1  Who we are

Macroscopic Ventures (“we”, “us”) is a Swiss not‑for‑profit association with registered address at Innere Margarethenstrasse 5, 4051 Basel, Switzerland. We act as the controller of the personal data you submit for roles or volunteer opportunities with us.

2  Scope of this notice

This notice describes how we collect, use, share and retain personal data about any individual who:

  • applies for an advertised or speculative position;
  • is referred to us as a potential candidate; or
  • participates in any assessment, interview, event or other step in our recruitment process (together “Candidates”).

3  What personal data we collect

Category
Examples
Identification & contact
name, postal address, email, telephone, nationality, work‑permit status
Application materials
CV/résumé, cover letter, work history, qualifications, certificates, portfolio
Assessment data
interview notes, test or assignment results, aptitude or personality scores
Background information
references, verification responses, publicly available professional profiles
Special‑category data (only where required & lawful)
disability accommodations, criminal‑records extract, health certificates
Any other information you choose to provide
e.g. salary expectations, relocation preferences

4  How and why we use your data

We process Candidate data to:

  • assess suitability, qualifications and interests;
  • communicate with you about your application and future opportunities;
  • verify information and conduct permitted background or reference checks;
  • maintain recruitment records and compile statistics (in anonymised or aggregated form);
  • invite you to join our talent pool (with your consent);
  • comply with legal or regulatory obligations and defend legal claims.

5  Legal bases (where the EU GDPR applies)

  • Pre‑contractual steps – Processing necessary to decide whether to enter into an employment or volunteer contract (Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR).
  • Legitimate interests – our interest in selecting qualified personnel and protecting our rights (Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR).
  • Legal obligation – where Swiss or EU/EEA law requires processing (Art. 6 (1)(c) GDPR).
  • Consent – when we keep your data for future roles, collect special‑category data, or transfer it outside approved jurisdictions (Art. 6 (1)(a) & 9 (2)(a) GDPR). You may withdraw consent at any time.

6  Who we share your data with

  • Service providers that host or support our applicant‑tracking system, email, video conference or cloud storage – all under written agreements.
  • Professional advisers such as lawyers or auditors, bound by confidentiality.
  • Referees, academic institutions or certification bodies that you name.
  • Competent authorities, courts or law‑enforcement agencies where required by law. We do not sell Candidate data.

7  International transfers

If we transfer your data outside Switzerland or the European Economic Area, we will rely on:

  • an adequacy decision by the Federal Council or European Commission, or
  • Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards. A copy of the relevant safeguard can be obtained by contacting us (see Section 11).

8  How long we keep your data

Unless you become an employee or expressly agree to a longer period in our talent pool, we keep unsuccessful Candidate data for six (6) months after the recruitment process closes. Data needed to establish, exercise or defend legal claims may be retained until the relevant limitation period expires.

9  Your rights

Under Swiss law—and, where applicable, the EU GDPR—you can:

  • request access to your personal data;
  • ask for correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
  • request deletion or restriction of processing;
  • object to processing based on our legitimate interests
  • receive a copy of your data in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing);
  • lodge a complaint with the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) or with an EU supervisory authority.

We will respond to rights requests within one month (extendable as permitted by law).

10  Automated decision‑making

We do not take recruiting decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Should we introduce such technology, we will notify you and provide you with the required safeguards and information.

11  How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Candidate Privacy Notice, contact us anytime at info@macroscopic.org

12  Updates to this notice

We may update this notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The latest version will always be available at macroscopic.org/candidate-privacy-notice; we will indicate the revision date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you in a prominent way.