Economist Intern

Finance & Economy

Overview

Assist in quantitative analysis and research for UNHCR policies and programmes.

You have:

• Be either a recent graduate or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from an accredited university.
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a relevant field.
• Masters degree in Economics or Development Economics is desirable.
• Deep knowledge of econometric tools such as Stata, R, and/or Python.
• Good writing skills in English.
• Capacity to integrate into a multicultural environment.
• Interest in forced displacement issues.
• Familiarity with displacement and development issues.

Deadline for Applications

December 18, 2025Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

A (least hardship)Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

FamilyStaff Member / Affiliate Type

InternshipTarget Start Date

2026-02-01Terms of Reference

Terms of Reference Internship Development Unit, Amman

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship with the Development unit at UNHCR, Amman. Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions. Title: Economist intern, Development unit Internship Location: Amman, Joran Division/Section/Service: Development Unit Duration (length of internship): 6 months, extendable to additional 2 months Contract Type: Full-time Closing date for application: Start date: January 2025 Organizational context Organization Mission and Objectives UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people. Our vision is a world where every person forced to flee can build a better future. UNHCR was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950, in the aftermath of the Second World War, to help the millions of people who had lost their homes. Today, UNHCR works in 137 countries. We provide life-saving assistance—including shelter, food, water, and medical care—to people forced to flee conflict and persecution, many of whom have no one else to turn to. We defend their right to reach safety and help them find a place to call home so they can rebuild their lives. In the long term, we work with countries to improve and monitor refugee and asylum laws and policies, ensuring that human rights are upheld. In everything we do, UNHCR considers refugees and other forcibly displaced people as partners, placing those most affected at the center of planning and decision-making.

Assignment Context Jordan has long been a generous host to refugees. As of 31 August 2025, just under 500,000 refugees were registered with UNHCR. The Jordan Compact, launched in 2016, established the framework for collaboration between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the international community—including development actors—in responding to the Syrian refugee crisis. It led to the inclusion of refugees in education and health services, as well as opening avenues for self-reliance. Since 8 December 2024, UNHCR Jordan has also been working hand in hand with partners to support those who have chosen to voluntarily return to Syria. Partnerships with development actors and international financial institutions are a key enabler of solutions for refugees in Jordan. The Development Unit works along four main streams: 1. Strategic and technical partnerships with development partners; 2. Supporting the resilience of refugees and vulnerable host communities along the learning-to-earning cycle; 3. Following up on the implementation of the Global Compact for Refugees and engaging with civil society to promote inclusion; 4. Conducting research and analytics to inform interventions and policy dialogue. The unit is headed by the Senior Development Officer, who will supervise this position. It leads engagement with development actors at both the strategic and operational levels, managing a multi-sectoral portfolio in close coordination with technical units across the operation. The position The intern, under the supervision of the Senior Development Officer will closely work with the relevant teams to undertaking quantitative analysis and research to inform policies and programmes on topics relevant to the Operation. The intern will be likely to engage in joint analytics on-going with the World Bank or academic teams. The interests of the intern will also be considered in the choice of topics. Duties and responsibilities • The intern will be working on quantitative micro-level data analysis on topics agreed with the management. These would make use of UNHCR household level data sources ( including the upcoming Protection and Socio-economic Survey, skills mapping data collection, ProGres registration data etc.) as well as national data when available. Tasks will include data cleaning, descriptive statistics, data modelling, production of literature reviews etc. • Support the dissemination of results of the research products internally (and externally when appropriate). • Provide advice/technical assistance to teams undergoing regular or punctual data collection to ensure synergies across internal exercises and upgrade to international standards/norms when necessary and suggest improvement or updates to data collection tools as necessary. • Carry out any other supporting tasks required by the unit.

Minimum qualifications required. In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria: • Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO ; and • Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR.

Desirable qualifications and skills • Masters degree in Economics or Development Economics, with a track record of being able to undertake quality analysis • Deep knowledge of econometrics tool i.e. Stata, R and/or Python. • Good knowledge of data visualization tools I.e., ArcGIS, PowerBI, InDesign, etc. would be an advantage • Good writing skills in English. • Capacity to integrate in a multi-cultural environment. • Interest in forced displacement issues. • Familiarity with displacement and development issues and familiarity with measuring welfare through socio-economic profiling.

Conditions It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 8 am to 4pm Sunday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Amman. The Intern’s allowance for Amman internship location is 70% of the monthly net salary of the GS level 3 step 1 which is equivalent to 690.26 JOD. Internships normally last two to six months with the possibility of extension up to eight months for full-time internships and twelve months for part-time internships. Candidates with previous UNHCR Internship experience must not have exceeded the maximum total cumulative duration of eight (8) months. How to apply The selected candidate will receive a link to the UNHCR recruitment portal to create a profile. Obligations - Acquiring and renewing current visas, residence permits including all associated costs, obtaining medical certification and compliance with taxation requirements (if applicable), are the responsibility of the intern. - The selected candidate will need to provide UNHCR with a proof of funding from the sponsoring institution (if applicable), health insurance coverage applicable to the assigned internship location and a certificate of good health from a qualified medical practitioner certifying their fitness for work, as well as travel. In the event the candidate is not able to produce the required certificate, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme. Allowance and Travel: The Sponsoring Institution shall provide non-reimbursable financial support in the form of a stipend/scholarship/allowance/etc. for the period of internship with UNHCR. Travel expenses to and from the internship location shall be the responsibility of the respective sponsoring institution. UNHCR is not responsible for any renumeration for the intern during the internship period. If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request.

All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, or training). We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.Standard Job Description

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This position doesn't require a functional clearance Remote

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Added 5 months ago - Updated 5 months ago - Source: unhcr.org