Working for the Swiss government – at the heart of Swiss politics
The Federal Chancellery – the Federal Council’s staff office
The core task of the Federal Chancellery is to support the government in its work. As the Federal Council’s staff office, we assist and advise the president and members of the Federal Council, and carry out organisational and communication tasks. The Chancellery also publishes the Federal Council’s decrees, and drafts the explanatory pamphlets that are sent out along with other voting documents for popular votes and referendums. We are also committed to defending the rights of the people. We work with the cantons to organise federal votes and elections and thereby work directly on behalf of the people of Switzerland.
What we do
2,500 items of business per year – We support the government in the preparation, carrying out and the follow-up of Federal Council meetings.
Continuity for the presidency – We support the president and his or her department in representing Switzerland’s interests at the highest level of government.
Looking to the future – We track national and international trends to see where political action is needed.
Meticulously multilingual – We ensure that legislative texts are identical and intelligible in each language.
Information across all channels – We coordinate the government’s communications and ensure that information is presented to the public in a transparent way.
Online over print – We publish all legislative texts online in the Federal Gazette and in the Official Compilation of Federal Legislation.
Contact point for people’s rights – We organise all federal popular votes and National Council elections, serve as the point of contact for initiative and referendum committees, and verify whether popular requests meet the necessary criteria.
Digital Federal Administration – We support and coordinate the digital transformation process in the Federal Administration.
Working conditions
In addition to exciting and varied work, the Chancellery also offers attractive working conditions, a transparent pay scale and good opportunities for continuing education and training.
Locations
Many of the Chancellery’s staff work in the West Wing of the Federal Palace in Bern. We also have further offices in the centre of Bern (Gurtengasse, Feldeggweg and Monbijoustrasse), as well as in Bellinzona.
