measure and maximise their impacts toward the Net Zero ambition of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

• Lead and Oversee Accounting Operations: Manage all day-to-day accounting activities, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with international accounting standards, Swiss GAAP RPC, and internal policies.

• Deliver Robust Financial Reporting: Direct the quarter-end and year-end close processes, preparing, reviewing, and submitting financial statements and ensuring all records meet statutory, donor, and internal requirements.

• Strengthen Financial Controls and Compliance: Monitor and enhance internal controls, oversee compliance with financial regulations and donor requirements, and act as the primary liaison for statutory and donor audits.

• Drive Systems Improvement and Process Optimisation: Evaluate and implement financial systems, tools, and process improvements to increase efficiency, automation, and quality assurance across the accounting function.
• Develop and Lead a High-Performing Team: Lead, coach, and develop the accounting team, fostering a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement, and promoting cross-functional collaboration.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

• Master's in Accounting or Finance; advanced degree (Swiss Chartered Accountant diploma or Certified Expert in Finance and Controlling) is a plus.

• Proven experience in financial planning and analysis, accounting, and budget management, preferably in a managerial role.

• Strong understanding of accounting principles and regulations (Swiss Code of Obligations & Swiss GAAP RPC).

• Experience leading remote teams and collaborating with remote stakeholders.

• Proficient in financial software and systems, with advanced skills in Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and financial modelling.

• Excellent analytical, leadership, and interpersonal skills.

• At least 5 years' experience in the non-profit or NGO sector is a plus; audit firm experience is also valued.
• Detail-oriented, highly organised, and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:

• All Employees are entitled to 30 days of holiday, pro-rated for part-time Employees.

• A mission-driven organisation working at the leading edge of climate and sustainability.

• Rewarding work in a dynamic non-profit environment.

• A collaborative workplace within a multicultural team.

• An ambitious, agile and flexible environment.
• We are unable to sponsor VISAs and only candidates with the correct right to work documents will be considered.

OUR VALUES:

• Pioneering - We focus on those that have the most promise to contribute to our vision and mission, bringing them to market with the requisite planning and resources.
• Rigorous - We build on our reputation for quality and rigor with more robust measurement of outcomes, stronger safeguards and greater impact across the Sustainable Development Goals. Our objective is to make rigor simpler and more achievable at scale.
• Collaborative - We work with key partners who share our goals and complement our strengths. Our partnership strategy aims to move beyond working opportunistically as a delivery partner in favor of collaborating in long-term strategic synergy.
• Transparent - We were established to bring confidence, trust, and accountability to carbon markets. We will continue to take strides to improve transparency in our own processes, in the broader market and in non-market mechanisms

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Gold Standard provides equal opportunity for all job applicants and employees and is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination. We are dedicated to an inclusive culture, and we strive to create a workplace where teams of people with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together.

Skills Required