Starting Date: ASAP

Contract type: Full-time and open-ended

Salary: CHF 64,315/year - commensurate with relevant experience and skills

Location: Geneva

Application closing date: 3rd March 2026

About the Job 

Are you purpose-led and ready to embark on a journey to shape the future of sustainable cotton?

Join us at Better Cotton Initiative as an Accounts Payable Officer and play a vital role in supporting the financial operations of the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative. Better Cotton works with nearly 3 million farmers across 23 countries to support more sustainable farming practices, improved livelihoods, and positive environmental outcomes.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a global organisation where strong financial governance underpins real-world impact.

The Challenge

Looking ahead to 2030, Better Cotton is working towards ambitious impact targets, including halving greenhouse gas emissions from cotton production, significantly reducing synthetic pesticide use, improving soil health, increasing farm incomes, and advancing women’s empowerment across farming communities.

As an Accounts Payable Officer, you will help ensure the organisation’s financial operations are accurate, compliant, and efficient, supporting our ability to deliver on these goals and meet internal governance, donor, and audit requirements.

Responsibilities

We are seeking a motivated Accounts Payable Officer to join our Finance & Services team. In this role, you will be responsible for supporting accounts payable activities and contributing to robust financial processes across a global organisation.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Reviewing, coding, and processing invoices and expenses in line with internal controls and compliance frameworks.
2. Performing regular reconciliations of supplier accounts and payable bank accounts.
3. Reviewing and processing employee expense claims and corporate credit card reports in accordance with policy.
4. Liaising with country finance teams to support monthly financial reporting.
5. Supporting monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close activities, including reconciliations and audit preparation.
6. Contributing to continuous improvement of finance workflows, documentation, and systems, including providing guidance and training to colleagues as required.

Experience

The successful candidate will bring the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Essential

1. Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent professional experience.
2. Demonstrated experience in accounts payable, reconciliations, and financial administration.
3. Experience working in an international or multicultural environment.
4. Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multi-currency transactions accurately.
5. Fluency in English and French.

Desirable

1. Knowledge of Swiss accounting standards, including Swiss GAAP FER and VAT.
2. Experience supporting audits and preparing financial documentation.
3. Familiarity with expense management systems and ERP or accounting software.
4. Experience contributing to process improvement or finance transformation initiatives.
5. Confidence working collaboratively across teams and geographies.

What we offer

- Hybrid working – Two to three days per week in the office

- The opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to one month per year

- Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time

- Continuous learning and development

- Pension scheme

- A generous annual leave package, including paid holiday, public holidays, additional paid days off during the festive season, study and exam days, and extra discretionary leave for life events such as family weddings or moving home

- Enhanced parental benefits

- The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference.

Working arrangements

The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in Geneva. Better Cotton Initiative offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm.  

Apply now

Send us your CV (2 pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (1-page maximum) by or before 03.03.2026 via this link. 

In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role at Better Cotton Initiative. We want to see your personal style – what makes you tick and why you think your next opportunity is here with us.

Better Cotton Initiative does not use artificial intelligence or automated screening tools in its hiring process. Every application is reviewed by our People & Culture team and relevant hiring managers to ensure a fair and human-led assessment experience.

Our hiring process

Initial Screening:

Applicant screening is a crucial step in our recruitment process. This stage may involve a brief phone interview or video call to evaluate your suitability for the position. During this screening, we review resumes and cover letters, and may conduct initial background checks to narrow down the pool of applicant. Internal candidates are encouraged to inform their line manager about their application to promote transparency and help facilitate a smooth transition if selected.

Interviews:

If you successfully pass the initial screening, you will be invited for interviews. The interview process at Better Cotton Initiative may include one or more rounds of interviews with various stakeholders, such as the hiring manager, team members, and potentially senior management. As an internal candidate, you may have discussions regarding your current responsibilities and how they will transition to the new position.

Assessment and Testing: 

Depending on the role, you might be required to complete assessments, technical tests, or skills evaluations to gauge your competency and suitability for the position. Internal candidates may have the option to demonstrate their existing skills through current job performance or past project outcomes.

Reference Checks: 

Once you progress further in the process, reference checks are conducted to validate your work history, skills, and qualifications, and for some roles, your education and criminal history. Internal candidates may be asked for references from current or previous supervisors within Better Cotton Initiative to provide insights into their performance and capabilities.

Offer stage:

After completing interviews, assessments, and reference checks, the hiring team evaluates your performance and fit for the role. If you are selected and your references are relevant and satisfactory, you will receive a formal job offer letter outlining the terms of employment, compensation, benefits, and any other relevant details. For internal candidates, the offer process may include a discussion about how your transition to the new role will be managed and any support needed for a smooth handover.

About Better Cotton Initiative

Better Cotton Initiative is a global not-for-profit organisation supporting the production of more equitable and sustainable cotton at farm level. We exist to catalyse the cotton farming community with partners, governments and others to continuously drive positive impact by setting standards and facilitating the supply and demand of more sustainable cotton from farm to brand. In just 15 years we have aligned more than a fifth of the world’s cotton with our standard and helped farmers and farming communities thrive. Join us in building a better, more sustainable future for cotton worldwide.

About our Values

The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:  

• Trustworthy (including honest, transparent, credible) 
• As having Integrity (including responsible, authentic) 
• Positive (including problem-solving, pragmatic) 
• Engaging (including adaptable, inclusive, holistic) 
• Daring (including courageous, innovative, game-changing)  

Being you @ Better Cotton Initiative

Better Cotton Initiative is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.